An autonomous vehicle parking system includes a parking system server that is in electronic communication with an autonomous vehicle. The server executes programming instructions that cause it to receive a parking location request from the autonomous vehicle, identify one or more parking zones that are proximate to the autonomous vehicle, determine an estimated density and a distance from a present location of the autonomous vehicle for each the parking zones, use the estimated densities and the distances to select one of the parking zones as a destination zone, and provide the autonomous vehicle with a geographic identifier for the destination zone. After the vehicle identifies an available parking space in the destination zone, the system will initiate a transaction with a parking service provider to authorize the autonomous vehicle to park in the destination zone for a period of time.