Parking in Florence: where to park, essential tips and important information you need to know

Do you want to spend one day in Florence and are you by car?

Florence is well connected to the rest of Italy by train, so it’s always best to avoid using the car when moving around. However, if you plan on doing day trips to towns near Florence, like Chianti or to other areas that are not as well served by public transportation, renting a car might be the right choice.

But what should you do with your car while in the city? Which parking garage is the best? Which options are the cheapest and safest? Here is some helpful advice for those of you coming to Florence by car.

Florence parking and ZTL: what is it and how does it work?

Having a car in Florence can be a problem as most of the city center is a large limited traffic area (ZTL), and where many streets are pedestrian zones. Driving into a ZTL zone, or even worse, driving in a pedestrian zone can earn you some expensive traffic violations; despite this, it happens every year that a tourist attempts to drive over Ponte Vecchio.

To get around Florence by car you should know some basic rules:

• the active hours of the ZTL,
• knowing where to park and how much it costs to leave your car in the center.

So let’s start in that order with some helpful advice on what to do with your car.

ZTL (limited traffic zone) is a nightmare for most drivers who want to enter Florence and a salvation for those living in the city center. The ZTL zone is a large area where only vehicles with special permits can enter, such as taxis, service vehicles and ambulances and the police etc.

In Florence the entire historical center is a ZTL zone, with the exception of some transit routes, such as Santa Caterina d’Alessandria and via Nazionale, which lead to the station; moreover, several areas of the center are an extensive pedestrian zone, where only taxis and emergency vehicles, or police can enter. Inside the ZTL zone, when active, only vehicles with a valid permit can enter (residents, or drivers with a temporary permit in Florence.)

Active ZTL hours in Florence:

• Monday to Friday: 7.30 am-8 pm
• Saturday: 7:30 am-4 pm

In the summer the ZTL is also active at night. Usually nighttime ZTL is active from the beginning of April until early October during these hours:

• 11 pm Thursday to 3 am Friday
• 11 pm Friday to 3 am Saturday
• 11 pm Saturday to 3 am Sunday

Parking in Florence: what if my hotel is in a ZTL area?

This regulation applies to everyone: you can only enter ZTL areas if:

• You have a room booked  in a hotel in a ZTL zone and you have also made a reservation in a parking garage that has an agreement with the hotel.
• You are parking in a private garage in a limited traffic zone.

If you enter a ZTL zone during these hours without a valid permit you will receive a ticket in the mail.

Remember that even when the ZTL is not active and transit is allowed, non residents and people without temporary permits CAN NOT PARK their vehicles in the center. Even when entering in off  ZTL hours, if you leave your car parked on a street in the center, it will very likely be towed.

What should you do if you cannot park along the streets?

Florence: parking in the city centre, is it possible?

If you want to organize your visit in maximum comfort and leave your car in the center you have the following options:

• 2 parking garages belonging to FirenzeParcheggi which are located inside the ZTL zone. The first is located underneath the Santa Maria Novella station. The other garage is located under the San Lorenzo Market. Due to their location they are the more costly options among those managed by FirenzeParcheggi. The hourly rate at the station is 3.80 euro. At the market the first hour costs 2 euro, the second hour 3 euro, and each hour thereafter 8 euro/ hour (until 2 pm). After 2 pm the rate is 2 euro/hour.
• Private garages – there are many private garages inside the ZTL zone. Parking in a private garage may cost around 35 euro/day. The biggest one is Garage Europa in Borgo Ognissanti 96.

Parking in Florence: what are the various options available?

In addition to these parking options in the historical center, there are other options.

You can park your car in a paid parking area on the edge of the center or where you find the blue lines (indicating paid parking) along the boulevards that enclose the center of Florence.

You can also park in a private garage outside the historical center.

Another option is to leave your car at the Villa Costanza parking area at the freeway exit. From there you can reach the city center by taking the tram. In some neighborhoods on the outskirts of the city center you can also find free unattended parking. Let’s take a look at these options one by one.

Paid parking lots in Florence

Paid parking in Florence is managed by FirenzeParcheggi. Two of these garages are in the ZTL zone, one is the garage under the SMN train station and the other under the San Lorenzo Market.

Some parking is located on the edge of the historical center. These are the most affordable for visitors. The most cost-effective paid parking in Florence can be found here:

• The Sant’Ambrogio parking garage – Piazza Anigoni, 9

This garage is close to the Sant’Ambrogio market in the Santa Croce neighborhood. It has 379 parking spaces. Costs: 7 am-2 pm – 1 euro for the first hour, 2 euro for the second hour, 3 euro from the third hour on. 2 pm-7 am and Sunday and holidays, 2 euro/hour

• Parking garage Stazione Binario 16 (Station Parking Track 16) – Piazzale Montelungo, 2

This garage can be found behind the Santa Maria Novella train station. It is inexpensive, convenient, and near the center, but it only has 46 parking spots. If you want to find parking here you have to arrive in Florence very early in the morning.

Cost: 1.60 euro/hour.

• Parking garage Stazione Fortezza Fiera – Fortezza da Basso, Piazzale Caduti nei Lager

This garage is located underneath Fortezza da Basso, behind the Santa Maria train station, not far from the parking lot in Stazione Binario 16. This is also a convenient garage for those visiting the center of the city. There is plenty of parking available here. There are 521 parking spaces. The cost is 1.60 euro/hour; 20 euro/day.

• Parking garage Beccaria – viale Amendola, 7

This garage is in Piazza Beccaria, on the edge of the historical center. There are 202 parking spaces. Cost: 1.70/hour

• Parking Porta al Prato Leopolda – via Gabbuggiani, 2/4

This garage is very convenient for those visiting the city since it’s located close to the tram stop Porta al Prato Leopolda. If you leave your car here, you can reach the center and the Santa Maria train station in five minutes with the tram. The garage has 371 parking spaces.

Cost: 1 euro for the first hour, 2 euro for each hour after that; 20 euro/ day.

If you want to check the availability of parking in these garages before arriving in Florence, visit this website: https://www.fipark.com/.

• Parking garage Villa Costanza – Exit Villa Costanza A1 – This parking garage is the best solution for those who want to avoid driving in the city. The garage is located at the exit from the highway (A1) “Villa Costanza”. Once you leave your car here, you can easily reach the center of Florence by tram. The stop is called “Alamanni-Station” and takes about 30 minutes. The tram ticket costs 1,70 euro. Cost of parking: 15 minutes to one hour is .50 cents; from one hour to four hours it’s 2 euro; from 4 hours to ten hours it’s 5 euro; and from ten hours to 24 hours it’s 7 euro.

• Blue lines – in Florence you can also pay for parking where there are blue lines, for example on the boulevards that encircle the center. You can find parking along the walls in viale Petrarca, between Porta Romana and Piazza Tasso, as well as along viale Strozzi and in other streets outside the city center. If you park where there are blue lines make sure you pay at the nearest parking meter.

Private garages in Florence

Private garages are a good solution for those looking for convenient and safe parking. There are many private garages both in and around the city center. Many of them offer booking on the web.

For example, you can use  Parclick.com and search for the garage that is the best for you. Parking in a private garage can cost around 35 euro/day.

Free parking

Is it possible to find a free parking in Florence?

Yes, to do so you will have to look in the neighborhoods outside the city center. There are many areas with free, unattended parking. One of these is near the stadium, in viale Pasquale Paoli, at the entrance to the Nelson Mandela Forum.

If  you are in one of the outlying neighborhoods you can also leave your car parked in the white lines. If you park near a tram stop you can easily reach the center. Don’t forget that this is unattended parking. It sometimes happens that cars, especially with foreign license plates, attract persons of ill intent.

Parking in Florence: here’s 3 areas near the city center where you can leave your car

• The Fortezza da Basso area, where the Stazione Fortezza Fiera garage can be found. You can walk to the center in 15 minutes from here.
• The Piazza Beccaria area where the Beccaria and the Sant’Ambrogio garages are. Piazza Santa Croce is a 10 minute walk from here!
• The Porta al Prato area where the Porta al Prato Leopolda garage is. The tram passes through this area and with one stop you will be at the Santa Maria Station, in the heart of the city center!

The prices quoted in this article were updated March 2024.

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