Getting here
Florence Hotel with Parking Outside the ZTL: The Guide for Arriving by Car
Quick answer: if you are driving to Florence, choose a hotel outside the ZTL with the parking already solved. Hotel Firenze 2000 is on Viale Raffaello Sanzio, outside the restricted-traffic zone, with a partner garage at €30 per 24 hours, valet pick-up and return included. From there Ponte Vecchio is about 20 minutes on foot and the T1 tram takes you to the station in ten.
Florence is a city you explore on foot, but a great many guests arrive by car: from elsewhere in Tuscany, from northern Italy for a weekend, from across Europe on a road trip. Arriving is not the problem. The problem is where to leave the car without fines, without circling for an hour and without paying more than the room. This guide answers the questions in the order you will ask them behind the wheel.
First things first: what the ZTL is and why it matters to you
Florence’s historic centre is a Zona a Traffico Limitato, a restricted-traffic zone. Its entry points are watched by cameras, and anyone entering without authorisation receives a fine in the post, one for every gate crossed. Sat-navs do not always know this, and many streets in the centre are too narrow to stop in anyway.
The essentials:
- Hours. The ZTL is active on weekdays from morning until evening and for most of Saturday; in summer, evening and night restrictions are added at weekends. The hours change over time: always check the current ones on the Comune di Firenze website before you set off.
- Sectors. The centre is split into several sectors; crossing two means two gates, so two fines.
- Hotels inside the ZTL. Only authorised properties can register your plate for temporary access, usually limited to unloading luggage. Parking remains your problem.
- Hotels outside the ZTL. You drive up to the entrance, unload at your own pace and the car goes to the garage. No permit, no cameras.
Four options for the car, from most convenient to cheapest
| Option | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel’s partner garage | €30 per 24 hours, valet pick-up and return in front of the hotel | zero hassle, families with luggage (rooms for 1 to 5 guests), evening arrivals |
| Park-and-ride on the tram | leave the car at the T1 terminus at Villa Costanza (Scandicci) and take the tram | arriving from the A1 and not using the car during the stay |
| Blue-line street parking | paid on-street parking on the avenues around the Oltrarno | short stops, people moving on every day |
| City-centre car parks | garages on the edge of the ZTL, hourly rates | anyone who must be right next to one specific spot |
The partner garage is what we recommend to almost everyone: it costs less than many central car parks, you never hunt for a space and the car is under cover. Just tell us you are coming by car when you book.
Park-and-ride makes sense if you arrive from the motorway and will walk or take the tram for the whole stay: the Villa Costanza terminus is on the T1 line, the same one that stops at Paolo Uccello, a few minutes’ walk from the hotel (the step-by-step route is in our car-free Florence guide). Leave the car on the outskirts, board the tram and get off practically at our door.
Reaching the hotel with your sat-nav, without entering the ZTL
The address is Viale Raffaello Sanzio 16, 50124 Florence. The avenue is outside the restricted zone and is reached from the Oltrarno ring roads without crossing any gate. Two tips:
- Enter the exact address and, if your sat-nav allows it, the option to avoid restricted-traffic zones.
- If the suggested route passes through the historic centre, ignore it and follow the avenues: a few minutes longer, no fine.
Once in front of the hotel you can stop to unload and check in; the car is then taken to the garage.
Arriving late? Here is how it works
Drivers often arrive in the evening. Check-in runs from 14:00 to midnight and reception is staffed 24 hours. Arrivals after midnight carry a €20 supplement, to be agreed beforehand: send us your estimated time and someone will be waiting. The garage is arranged around your arrival, so mention it when you book.
Car parked, Florence is on foot (or by tram)
The advantage of sleeping in the Oltrarno with the car sorted is that you never touch it again:
- Ponte Vecchio about 20 minutes on foot, through Santo Spirito and San Frediano.
- Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens in the neighbourhood, with more ideas near the hotel.
- T1 tram, Paolo Uccello stop: Santa Maria Novella station in about ten minutes, no hunting for parking in the centre.
- Piazzale Michelangelo for sunset, on foot along the Arno or by bus.
For a day out to Chianti, Siena or San Gimignano the car is in the garage a few steps away: collect it in the morning and hand it back in the evening, always outside the ZTL.
Checklist for arriving by car
- Book a property outside the ZTL or with the garage solved: no plate or permit surprises.
- Mention the car in your booking, with your estimated arrival time.
- Check the current ZTL hours on the Comune website on the day you travel.
- Enter the exact address in the sat-nav and avoid the historic centre.
- Once parked, forget the car: Florence is walked.
Booking on the official website gives you the best rate guaranteed, no commission and free late check-out subject to availability, which is exactly what you want when you are driving home and would rather not rise early on the last day. If you have a question about the route or the garage, call or write to us before you leave: we answer ourselves.
