Palermo's historic centre, the four old quarters around the Quattro Canti, is a ZTL. Unlike in most Italian cities, visitors can buy a daily pass and drive in, but the streets are narrow and parking inside is scarce. It is easier to leave the car just outside the perimeter, at the Orlando car park or on the blue lines around Via Roma and the port, and walk: the cathedral, the markets and the Teatro Massimo are all within fifteen minutes.
- € 1.00an hour on blue lines
- € 5daily pass for the central ZTL
- 08:00-20:00central ZTL, Monday to Friday
- 337spaces at the Orlando car park, by the courthouse
Car parks, one by one
| Car park | Where | Spaces | Price | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Parcheggio Orlando Garage or car park | Piazza Vittorio Emanuele Orlando Underground, by the courthouse, outside the ZTL: ten minutes on foot from the cathedral | 337 | about €12 a day at most | |
| 2. Piazzale Ungheria Street or open-air | Piazzale Ungheria Paid every day, holidays included: two minutes from the Teatro Massimo | €1.50/hour 08:00-20:00, €1.00 at night | 24 hours | |
| 3. Parcheggio Giotto Park and ride | Via Giotto Interchange with buses, for those coming from the ring road | 1.000 | ||
| 4. Parcheggio Basile Park and ride | Via Ernesto Basile By the university, linked to the centre by shuttle bus | 928 |
Car parks on the map
Positions on the map are approximate: follow the road signs for the entrance.
The ZTL: where you cannot drive
A ZTL (zona a traffico limitato) is an area where only authorised vehicles may drive during certain hours. Cameras at each entrance read the number plate, and the fine arrives by post weeks later, also abroad and also through the car hire company, which adds its own fee. The sign is a white circle with a red border; an electronic panel below it says varco attivo (do not enter) or varco non attivo (you may enter). Satellite navigators often ignore the ZTL: trust the signs.
| ZTL Centrale | Mon-Fri 08:00-20:00, all year. Not on Saturday or Sunday by day |
| Night, 1 May to 31 October | from Friday 08:00 to Saturday 06:00 without a break; Saturday 20:00 to Sunday 06:00 |
| Night, 1 November to 30 April | Friday 23:00 to Saturday 06:00; Saturday 23:00 to Sunday 06:00 |
The ZTL covers the quarters of Kalsa, Albergheria, Monte di Pietà and La Loggia; the streets around it (Via Cavour, Foro Italico, Via Lincoln, Corso Tukory, Piazza Indipendenza) are free to drive. A daily pass costs €5 for petrol cars from Euro 3 and diesel cars from Euro 4, and €2.50 for hybrid, LPG and methane cars; electric cars enter free after registering the plate. Older cars cannot buy a pass. It is sold on the PalerMobilità app, on the city website, at tobacconists and at AMAT offices, and it can still be bought by midnight on the day of entry.
If your hotel is inside the ZTL, write to it before you arrive: many can register your number plate for the time needed to unload.
Street parking: what the colours mean
Blue lines cost €1.00 an hour on weekdays, from 08:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 20:00; the lunch break, Sundays and public holidays are free. You pay with scratch cards sold by tobacconists and bars, to be displayed behind the windscreen, with the PalerMobilità app or at the meters where they exist. At Mondello and Sferracavallo, the beaches, blue lines apply only in summer, usually from 1 June to 30 September, every day from 08:00 to 20:00.
- Blue lines: paid parking. Pay at the meter, entering your number plate, or with an app, and check the sign for the hours.
- White lines: free, sometimes with a time limit and a parking disc.
- Yellow lines: reserved for residents, disabled badge holders, taxis or deliveries. Never park there.
- No lines: look for signs. A tow-away symbol means the car will be removed.
Good to know
- Fines for entering the ZTL without a pass range from €81 to €164.
- With a hire car, check the Euro class on the registration document: almost all recent cars qualify for the pass.
- On Saturday and Sunday by day the central ZTL is not active, and blue lines are free on Sunday: it is the easiest moment to arrive by car.
- Unofficial parking attendants are common: you owe them nothing, and paying them does not replace the ticket.
- For Monreale and Mondello the car is useful; for the centre it is a burden.
Sources
- Comune di Palermo, ZTL
- AMAT Palermo
- SicurAUTO, strisce blu a Palermo (maggio 2026)
- Autovia, guida alla ZTL di Palermo (maggio 2026)
Checked in November 2026