Siena was the first Italian city to close its centre to cars, in 1965, and nothing has been allowed back since. The town covers three steep ridges, and the car parks sit in the valleys between them, linked to the top by escalators, the risalite, which are free and are the real secret of a visit. Choose the car park by the gate you are approaching, take the escalator, and you come out a few minutes from the Campo without climbing.
- 07:30-19:30ZTL, every day; around the clock at the Palio
- 10barrier car parks around the walls
- € 35the daily ceiling at Il Campo, the closest and dearest
- 15 minfree exit if you change your mind
Car parks, one by one
| Car park | Where | Spaces | Price | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Il Campo Garage or car park | Via di Fontanella, Porta Tufi Covered, on the south side: five minutes from the Piazza del Campo, the closest of all | about €3/hour, €35 a day at most | 24 hours | |
| 2. Santa Caterina Garage or car park | Via Esterna di Fontebranda On the west side: the escalator climbs to the cathedral in a few minutes | |||
| 3. San Francesco Garage or car park | Via Baldassarre Peruzzi On the east side, for those coming from Arezzo and Florence: escalator to the basilica of San Francesco | |||
| 4. Stadio Street or open-air | Viale dei Mille Open-air, by the stadium and the church of San Domenico; closed on Wednesday morning for the market | about €1/hour, €12 a day at most | ||
| 5. Fortezza Street or open-air | Viale Vittorio Veneto Around the Medici fortress, next to Stadio | |||
| 6. Il Duomo Garage or car park | Via del Nuovo Asilo Small, on the south-west side, below the cathedral | |||
| 7. Stazione Garage or car park | Piazzale Rosselli At the railway station, down in the valley: a long chain of escalators climbs to Porta Camollia; the cheapest | about €10 a day at most |
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.
Everything inside the walls is ZTL, active every day from 07:30 to 19:30, weekends and holidays included, and around the clock in the days of the Palio, on 2 July and 16 August. Fines run from €80 to €165 plus costs. Hotels inside the walls can register your plate for the time needed to unload, and their guests have discounted rates in the public car parks.
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
There is almost no street parking for visitors near the walls: blue lines are few and white lines are for residents. The ten public car parks, run by the municipal company Siena Parcheggi, charge by the hour with a daily ceiling that falls as you move away from the Campo. Since 31 March 2026 they also accept Telepass. Free white-line parking exists further out, for example along the roads below Porta Romana and north of the fortress, fifteen to twenty minutes' walk uphill.
- 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
- Prices shown as «about» come from a single guide and are indicative: the board at the entrance prevails.
- On Palio days do not come by car: the car parks fill up at dawn and the ZTL never switches off.
- On Wednesday morning the market of La Lizza takes over the Stadio car park: use Santa Caterina or San Francesco.
- If the first car park is full, the electronic panels on the ring road show the free spaces in the others.
- For a day in the Chianti or the Val d'Orcia, Siena is a good place to leave the car and sleep: the hotels outside the walls have their own parking.
Sources
- Siena Parcheggi
- Comune di Siena
- Telepass, parcheggi di Siena (marzo 2026)
- Euro City Guide, parking in Siena (aprile 2026)
Checked in November 2026