How to drive your car in Florence? [Full Florence ZTL map for Cars]
Like multiple other historical cities in Italy, Florence has created traffic restrictions against motor vehicles. The goal is to reduce air and noise pollution in the historical center as well as make those regions more pleasant for people to visit. Here, we are going to explain these traffic restrictions.
In short, the Limited Traffic Zones (ZTL in Italian) are regions where only residents, taxi drivers, and public buses, as well as emergency vehicles, can transit freely with a proper permit). Other people, like tourists and professional drivers, must obtain an appropriate permit so as not to receive a fine.
Take a look at the map to better understand those restrictions:
How to enter the Florence ZTL
Florence’s ZTL have specific points of entrance and exit, and they all feature clearly visible signs to warn drivers of where the limits start. It is very important to notice that there are different points for cars and for buses. If you use a bus entrance by accident, you will eventually face a hefty fine.
There are 5 ZTLs in Florence for cars: A, B, F, G and O. The telematic gates used for access control towards them are active as follows:
- Monday to Friday from 07:30 to 20:00.
- Saturdays from 07:30 to 16:00.
From the first Thursday of April to the first Sunday of October, there are summer night ZTLs. Their details are defined annually with a special ordinance issued by the municipal administration.
ZTL permits for cars
Now, we are going to take a look at the possible permits that drivers may obtain. They may be of two kinds: Transit only, which allows you to enter the ZTL and drive in it; and Transit and parking, which adds permission to park at the white-lined parking spots determined within the ZTL limits.
- Permit A: allows driving in the ZTL except for the historical center. It is valid until 19:00 of the day after it was issued. This permit allows the tourist bus to reach a hotel within the ZTL. There, it may be parked for the necessary time for people to enter or leave. It may happen at specific regions: Lungarno Pecori Giraldi, via La Pira (only drop off), piazzale Michelangelo, viale Ariosto, viale Machiavelli, piazza Torquato Tasso and viale Strozzi (lane 16).
- Permit B: similar to permit A, but excluding the regions of Lungarno Pecori Giraldi and via La Pira. Because of that, booking the permit B is also slightly cheaper than the previous one.
- Permits C and D: only for authorized city sightseeing bus companies and operators.
- Permit E: it is only meant for dropping off and picking up passengers who are going to or coming from Florence airport, Florence train stations, trade fairs, and hotels located in the city. In this case, the tourist bus may even be at the historical center in case the destination address is there. However, it must take the shortest route to enter and leave at all times.
All permits are valid for one day: if you buy one before its activation day, it will be valid from 00:00 to 23:59 of that day; if you buy it on the same day, it will be valid up to 23:59 of the same day. You may issue a maximum of 10 permits per month and 60 days per year for the same vehicle.
- Phone numbers: +00390657003
- Website: romamobilita.it
- Email: infobusturistici@agenziamobilita.roma.it
