Milan ZTL: hours, cameras and who can drive in

Checked on 22 October 2026 against the city's ordinances and official pages.

Photo: Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 3.0

Right now in Milan

Worked out with Italian time and public holidays from the official hours. The sign at the gate always prevails.

Milan does not close its historic centre; it charges for it. Area C, everything inside the old ring of ramparts, from the Duomo to La Scala and the Castello Sforzesco, is a congestion charge: from Monday to Friday, every car that drives in owes €7.50 for the day, tourists included. At weekends and on public holidays, entry is free.

The real trap lies inside the ring. The Quadrilatero della Moda, around Via Monte Napoleone, is a genuine ZTL, closed day and night, and an Area C ticket does nothing there. Further north, Isola has closed every evening since 2026.

The zones and their hours

Area C — Cerchia dei Bastioni

One ticket covers every entry by the same vehicle on the same day. Cameras only record entries, but driving around inside without a ticket during charging hours is also an offence. Electric cars, hybrid cars emitting no more than 100 g/km of CO2, taxis and most motorbikes go in free; two-strokes and Euro 0 and 1 diesels are already banned. Of the 43 gates, 6 are for public transport only.

It is active at these times:

Outside these hours, access is free.

43 number-plate cameras (“varchi”) watch the entrances.

List of the 42 cameras (varchi)

Porta Tenaglia · Legnano · Moscova · Volta · Garibaldi · Milazzo · Castelfidardo · Turati · Venezia · Baretti · Vitali · Rossini · Monforte · Mascagni · Porta Vittoria · Besana · Lamarmora · Curtatone · Porta Romana · Cabrini · Porta Vigentina · Bianca di Savoia · Melegnano · Italia · Aurispa · Porta Ticinese · Panzeri · Ronzoni · Genova · Ausonio · Sant'Agostino · Servio Tullio · Olivetani · Bandello · San Vittore · Magenta · Boccaccio · XX Settembre · Bazzoni · Mascheroni · Monti · Milton

ZTL Quadrilatero della Moda

Via Monte Napoleone, Via della Spiga, Via Sant'Andrea, Piazza San Babila, Piazza della Scala: the luxury ZTL, in force since 12 May 2025, bans both driving through and parking without a permit. Motorbikes are allowed until 11 May 2028; electric cars are not allowed at all. The nine commercial car parks in the zone (Autosilo San Fedele, Rinascente, Piazza Meda and others) register their customers' number plates themselves.

It is closed to unauthorised vehicles 24 hours a day, every day, Sundays and public holidays included: there is no quiet hour when you could slip through.

9 number-plate cameras (“varchi”) watch the entrances.

List of the 9 cameras (varchi)

Bigli (ingresso) · Morone (ingresso) · Venezia (ingresso) · Monforte (ingresso) · Monte Napoleone (uscita) · Sant'Andrea (uscita) · Venezia (uscita) · Case Rotte (uscita) · Case Rotte (ingresso solo mezzi pubblici)

ZTL Isola

The district north of Porta Garibaldi, around Via Borsieri and Piazzale Segrino. Camera fines started on 7 September 2026. Motorbikes and scooters go in freely. Inside, part of Via Borsieri, Via Pepe, Via Toce and Piazza Minniti are pedestrian-only around the clock, with a camera on Via Pepe.

It is active at these times:

Outside these hours, access is free.

11 number-plate cameras (“varchi”) watch the entrances.

List of the 11 cameras (varchi)

Spotorno · Lario · Traù · Lambertenghi · Bassi · Perasto · Volturno · Sassetti · Rosellini I · Rosellini II · De Castilla

Who can drive in

Visitors: hotels, rental cars, tickets

Tickets for non-residents

Visitors can pay to drive in: €7.50 daily ticket, covering every entry that day; €4.50 reduced ticket if you park for over an hour in a partner car park inside the zone. It is only valid for the Area C — Cerchia dei Bastioni.

Rental cars

The fine notice goes to the rental company, which names you as the driver and usually charges an admin fee, before the fine itself reaches you, sometimes months later.

An Area C ticket is bought first, then activated by linking its code to your number plate, on the day you enter or by midnight the following day at the latest. Activating it the day before does not cover the entry. You can buy it on the Area C website, at parking meters, at tobacconists and kiosks with LIS Pay or SISAL, or by phone on 02 4868 4001. Telepass only works with Italian plates.

Miss that deadline and a late ticket at €22.50 is still available until the seventh day, but it can only be activated from a personal MyAreaC account, which since March 2024 you open with SPID, CIE or ID Azienda, all Italian digital identities. With no separate route for foreign visitors, it is safer to pay the €7.50 on time. Hotel guests get no Area C exemption. In the Quadrilatero and Isola, a hotel inside the zone registers your plate only for unloading luggage, with no street parking.

Two schemes are not listed here as zones. Area B covers almost the whole city: a free low emission zone that only stops polluting vehicles. The older ZTLs of the Navigli (at night), Arco della Pace, Garibaldi and Ticinese are only described in 2023 open data, with no up-to-date city page. Avoid the camera-watched pedestrian streets of Brera, Via Paolo Sarpi and the Navigli towpaths.

Milan in numbers

Where official sources disagree

If you drive in without a permit

Driving past an active gate without a permit costs €83 to €332 (article 7 of the Italian Highway Code), cut by 30% if you pay within 5 days. Since the 2024 reform, when the passages are recorded by camera rather than by an officer on the spot, only one fine per calendar day applies for the same ban, even if you drive through several times (article 198). No licence points are deducted. If you think you were entitled to enter (hotel, disabled badge), contact the office named on the notice before paying: a late registration can sometimes still be sorted out.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to pay for Area C at the weekend?

No. Area C charges from Monday to Friday, 7:30 to 19:30, except on public holidays. The Quadrilatero stays closed 24 hours a day and Isola every night, weekends included.

How much is Area C and when do I have to pay?

€7.50 for the day to be activated by midnight the following day. After that it costs €22.50 until the seventh day, but only through MyAreaC, which needs an Italian digital identity.

My hotel is in Area C: do I still need a ticket?

Yes, there is no hotel exemption in Area C. Only hotels inside the Quadrilatero or Isola register your plate, and only for unloading luggage.

Do electric cars pay for Area C?

No, they go in free, as do hybrid cars at 100 g/km of CO2 or less. Electric cars are still banned from the Quadrilatero, though.

Can I drive down Via Monte Napoleone with an Area C ticket?

No. The street is part of the Quadrilatero della Moda, which is closed at all times. Only a hotel or car park inside the zone can register your plate.

Sources

Based on the city's own ordinances, rewritten in plain language. Only the ordinance in force and the sign at the gate are legally binding.