Padua ZTL: hours, cameras and who can drive in

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

Photo: Threecharlie, CC BY-SA 4.0

Right now in Padua

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

Padua's cameras watch the way out as well as the way in. Since 29 May 2023, thirteen exit cameras have backed up the ZTL's entry cameras, so driving in at a free time is not enough: you also need to be out before the zone switches on. Drive into Zona A at 7:30 and leave at 9:00, and you are fined on the way out. The city's order softens this in one respect: an unauthorised entry and exit on the same day count as a single offence, but leaving on a later day counts as a new one.

The historic centre is split in two. Zona B, with the market squares and Caffè Pedrocchi, never opens. Zona A, around the cathedral and along the way to the Basilica of St Anthony, is open at night and on Sunday mornings. The city publishes no live status board, so only the hours set in the order count.

The zones and their hours

ZTL Centro Storico – Zona A

About sixty streets, from the cathedral and its baptistery to Via del Santo and Via San Francesco, which lead to the Basilica of St Anthony; the square in front of the basilica is not on the list.

It is active at these times:

Outside these hours, access is free.

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

Inside, the speed limit is 30 km/h.

List of the 4 cameras (varchi)

Via del Santo · Ponte San Gregorio Barbarigo · Via del Vescovado · Riviera Albertino Mussato

ZTL Centro Storico – Zona B

The "squares zone" around the Palazzo della Ragione (Piazza delle Erbe, dei Frutti and dei Signori), the Liston in front of Palazzo del Bo, Piazzetta Pedrocchi, Piazza Antenore and the Riviere waterfront streets.

There are no time slots here: the ban applies day and night, all year round, public holidays included.

The entrances are watched by 2 plate-reading cameras, known as varchi.

Inside, the speed limit is 30 km/h.

List of the 2 cameras (varchi)

Largo Europa · Via Busonera

Who can drive in

Visitors: hotels, rental cars, tickets

Staying in a hotel

Only accommodation located inside the ZTL can register your number plate. A hotel outside the zone gives you no right to drive in. It must do so no later than 48 hours after you enter. Give your plate number to reception as soon as you arrive.

Using a car park inside the zone

The garage registers your plate. Check with the attendant when you arrive.

Tickets for non-residents

There is no day ticket for tourists. Temporary permits do exist (€5 for 2 hours, €15 for 2 days), but only for the specific cases the city lists, not for sightseeing. The simplest option is to park outside and walk or take a bus.

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. A registration made in time by your hotel or garage covers a rental car just as well: all that counts is the number plate.

Staying at a hotel inside the ZTL: the hotel registers your plate and time slot for each day you drive in, and it has no more passes than it has rooms. The pass only covers a 30-minute stop to unload, with your arrival time on display. There is no hotel parking permit, and unauthorised cars parked in the ZTL can be towed.

The 2-hour permit is applied for online on the city's Istanze online portal, which only accepts SPID or the Italian electronic ID card, so in practice it is out of reach for foreign visitors. The permit of up to 48 hours is issued over the counter (Ufficio Ztl, Via Digione 2/L, or the Polizia Locale, Via Gozzi 32, card payment only) and comes to €31 with the €16 revenue stamp.

Parking nearby: around 150 loading bays just outside the ZTL, within the Venetian walls, become free parking outside 8:00–16:00 on weekdays and on public holidays.

Other cameras: thirteen bus lanes have their own cameras, including those around the station, on Corso Garibaldi and at Prato della Valle, where the tram lane is closed to everyone, motorbikes and bicycles included. The pedestrian areas in the centre are closed off by retractable bollards at some entrances, and motorbikes are not allowed in them.

Electric cars and disabled badges: an electric car may enter without a permit, but only once its plate is on the white list (via the portal, or a form with the registration document sent to zonablu@comune.padova.it), and it may only park at charging points. Since 1 October 2024 badges issued by Veneto towns in the "Ztl Network" are recognised automatically; no city page mentions the national CUDE platform. Call centre: 049 2010066, on weekdays.

Outside the centre, four neighbourhood night ZTLs (Arcella, Pescarotto, Via Mortise, Via Anelli) rest on trial orders from 2006 to 2010; whether they still apply has not been established.

Padua 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

Can I drive into the centre of Padua on a Sunday morning?

Into Zona A, yes: on Sundays and public holidays it only switches on at 14:00. Leave before then, as exits are filmed too. Zona B stays closed.

I drove in before 8:00. Can I leave afterwards?

Not without a fine: the exit cameras penalise leaving while the zone is active. An entry and an exit on the same day still count as a single offence.

Is there a ZTL ticket for tourists in Padua?

No. The €5 two-hour permit requires SPID or the Italian electronic ID card, and longer permits are only granted for specific reasons such as moving house.

My hotel is in the centre. Can I park there?

No. The hotel registers your plate for each day you drive in, but you are only allowed a 30-minute stop to unload. Plan to park outside the zone.

I have a disabled badge issued abroad. How do I get in?

Have the plate registered before you pass the gate or within 48 hours afterwards, on the city portal or by writing to zonablu@comune.padova.it. Only badges from Veneto's Ztl Network are recognised automatically.

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.