Pisa ZTL: hours, cameras and who can drive in

Checked on 21 October 2026 against the city's ordinances and official pages.

Right now in Pisa

ZTL Centro Storico Nord …
ZTL Centro Storico Sud …
ZTL Porta a Lucca (Stadio) …

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

In Pisa the question is not what time you can drive into the centre: the two ZTLs of the historic centre, north and south of the Arno, are closed permanently, day and night, public holidays included. The Field of Miracles (Piazza dei Miracoli), Piazza dei Cavalieri and Borgo Stretto are all in the northern zone; Corso Italia and Via Mazzini are in the southern one. For visitors, that boils down to one simple rule: park outside and walk the rest of the way, unless you are staying somewhere inside the zone.

Since 2026 there has been a third zone around the Arena Garibaldi, the stadium in the Porta a Lucca district. It only switches on for Pisa SC home matches, which is exactly why it catches so many drivers out: the very same streets are open for the rest of the week.

The zones and their hours

ZTL Centro Storico Nord

The historic centre north of the Arno: about 130 streets, from Piazza del Duomo to Piazza dei Cavalieri by way of Borgo Stretto and Via Santa Maria. Piazza San Giorgio was added in December 2024.

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.

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

Inside, the speed limit is 30 km/h.

List of the 11 cameras (varchi)

Via S. Bibbiana · Via De Simone · Via Curtatone e Montanara · Via Roma · Via Cardinale Maffi · Via San Lorenzo · Via delle Maioliche · Piazza Locchi · Via San Francesco · Via San Ranierino · Piazza Cairoli

ZTL Centro Storico Sud

The historic centre south of the Arno, around Via Mazzini, the side streets off Corso Italia, Piazza San Sepolcro and Piazza Toniolo. The riverside roads Lungarno Galilei and Gambacorti are not part of it, although people living there can apply for the southern zone permit.

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.

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

Inside, the speed limit is 30 km/h.

List of the 11 cameras (varchi)

Piazza Toniolo · Via Silvestri · Via Turati · Via Sant'Antonio · Via Mazzini · Via S. Paolo · Vicolo da Scorno · Via Toselli · Via delle Belle Donne · Via Manzoni · Piazza Santo Sepolcro

ZTL Porta a Lucca (Stadio)

The Porta a Lucca district, just north of the city walls, around the Arena Garibaldi: some sixty streets, including Via di Gello, Via XXIV Maggio, Viale Giovanni Pisano and Via Lucchese. The city created it in January 2026.

This zone is only switched on on home match days, from 2 hours before kick-off until the end of the first half. The rest of the time traffic flows freely. Dates follow the league fixtures and are announced by the city before each run of matches.

24 number-plate cameras (“varchi”) watch the entrances. Driving out of the zone is never fined.

Who can drive in

Motorbikes and scooters: free access, no paperwork.
Disabled parking badge: the city is connected to the national CUDE platform; a vehicle registered there can enter with no further steps. With a foreign badge or a different car, report the number plate on 800 086 540 (9:00 to 18:00), within 24 working hours before or after you drive in.
Electric cars: no automatic exemption; there is an annual permit (€101), whose conditions are not set out in the published ordinances.
Hybrids: the city's ordinances contain no exemption: assume a hybrid cannot drive in.
Taxis and chauffeur cars (NCC): allowed once registered on the white list, free of charge.
Residents: permit for their own sector, €101 a year for the first car and €199 for each additional one.
Deliveries and tradespeople: paid annual permit (€180 for most categories), deliveries from 7:00 to 22:00.

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 10 hours after you enter, for up to 3 days (renewable). Give your plate number to reception as soon as you arrive. To park inside the zone, the hotel can issue you a parking pass (€12 / 24 h).

Using a car park inside the zone

The garage registers your plate by midnight the following day, and access is then free. Check with the attendant when you arrive.

Tickets for non-residents

There is no day ticket for tourists. Temporary permits do exist (€20 for 6 hours, €28 for 12 hours, €40 for 24 hours), 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.

In practice, most people visiting the Leaning Tower have no reason to enter the zone at all: the Field of Miracles sits just inside the northern walls, a few minutes' walk from the car parks outside Porta Santa Maria and on Via Pietrasantina. The classic trap is a satnav that cuts through the centre to reach the station or the riverside: before you set off, plan a route that goes around the walls.

Pisa in numbers

3 separate zones, 2 of them active around the clock.
46 cameras in total, ranking 4 of the 20 cities on this site.

Where official sources disagree

Several official pages contradict each other; in each case we follow the most recent ordinance.

When the stadium zone switches off: pages from January and February 2026 say “at the end of the match”, but ordinance no. 1960 of 7 August 2026 and the announcements that followed set the end at the end of the first half.
Stadium cameras: a January 2026 page lists the Via Diaz and Via Milano cameras as entrances; the ordinance in force treats them as exits and counts 24 cameras, where the original council decision planned 20.
Hotel deadline: a 2023 announcement mentions 6 hours; the deadline in force is 10 hours.
Riverside night ZTL (Lungarni): the last published decision extended it until 1 January 2023, and we found no later ordinance. We do not list it as active; if you see an illuminated sign on the riverside on a weekend evening, that sign is what counts.

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 Pisa's centre to see the Leaning Tower?

No, not without a permit. Both zones in the historic centre are active 24/7. The Field of Miracles is a few minutes' walk from the car parks outside the northern walls, which is by far the easiest option.

My hotel is in central Pisa: what do I need to do?

Give your plate number to reception as soon as you arrive. Only accommodation inside the ZTL can register it, and it must do so within 10 hours of your entry, for up to 3 days. To park inside the zone, the hotel can issue you a pass at €12 per 24 hours.

Is there a day pass for tourists in Pisa?

No. The paid temporary permits (€20 for 6 hours, €28 for 12 hours, €40 for 24 hours) are reserved for cases listed in the ordinance, such as a wedding or a house move.

Is the stadium ZTL active every day?

No: only on Pisa SC home match days, from 2 hours before kick-off until the end of the first half. Driving out is never fined, and a car parked before the zone switched on can leave at any time.

Can motorbikes enter Pisa's ZTL?

Yes. Motorbikes, scooters, mopeds and bicycles can enter both the city-centre zones and the stadium zone freely.

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.