San Gimignano ZTL: hours, cameras and who can drive in

Checked on 23 October 2026 against the city's ordinances and official pages.

Right now in San Gimignano

ZTL Centro storico …

Worked out with Italian time and public holidays from the official hours. The sign at the gate always prevails. How to recognise an active varco.

San Gimignano runs its timetable back to front: the lanes inside the walls are open early on weekday mornings, yet stay closed all day on Sundays and public holidays – exactly when most visitors turn up. Until 9.30am (8.30am on Thursdays, market day) you can still drive up to Piazza della Cisterna; after that, the camera fines you.

The scheme is new and still changing. Automatic fines only began on 1 May 2026, after ten months of trial running, and the access rules (disciplinare) are already in their third version: the latest was adopted by the town council on 22 October 2026 and published on the 23rd. This page follows it, while the town's own ZTL page still points to the March text.

The zones and their hours

ZTL Centro storico

A single ZTL covers the whole walled town, a Unesco World Heritage site. Cars get in through the Antiporta San Giovanni (from Viale Roma), Via Santa Caterina and Via Quercecchio (from Viale dei Fossi) and Via di Bagnaia. The rules separate the main streets (Via San Giovanni, Via San Matteo, Piazza del Duomo, Piazza della Cisterna, Piazza delle Erbe, Via del Castello), the most protected, from the side streets, which are all that most permits cover.

It is active at these times:

Every day except Thursdays, 9:30 to 5:30 the next day, public holidays included.
On Thursdays, 8:30 to 5:30 the next day, public holidays included.
Sundays and public holidays, 5:30 to 9:30.

Outside these hours, access is free.

6 cameras read number plates: 4 at the entrances and 2 at the exits.

Inside, the speed limit is 30 km/h.

List of the 6 cameras (varchi)

Porta San Giovanni (ingresso) · Bonda/Piandornella (ingresso e uscita) · Via Santa Caterina (uscita) · Via di Quercecchio (ingresso) · Porta San Matteo (uscita) · Via di Bagnaia (ingresso e uscita)

Who can drive in

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 an unregistered car, report the plate before you drive in or within 48 hours afterwards. See also the guide to disabled badges and ZTLs.
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.
Residents: permit, free.
Deliveries and tradespeople: paid permit, free of charge.

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. Send the hotel your plate number before you arrive. Hotels in a ZTL: what to do, with each city's deadline.

Tickets for non-residents

There is no day ticket for tourists. 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, depending on your contract, may charge an admin fee, before the fine itself reaches you, sometimes months later. A registration made in time by your hotel covers a rental car just as well: all that counts is the number plate. What the rental company charges, and how to avoid it, is covered in a separate guide.

Fair days: on 31 January, 12 March, the Monday after the first Sunday in August and 29 August, the free morning window closes at 8.30am, as on a Thursday.

Piazza delle Erbe: from 1 June to 30 September, on public holidays, the square is pedestrianised from 9am to 7pm, with no camera of its own.

Staying inside the walls: access never includes parking – you stop, unload and drive out again. Between 5.30am and 9.30am guests drive in without registration; from 3pm to 8pm they reach the hotel via the side streets, Via del Castello and Piazza della Cisterna. If you arrive between 8pm and 5.30am, the hotel has 24 hours after you pass to register your plate. A stay of 5 nights or more gives you one entry a day on top of arrival and departure. On Thursdays after 8.30am and on fair days until 8pm, the main streets are closed to hotel guests.

Garage or private courtyard: you need a permit for transit to the private space, either annual or for two chosen days; the temporary one can be requested up to 48 hours after you enter.

Other visitors: there is no paid pass, but a free listing on the daily whitelist for set reasons (visiting a resident relative, carrying heavy items, a ceremony, a house move). Apply before entering, on the town's ZTL portal or at the municipal police desk, Via di Fugnano 20/B.

Cameras on the way out too: Bonda/Piandornella and Via di Bagnaia read both directions; Via Santa Caterina and Porta San Matteo only check vehicles leaving. Motorhomes and caravans are never allowed in. No rule is published for visitors' electric cars, hybrids or motorbikes.

San Gimignano in numbers

6 cameras in total, ranking 29 of the 42 cities on this site.
The strictest zone is closed 145 hours a week, public holidays aside.

Where official sources disagree

The information aimed at the public has fallen behind the official decisions; we always follow the most recent act.

Which rules apply: the town's ZTL page (updated 15 July 2026) links to the rules attached to council resolution no. 42 of 12 March 2026. They were replaced by council resolution no. 212 of 22 October 2026, published on the 23rd and effective immediately.
Hours: order no. 65 of 30 April 2026 and the October rules leave weekdays free from 5.30am to 9.30am. The press release of 27 April 2026 says the cameras run “every day from 9.30am to 5.30am”, forgetting Sundays and holidays; the April leaflet says “24 hours a day” and leaves out the morning window. We follow the acts.
Fair days: in the March version the hotel section gave “31 March” while every other section said 12 March, and the end of the free window was worded ambiguously. The October text settles on 12 March and 5.30am to 8.30am.
Temporary private space: 24 hours according to the leaflet, 48 hours according to the rules. We follow the act.
Bonda camera: resolution no. 125 of 10 June 2026 decides to move it to the foot of the climb to Piazzetta Piandornella, but the October rules still list it in place, so we keep it where it is.

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 within the same ZTL, even if you drive through several times (article 198); two different zones mean two fines. For drivers living abroad, the notice can arrive up to 360 days after the offence. 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. To appeal or pay from abroad, see our guide to the fine.

Frequently asked questions

Can I drive into San Gimignano on a Sunday?

No, not without a permit: on Sundays and public holidays the zone is active around the clock. The free morning window applies on weekdays only.

What time is access free in the morning?

Monday to Saturday, except public holidays, from 5.30am to 9.30am. On Thursdays and fair days the window closes at 8.30am.

My hotel is inside the walls: what do I do?

Send your plate number to the hotel before you arrive. You may stop to unload but not park. If you arrive between 8pm and 5.30am, the hotel has 24 hours after you pass to register it.

How much does access cost for a tourist?

Nothing, but it is not for sale: only specific reasons (visiting a relative, a ceremony, a house move…) qualify for a free listing, which must be requested before entering. Sightseeing is not one of them.

Can I take a motorhome up into the town?

No. Motorhomes and caravans are banned from the ZTL in all circumstances, even during the free morning window.

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.