Siena ZTL: hours, cameras and who can drive in

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

Photo: Francesco Bandarin, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo

Right now in Siena

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

Siena has no opening hours to memorise: inside the walls, the answer is always no. The ZTL covers the entire historic centre, from Camollia down to Porta Romana and Porta Tufi, and applies 24 hours a day, every day of the year. So the only real question is where to leave the car before the gates.

The centre is split into six sectors (Ovile, Romana, Tufi, Fontebranda, San Marco, Camollia), each with its own entry and exit gates. And twice a year the Palio takes over: on those days it is police officers, not cameras, who close the roads in.

The zones and their hours

ZTL Centro storico (6 settori)

Of the 27 varchi shown on the council's June 2025 map, 14 watch entrances and 13 watch exits: a permit is only valid through the entry and exit gates it names. Since September 2025, officers have also been stationed at the varchi checking that permits are on display behind the windscreen. Inside the ZTL there are two stricter areas, with no cameras of their own on record: the Zona Y storica (Banchi di Sopra, Banchi di Sotto, Via di Città, the upper ring of the Campo, Piazza Salimbeni), where parking is banned round the clock and simply driving through is never allowed, and the Zona A (Via della Sapienza, Piazza dell'Indipendenza, Via dei Termini), also with no parking. A temporary permit only lets you into the Zona Y from 6 am to 10 am, and the Zona A from 6 am to 10 am and 3.30 pm to 5 pm.

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.

27 cameras read number plates: 14 at the entrances and 13 at the exits.

List of the 27 cameras (varchi)

Mattioli (Tufi) – ingresso · Mattioli (Tufi) – uscita · Fontanella – ingresso · Romana – ingresso · Romana – uscita · Pispini – uscita · Ovile – ingresso · Vallerozzi – uscita · Matteotti – ingresso · Matteotti – uscita · San Domenico – ingresso · San Domenico – uscita · Fontebranda – ingresso · Fontebranda – uscita · Bastianini – ingresso · Sperandie – ingresso · Mascagni – ingresso · Mascagni – uscita · San Marco – uscita · Garibaldi – ingresso · Garibaldi – uscita · Camollia – uscita · Gazzani – ingresso · Gazzani – uscita · Fontegiusta – ingresso · Fontegiusta – uscita · Sasso S. Bernardino – ingresso

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 within 2 days of your entry. 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 1 hours, €10 for 24 hours, €20 for 3 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.

The Palio. During the trial races, nine roads into the centre close from 7.45 am and again in the evening from 5.30 pm (July) or 5 pm (August), until the horses are back in their stables. On race day all traffic is banned from the whole centre from 10 am to 9 pm in July and from 10 am to 8.30 pm in August; residents and garages can still get in until 2 pm, other permits and CUDE holders until 10 am. In 2026 rain pushed the races of 2 July and 16 August back to 3 July and 18 August.

At your hotel. Hotel registration does not let you drive around the centre: it covers two 45-minute trips a day for luggage, by the shortest route and without passing through the Zona Y (unless the hotel is in it). After that the car has to be parked outside the ZTL: there is no paid street parking for guests, unless the hotel has a courtyard or an authorised garage.

Temporary permits. These are only for specific reasons: heavy or bulky items, accompanying someone over 70 or a child under 6, or taking an animal to the vet or groomer. The 30-minute permit is free, once a day and up to four times a month. The PDF must be printed and displayed before you drive in; online requests are only handled Monday to Friday. Outside those times, a genuine, documented emergency can be sorted out within 48 hours by emailing ztlsi@comune.siena.it.

Everything else. The council publishes no specific rule for motorbikes and scooters. Electric cars get no free access, not even to go and charge. Customers of a garage or workshop are registered by the business up to 2 days after they drive in. In 2023 the council issued 70,758 fines for unauthorised entry.

Siena 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 up to Piazza del Campo in the evening or on a Sunday?

No. The ZTL applies 24 hours a day, bank holidays included, and the Campo is also inside the Zona Y storica, where even driving through is banned.

My hotel is in the centre: can I leave the car there?

Usually not. The hotel registers your number plate for two 45-minute trips a day; after that the car must leave the ZTL, unless the hotel has a courtyard or an authorised garage.

Is there a tourist ticket for Siena?

No. Permits from 30 minutes (free) to 3 days (€20) are reserved for specific reasons, such as carrying heavy items, and must be on display before you enter.

What happens on Palio day?

Officers close the centre from 10 am to 9 pm in July and until 8.30 pm in August. The races on 2 July and 16 August can be postponed by rain, as happened in 2026.

Can motorbikes enter the Siena ZTL?

The council publishes no explicit rule for two-wheelers. Ask the Polizia Locale (ztlsi@comune.siena.it).

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.