parking car in Florence?
 

Any suggestions where you can park your car for the day in Florence?
Thanks.
Linda

There is a large parking lot at Piazzale Michelangelo, on the south side of the river, high above the city. From there you can walk or get bus into the center.

ekscrunchy,
If I think that it is the Square I know, isn't it a very long walk to the center of the city? My husband can't walk too far. Is it easy to catch a bus?
thanks

Hi them,

Buses no. 12 and 13 serve PM.

See http://www.ataf.net/

((I))

Yes, the buses run often so he will not have to walk that far! Don't worry!

For a shorter walk to the center try the parking lots around the Fortezza. While they are an easy walk to the main square and an interesting one, they do tend to fill up in the late morning, so try to get there before 10:30 am. There's a small charge but the convenience is worth it.
Besides you can visit the wine tasting center in the Fortezza itself later in the day.

There is also a rather hidden public parking lot by the Pitti Palace - on the other side of the main road that runs by it and farther up - right by the city walls and actually under them. Last Jan at least is was sparely full and it's a very short walk to town. Clearly marked on Florence maps.

Be sure you obey traffic signs regarding areas you cannot drive without a local residence permit, also, as a lot of tourists seem to ignore them and then get expensive tickets in Florence.

easy, head for the central station and just along one side near the Bar Centrale and Santini clothing shops is car parking with an attendant. otherwise a bit further along the piazza on the right just after the Hotel Otello is an undergound car park.

There is a parking garage under the main train station. There are pedestrian tunnels to get you up to street level and at the correct side of the intersection. There are shops along the passage tunnel.

Piazza Michelangelo is way far from the city center but has fabulous views at sunset.

My big warning for anyone using bus 13 to go from city center to Piazza Michelangelo in the evening is that bus 13 does NOT go back to the city center after sunset. It does go to the train station but then takes off north. Believe me---been there done that and had to find our way back to the city center. We tried to talk to the bus driver to be sure it would go where we needed to go but he spoke almost no English.

We parked in a lot Northeast of the center. I would guess a little under one mile. I don't recall the name of the place but found it by asking directions.

My best advice (after living without one) is to bring or rent a GPS. My TomTom 920 (purchased after our trip) will direct you to a public parking lot. If one is full you can ask it to take you to the next closest lot.

Florence has a restricted driving zone with a hefty fine for driving any car not registered locally into the center. With the lack of signage, we felt fortunate to come home without a ticket.

We had a hike to our hotel in the center, fortunately we traveled with only one carry-on each so it wasn't too bad (in Florence, Venice or Cinque Terra where we had to carry our bags to our lodging).