Parking in Florence

I'm not familiar with this particular parking area but the ones I have seen, they park the cars in there like sardines. I would suggest finding out if you can park your own car or they do it. In some, they have the 2-high car stacking racks (I have a picture). Next, I would be very interested in where this parking area is located. In particular, is it in a Zona Traffico Limitado? If it is, and your rental car has not been previously cleared by the police to enter, you will get a ticket by camera each time you enter the zone. By the time you receive the ticket or tickets, they will each be about 140E. You don't want to drive around the historic areas of Florence.

I'd ask why you need 5 days of parking? If you're looking to park a rental while you stay in the city it might make a whole lot more sense to rent 2 different cars before and after. If your visiting from a town outside Florence it might make more senese to take the train or bus into town each day. As many have posted here, driving and parking in Florence is a nightmare and almost always results in fines.

"Please make sure that the license plate on your car is registered with the (Florence) police department so that you can drive in and out. Your rental car agency should be able to tell you." Has anyone's Florence rental car agency registered their car license plate with the Florence police? So that they were ZTL-proof? Haven't heard about that. Have heard of hotels doing it (and that some got ZTL tickets despite their hotel having "taken care of it"). How does the rental car agency taking care of it work, and has anyone done it?

SMN station parking can be reached from the north avoiding flashy flashy cameras. Its only one street that allows it though so you need to be careful. Its down a level and (unless its changed in the last few years since I used it very happily, self park. The place is a little dark and dingy but really not bad. The spaces, while not huge, accommodated my Honda Accord quite happily. No fuss, no muss. You must go the right way on leaving, or flashy flashy. I do agree - 5 days is long and expensive. Surely dumping the car and getting another has to be cheaper, unless perhaps you're on a lease.

Thank you all so much for your feedback! We'll be staying 11 days in Florence beginning Feb. 13th, at the Hotel Santa Maria Novella. After reading some of RS suggestions to see the hill towns while in Florence, we've secured a small car for 5 days through autoeurope. We plan to pick the car up downtown during the middle of our stay, then on to explore. The SNM parking station offers a 5-day subscription, which when calculated, is much more cost effective than the hourly or daily rate of parking. Thanks Nigel for your recommendations on the "ins and outs" of the parking station. Flashy flashy would not be good. Thanks again,
Michelle

Be aware driving in Florence is a crazy experience and can be expensive. I have driven in Florence and everything is break neck speed and reckless most of the time. Also the city has placed auto cameras at many intersections. Toursits are reporting multiple tickets coming thru their rental agency. And this is when they did not even know they did anything wrong!
You have been warned. However a car in tuscany is a delight w/o the issues of Florence.

It may be worth your searching (not easy) this site for the ZTL map which somebody has posted a link to. That's not very good grammar, is it? Try again, Nigel. It may be worth your searching (not easy) this site for the ZTL map to which another HelpLiner has posted a link. Ah, that's better.

While I'm thinking of it, does anyone know if the blue handicap placard used in the U.S. is acknowledged or even legal to use in Italy?

Michelle, since your rental car agency is most likely in a ZTL, please make sure that the license plate on your car is registered with the police department so that you can drive in and out. Your rental car agency should be able to tell you. What I don't know about is driving around in other ZTLs in the city. I'm not sure if your registered license plate allows you to drive in multiple ZTLs. Depending on which website you believe, 600-1,600 tickets are issued each DAY in Florence by ZTL violators. The cameras are everywhere and obviously quite busy. You've been warned.

I'm pretty sure US handicap placards are not accepted in Europe. As for the ZTL issue - work carefully with the rental company to let you know where and when you can drive in Florence. One wrong turn and you'll get a ticket.