We are traveling to Tuscany in May. We will have a car and staying in Montepulciano and/or Siena. Having never been to either, we are wandering about the ease of parking a car outside of town and walking in to the hotel, restaurants, etc. Would we be looking at a relatively short walk (15 minutes or less) generally or more?
Any and al advice appreciated!
Posted by
Austin TX after living in Boulder CO for 25 years
1166 posts
We have driven through Tuscany/Umbria several times and never have had a tough time finding a parking lot or space. We watch for the giant blue "P" signs.
That being said, parking in Spello and San Quirico d'Orcia was simple. San Gimi was horrendous with busses and parking lots that had bars which did not read our parking ticket and would not raise up !
Posted by
Hawaii
2 posts
Aloha From Hawaii,
We have driven all over Tuscany and Umbria. We usually go in May or September and have never had too much trouble parking. Usually, there is some kind of public parking available outside the smaller towns with a short walk to the center. Florence can be a problem, but if you drive around long enough you can usually find a spot. Just remember where it is! In Lucca you have to park outside the city walls and walk quite a ways. I think we walked quite far in Siena, too.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8172 posts
Siena was the only city we had trouble parking in. It sits on top of a hill, and it's a good size city with apartment complexes and other high density businesses. It's really best visited from Florence on a bus.
They don't call the cities in Tuscany hilltowns for nothing. You never know how strenuous the walk would be into a city. Many of the cities have parking garages.
We prefer to stay out in the country vs. in city centers. Look for Agriturismos in the area that have free parking on premises.
Posted by
11232 posts
There are parking lots at top of the hill near Siena’s center. We found a space even during The Palio.