Siena Parking

Hi! I was looking at the helpful Siena parking map on the Discover Tuscany website and had some questions:

Can anyone suggest the most central Siena parking lot that is likely to be available if we're arriving around 9:30 on a Thursday morning in mid-March? (We will not have ZTL clearance.) Will the closer lots (such as Fontebranda Esterna) already be full by that time of morning in March?

Also, does anyone have any opinions about the best choice for parking lot if we just want to be able to easily drive to a lot and know for sure that it will have spaces available? (We will be coming from the direction of Florence.)

Thanks!
 
Fontebranda esterna is one of the few lots still remaining free and it is likely that it could be full, but do try it in any case. If you don't find space, you can easily follow signs back to Santa Caterina lot. That will likely have space and it is outside of the walls so you're not in the ZTL area.
 
Thank you, Lourdes! We will do just as you say. One thing I want to be sure I understand: Neither of those lots lies within the ZTL, right?

Thank you for your help on these boards!
 
Both are right just before the ZTL starts - make sure to follow the signs, they should guide you along the streets you can reach without going into the ZTL. In any case, if you were to make a wrong turn and find yourself at something that looks like a stoplight with a red light and sign that says ZTL on it, stop and make sure it isn't the entrance into the ZTL area. Many times you can turn around... or right by it, there will be signs showing the way to follow without entering the ZTL.

The easiest would be to head to the paid parking lot - those are all outside of the ZTL even if they are right by the entrance into the ZTL area. That way you don't risk a wrong turn!
 
Montepulciano to Siena Day Trip - Best route and Parking - Late June

I will be driving from Montepulciano area to Siena for the day on Tuesday June 24 and thinking about best route and parking.

We will leave right after breakfast but we don't know how early the farmhouse serves breakfast and so not sure just how early we can hit the road. Google Maps says if we take route SP326 to E78 the trip will take just over one hour and if we take route SR2 the trip will take one hour and 15 minutes.

I hope to leave by 8am but perhaps we wouldn't be able to leave until 8:30am. So we will arrive between 9:30am and 9:45am.

Is one route better than the other for approaching the city near a parking lot at that hour on a Tuesday?

I have read a description of the Camp parking lot on "Slow Travel Italy" and it says that you approach the wall around Siena, go through the porta and about 50 feet past the wall, on the right, will be the entrance to the parking lot. Sounds straightforward but I am concerned about making a mistake and going into the ZTL.

I would appreciate some clear direction on driving directions and where to park. Free is always nice, but I am more concerned about simplicity of directions, likelihood of getting a spot [so will not need to start circling around], and not having a long walk to historic sites from parking lot [want to make it easyf ro my 9 year old mom].

And finally, if we take the faster route to Siena, would you suggest taking SR2 back? Is it more picturesque?
Thank you!
 
Correction to My Post - Montepulciano to Siena - sorry

CORRECTION SEE BELOW:
I will be driving from Montepulciano area to Siena for the day on Tuesday June 24 and thinking about best route and parking.

We will leave right after breakfast but we don't know how early the farmhouse serves breakfast and so not sure just how early we can hit the road. Google Maps says if we take route SP326 to E78 the trip will take just over one hour and if we take route SR2 the trip will take one hour and 15 minutes.

I hope to leave by 8am but perhaps we wouldn't be able to leave until 8:30am. So I guess conservatively that we will arrive between 9:30am and 9:45am.

Is one route better than the other for approaching the city near a parking lot at that hour on a Tuesday?

I have read a description of the Campo parking lot on "Slow Travel Italy" and it says that you approach the wall around Siena, go through the porta and about 50 feet past the wall, on the right, will be the entrance to the parking lot. Sounds straightforward but I am concerned about making a mistake and going into the ZTL.

I would appreciate advice on driving directions and where to park. Free is always nice, but I am more concerned about simplicity of directions, likelihood of getting a spot [so will not need to start circling around], not mistakenly entering ZTL and not having a long walk to historic sites from parking lot [want to make it easy for my 79 year old mom].

And finally, if we take the faster route to Siena, would you suggest taking SR2 back? Is it more picturesque?
Thank you!
 
Ciao ecisme,

Yes, I recommend taking the slightly faster route in the morning and the SS2 (Cassia Road) on the way back, it is definitely more picturesque, offering more scenic views!!

I also say to take it easy and enjoy your breakfast - you don't want to catch the morning traffic into Siena of those who commute to work on a weekday. So if you leave the house by 9am, you should take slightly less time to get there.

I recommend you head to the Piazza del Campo parking lot, it is the closest without too many hills to do seeing as you have your mom with you. Siena is a town made on hills, so already expect lots of walking and ups and downs, this is one place you want to park as close as possible seeing the walking you'll both be doing.

The info you have is slightly off.... You will pass under the PORTA then head ahead, then on the right you will find a street with a large sign with a P on a blue square that points you to TURN to the right on to that street. You want to turn and follow that street (Via di Fontanella) which runs along a brick wall... follow it until you find the entrance to the lot on your left. Only if you don't turn right on to this street or left into the lot (keep going straight) do you risk entering the ZTL. The lot exit is on that street that leads you back down to Porta dei Tufi. The signs are pretty clear, I am sure you will find it without a problem. The address, if you have a GPS, is Via di Fontanella. You can see it on the map here:
http://www.discovertuscany.com/siena/tourist-info/parking-lots-in-siena.html
 
thanks for clear instructions

thanks Lourdes!
This is just the info I was looking for. I found the GPS coordinates and already have it marked on my personal GPS unit. I think the biggest challenge now is to ask my hubby to be patient and drive slowly so I can read the signs. but I guess we are really just following the blue and white signs. any chance the lot will be full if we arrive at 10am? if so, can we make a U-turn and head out on via di Fontanello so we avoid the ZTL and instead head to Il Duomo lot?

:)
 
With almost 600 spaces, I don't think you'll find it full at that time so you won't have to worry about it.

In any case, the Via della Fontanella is a one-way street so you can't turn around... once you're in the parking structure, go for the exit... the fact that you just spent a few minutes inside means you don't pay. Just stick the ticket at the exit and the barrier gate will open.
We did it once when we took Via della Fontanella but didn't want to park there so we had to go back out, it is the only way at that point to go back without entering the ZTL.
 
as always - thank you!
sounds easy.

You had previously answered my parking questions regarding Florence and I am wondering if you have a guess about how long it will take us to drive from Montepulciano to Florence on Thursday 26 June. My goal is to decide best Accademia entry time to buy tix for: don't want to get there late and be denied entry, but don't want to be so early that we have to hang out. I would like to make this our first stop as it will be our only timed ticket for our one day in Florence. I am not sure how early our farmhouse will serve breakfast so I can only guess what time we will hit the road - perhaps 7:45am.

We will either park at the Coop market or go closer to the pay lot by the closer tram stop. GoogleMaps says the drive should be 1.5 hours but I am thinking we should allow closer to two in case of traffic. So, depart 7:45, arrive 9:45, park and walk to tram stop/buy tix/board/ride to SMN Station - arrive 10:30. Then walk to Accademia - again with 79 year old mom, so maybe we get there at 11am. should I buy 11:15am entry tix? perhjaps 11:30 is safer and if we arrive really early we can just meander through the streets on our way to Accademia? any thoughts? many thanks! ec
 
Yes, looking at the time it takes to drive up, park and then get to station and then walk, I would do as you've already calculated and get tickets for around 11.30am or even noon. That way you can do your walk to the Accademia without being in a hurry as well as meander and look at the monuments as you go, depending on what time you arrive at the station. You'll see then whether you have the extra time or not... and believe me, all of Florence outdoors is an open-air museum so even if you arrive an hour ahead of time, it will pass by really quickly as you walk since you'll also be looking at everything!! :)
 
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