Are you on holiday in Genoa and don’t know where to park your car?
Parking in Genoa Italy is never easy, especially because the city itself, due to its structure, doesn’t have a lot of free space.
The old town is a ZTL area (zona a traffico limitato, which means restricted traffic area). That’s why finding a parking space, especially a free one, is so difficult.
Charges apply to most parking options, both near Acquario di Genova and in areas bordering the old town.
What can you do to find free or at least not too expensive car parks, then?
You’ve come across the right article.
I’m Andrea from Discover Genoa, and with this guide I will help you find the best parking options near the centre of Genoa.
Are you ready? Let’s start!
Where can you park your car in Genoa Italy?
Here is a map with the best car parks in Genoa, Italy.
The colour blue indicates parking areas where charges apply, while green is for free or reduced-fare options.
Before beginning with the article, I would like to explain a few things that will help you to drive in Genoa, avoiding tickets or fines.
Let’s see all the details.
Genoa ZTL
What Is a ZTL Area?
Genoa’s old town is a ZTL area, which means a restricted traffic area, where only vehicles with special permits are allowed to drive.
By all access points, there are cameras that can detect vehicles entering these areas without permit.
What Happens if I Enter a ZTL Area without a Permit?
You will get a rather heavy fine, so I recommend that you avoid them (unless you have a special permit; I will explain what it is below).
Which Areas of Genoa Are ZTL?
The whole old town and some other areas nearby.
Here is a map with all ZTL areas in Genoa.
What Can I Do if I Booked a Hotel in a ZTL Area?
If you chose a hotel located in a restricted traffic area, you can stop in front of the entrance only to let your passengers get out and to unload your luggage, unless the facility has its own car park.
Always check that your hotel reported your car’s number plate to the Police. Otherwise, you will be fined because you entered a forbidden area without having a permit.
When you arrive at the reception, the receptionists often do not know if you arrived on foot, by car or by taxi, and in most cases they don’t even ask. Consequently, over the years many tourists were fined.
What can you do, then?
Call your hotel in advance, to ensure your number plate was notified to the police. If you forget to do this, ask the receptionist when you reach your facility.
An optimal solution is to look for a B&B with a car park instead!
Genoa ZTL map
Here you can find the Genoa ZTL Map.
Visit Genoa in one day
If you are planning a one-day trip to Genoa, I suggest you leave your car in one of the car parks outside the old town.
This way, you will avoid the risk of entering a ZTL area altogether.
If you intend to stay two or more days, ask the staff of your hotel where’s the nearest car park. They will certainly be able to help you.
Very often, hotels and B&Bs in the city centre offer their customers a spot in a reserved car park.
Don’t forget to ask the staff of your facility, it will allow you to get around many problems.
Now, let’s go back to the parking options. Here are the best car parks near the city centre, both the free ones and those where charges apply.
Free parking in Genoa, Italy
It’s very difficult to find a free car park near the city centre in Genoa.
Over the last few years, almost all free parking options have started to apply a fee. If it was hard to find a free parking spot before, now it’s next to impossible.
The following are some parking zones that have (for now) remained free and that are located near the old town:
- Via Moresco (100 metres from the central station of Genova Brignole)
- Piazzale Marassi: Park & Ride by the motorway exit Genova Est (located near the stadium Luigi Ferraris and about 800 metres from the central train station of Genova Brignole)
- Via Rubattino (near Acquario di Genova and under the flyover ‘Sopraelevata’)
- Piazza Dinegro: Park & Ride by the motorway exit Genova Ovest (500 metres from the city centre)
Among these four car parks, I would undoubtedly recommend the first one.
This area is highly frequented and it’s located about 100 metres from the central train station.
From here, you can enjoy the whole city on foot.
It’s a very safe and quiet area, but I nonetheless suggest you do not leave valuables in plain sight: you never know…
Parking for a charge in Genoa
In the old town area, there are many car parks where you have to pay a fee, including one in front of Genoa Aquarium.
The ones that are cheaper and nearer to the city centre are Parcheggio Mercanzia, Marina Park, Parcheggio Porto Antico, Parcheggio di Carignano and Ponte Monumentale.
Let’s have a look at them, one by one.
Parcheggio Mercanzia Genova
The Mercanzia car park is located 200 metres from Genoa Aquarium and 300 metres from Cattedrale di San Lorenzo (the main cathedral of Genoa, in the heart of the city). It has 77 parking spaces, two of which are reserved for disabled drivers, and in my opinion it’s the best car park in Genoa (amongst the not-free ones).
It’s the best option to visit Acquario di Genova and the whole city centre.
- Address: Via Turati, Genoa
- Opening Hours: 24/7, all year round
- Fees Day: €2.00 per hour; €1.00 for the first half hour | Night: €0.50 per hour from 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.
- 24-hour fee: no
Marina Park Genova
This car park is located 300 metres from the city centre and 1 km from Acquario di Genova. It’s a parking garage that allows you to easily visit the city on foot.
- Address: Via della Marina, Genoa
- Opening Hours: 24/7, all year round
- Fees: 1 hour: €1.50, 24 hours: €15.00
Park Calata Gadda
In the Porto Antico (Old Harbour) area, there are many car parks called Siberia, Cannoniere, Autosilo and Gadda.
In all of them, charges apply and they are inside the most central zone to visit Genoa, whether you plan to tour Acquario di Genova, Galata Museo del Mare (Maritime Museum) or the old town.
I especially recommend the car park called Gadda, which is the largest and the cheapest one.
- Address: Via a Calata Gadda, Genoa
- Opening Hours: 24/7, all year round
- Fees: Day: €1.80 per hour | Night: €2.00 from 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. (fixed price)
Parcheggio Carignano
The car park in Piazza Carignano is a few metres from the old town and it’s the cheapest one on this list.
It’s only open from Monday to Saturday (during the day) and on Sunday night.
Address: Piazza di Carignano, Genoa
Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday (during the day) and on Sunday night
Fees: Mon-Sat 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.: 1 hour: €1.30, 2 hours: €3.00, Additional hours (after 3 hours): €2.00 | Sun 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. | €4.00 all day
On-street Parking: Ponte Monumentale
This is one of the best parking options to visit the city centre.
At night (from 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.) it is free and, in the daytime, a reduced fee is applied.
It’s near Via XX Settembre, the main street in Genoa. To access this street, you will just have to go down a short flight of stairs.
Address: Corso Andrea Podestà (by Ponte Monumentale), Genoa
Opening Hours: 24/7, all year round
Fees: Mon-Sat 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.: 1 hour: €1.30, 2 hours: €3.00, Additional hours (after 3 hours): €2.00 | Sunday: Free
Genoa Aquarium Parking
What’s the best car park near Acquario di Genova?
If you wish to visit the Aquarium and are looking for a free parking option, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but you won’t find any nearby.
These are the three best car parks near Acquario di Genova:
- Park Mercanzia: 2 minutes on foot (200 metres)
- Park Calata Gadda: 5 minutes on foot (500 metres)
- Marina Park: 10 minutes on foot (1 km)
There is also a car park right in front of the entrance, but it’s often already full and its fees are higher, so I advise you to choose one of the three above.
Conclusions
We’re at the end of this long article, where I have suggested the best car parks in Genoa, according to me.
I hope you liked this article and found it useful.
If you have any tips or if you find other directions on site, leave a comment below and let me know.
Happy holidays,
Andrea
