Where to Park Outside Modena's ZTL in 2026: Novi Park

Modena is kinder than most Italian ZTL towns, because the best car park is directly underneath the historic centre. Novi Park, the underground garage below Parco Novi Sad, charges about €1.20 an hour by day and €0.40 at night, and a free bus loops from it around the zone and into town. If you would rather pay nothing at all, the large free lot at Piazzale Giovanni di Tien An Men beside the stadium works, at the cost of a longer walk to Piazza Grande. Guests staying inside the ZTL may transit and park near their accommodation on the hotel’s badge.

Novi Park — the one to aim for

Novi Park (the underground garage beneath Parco Novi Sad, sometimes signed “Parcheggio del Centro”) is the largest car park and the closest to the old town. It runs about €1.20 an hour from 6am to 8pm and drops to roughly €0.40 an hour overnight, which makes it cheap by any city standard. The clincher: there’s a free shuttle bus from the garage that loops around the ZTL into the centre, so even the short walk is optional. For most visitors this is the obvious choice.

Free, if you’ll walk or bus it: the stadium lot

The big free parking is at Piazzale Giovanni di Tien An Men, next to the Modena football stadium. It costs nothing, but it’s a proper walk from Piazza Grande and the market, so treat it as the budget play — fine if you’re happy to stroll in or catch a bus, less ideal if you’re carrying much.

There’s also metered street parking along the ring of viali (Viale Medaglie d’Oro, Viale Muratori, Viale Vittorio Veneto and the rest) if you’d rather stay at surface level near your destination.

Staying inside the zone? Use the badge

Modena handles hotel guests cleanly. If you’re booked at a hotel, B&B or hostel inside the ZTL, you’re allowed to drive in and park in the permitted areas nearest the property — even past the normal time limits — as long as the badge the hotelier gives you is clearly on the windscreen. The key is to get that badge sorted with the property; the camera reads your plate first and asks questions never, so the paperwork has to be in order before you cross.

Once you’re parked, the centre is flat and compact — the cathedral, the market and the Ghirlandina tower are all an easy walk apart.

For the exact ZTL boundary and hours see our Modena zone page. Driving on across Emilia-Romagna toward Bologna? Plan My Drive sets out the ZTLs, tolls and emission rules for your specific car across the whole route.

Sources: VisitModena — parking · Taste Bologna — parking in Modena · Locauto — Modena ZTL and parking. Rates and hours change — confirm on the meter and with your hotel.