Can anyone tell me about how is it parking in rome

Question

I plan on visiting rome next month i'll be staying at the holiday inn pomezi hotel and i will have a rental car. Do anyone know how much they charge to park in the city or am i better of catching the bus. i prefer driving because i payed for the rental car and i want to put it to use. let me know

Answer 1

Parking in Rome is horrendous.  It is a very large city and the traffic congestion is legendary.  Because it is a very old city, the streets are tortuous and it is very easy to get lost.  I have driven throughout Italy from the tip of the toe to Trieste.  Rome and Naples are two cities in which I refuse to drive.

Personally, whenever I fly to Rome, I take the shuttle train into Rome from the airport and then take taxis around the city.

If you've never rented a car in Italy before, there are a couple of things you need to know.  First of all, it is very unlikely that your credit card will cover you for collision damage waiver, so you would be well advised to pay it yourself.  Secondly, most, if not all, rental car agencies require you to take anti-theft insurance.

Answer 2

Your way better off using public transportation, but if your going to drive, parking is difficult BUT you will find a spot if you persevere a bit. The good thing about Rome is that you can practically park however you want even in a "no parking" spot and most likely get away with it, just observe how they do it and as in Rome....do as they do. they have really small cars and park sideways, on the sidewalk, parallel, and you would be amazed how they can fit their little cars in some of the smallest spaces -bumper touching bumper.

In the center of Rome they have whats called ZTL (Zona Traffico Limito) Traffic zone limited - you'll see it by a white warning sign and a video camera and during certain hours - usually like 800am-600pm +/- youre only allowed past those points if you have a certain residency pass (which you wont have), if you do go, you'll get a 75 Euro fine.

Also, sometimes when you park in a spot a homeless person or a gypsy will "direct" you to your spot (as if you need help) so you can give him a tip. AAdvice: just give him 50 cents euro or something so the gypsy doesnt spit on your car or you come back with scratches on it.

I lived in Rome for 5 years and drove all around it. just do what they do and you'll be allright.

Answer 3

Good luck with that.  I lived in Rome last year for 4 months and well although it's good to have a car, it's very unlikely you will find a good parking spot.  They double park here, if your car is in the inside good luck with finding the driver with the car blocking yours, honking works though.  

I never saw any places where you pay to park but that's also because I took advantage of the metro and buses alot, they will take you to many places, it's only really at night when you might want a car because the metro closes early.

You'll get alot of use of the rental at night, not so much during the day, either day or night, it's still difficult to find parking.

Answer 4

Forget about driving - use public transportation!

Answer 5

Hello,

Parking and driving in Rome is horrible.  You must have a permit to drive in the city.  Without the permit you will be heavily fined.  It will be quicker for you to take public transportation while in the city center.  If Rome is the only city you will be in, you might want to consider not renting a car.  They are very expensive to rent and your credit card probably won't cover the extra insurance you will want to have while in Italy.  Public transportation is very good and very cheap.  You can take the metro to most of the main sites.   There are also tons of busses that go everywhere.  

Donna