Where to safely park your car in Modena, even for free

You've booked your romantic dinner at Osteria Francescana.
You're dreaming about Bottura's tortellini.
You've parked your car in front of the restaurant.

And a few weeks later a ticket arrives and breaks the magic.
So follow my guide to safely park your car in Modena and avoid bad surprises.

The traffic limited zone: stay away from it

Like in Bologna and in many Italian cities, you can't drive inside Modena city centre.

So you can't cross the red circle on the map.
Never.
Every day, every hour.

There are some interesting exceptions:

- if you're staying in a hotel or b&b inside the area

- if you've parked your car in a garage inside the area

- if you're driving a tour bus

My suggestion?

Modena is a small city and you can easily walk even if you leave the car a bit outside the central area.
So don't risk it, it's not worth it.

I'll tell you where you can park it and sleep well.

So, where do I park my car in Modena?

Good news first.
You can still park your car for free in Modena.

You won't be close to Mercato Albinelli food market or from Piazza Grande, where we start our Modena food tour.

But if you're planning to stay the whole day you can find a while line and save some money. The largest free parking in Modena is in Piazzale Giovanni di Tien An Men, next to Modena Stadium.

Don't you like to idea to leave the car outside and you prefer a safer option?
Not a problem, there are garages.

Modena Novi Park is the larger garage in Modena and the closer to the city centre.
You can even get a free bus from here that takes you around the traffic limited zone.
It's about a 10-minute walk from Piazza Grande and it costs 1,2€/hour from 6 am to 8 pm (0,40€ at night).

The last and quick alternative if you are in a hurry?

Blue lines.
They go from 0,6€/hour and you can find them everywhere.