The short answer
Buy the digital access ticket before you drive in — €6 for the day — and when you enter a foreign number plate, UNTICK the box marked ‘targa italiana’. Leave it ticked and the plate is rejected as wrongly formatted, your car never reaches the authorised list, and the camera fines you anyway. Wait for the confirmation message before passing a gate.
The hours
Bologna's centre is watched by the camera system the city calls SIRIO. Read off the council's own pages.
Historic centre — the main ZTL
Watched by the camera system the city calls SIRIO. Outside those hours access is open, so an arrival after eight in the evening is unrestricted — unlike Siena or Lucca, Bologna does switch off.
ZONA T
The monumental streets at the heart of the centre. An ordinary access ticket does NOT admit you here — a separate authorisation is needed.
Pedestrian areas and special ZTLs
Also permanently closed, and also outside the scope of the ordinary ticket.
Outside 20:00–07:00
The Zona T and the pedestrian areas stay closed. And note: after 20:00 the ticket system no longer accepts validations, because SIRIO is off.
Four things that catch out visitors
- The foreign-plate box. This is the expensive one. When buying the ticket online, the form assumes an Italian plate. Untick ‘targa italiana’ before typing a foreign registration, and check every character — one wrong letter has the same effect as not paying at all.
- The ticket must be active BEFORE you enter. There is no retrospective validation in Bologna, unlike Palermo. Buy it, wait for the confirmation message, then drive.
- After 20:00 you cannot validate anything. The system stops accepting validations because SIRIO is off — which is fine, because the main ZTL is open then anyway. But it means you cannot buy a ticket at 21:00 for an entry you made at 19:00.
- No ticket covers the Zona T. The monumental heart of the centre and the pedestrian areas are closed 24 hours a day and need a separate authorisation. An access ticket is not a pass to everywhere.
How the access ticket works
- €6 for one day, €15 for four consecutive days.
- The daily ticket expires at midnight on the day it is validated.
- Three daily tickets per calendar month for the same vehicle, or one four-day ticket. The two cannot be combined.
- Bought online from the council's permit operator, and activated before entering.
If your hotel is inside the ZTL, there is an easier route: guests of hotels, garages and workshops are explicitly among the permitted categories. Give the property your plate before you arrive and check they have actually registered it — a booking on its own does nothing.
Emissions and hybrids
On top of the ordinary ZTL sits the ZTL ambientale, in force since 1 January 2020, which bars older vehicles by emissions class regardless of any permit: diesels up to Euro 4 and petrol up to Euro 1 cannot hold most permit types. A recent hire car is unaffected.
One change worth knowing: since 1 January 2026 Bologna no longer issues new ZTL permits for hybrid vehicles belonging to non-residents or to firms based outside the city. Permits issued up to 31 December 2025 stay valid until they expire. In practice a hire car will not hold one anyway — which is exactly why the access ticket is the route for a visitor.
Frequently asked questions
What are the ZTL hours in Bologna?
The main historic-centre ZTL runs 07:00 to 20:00 every day of the year, holidays included. Outside those hours it is open. But the Zona T, the pedestrian areas and the special ZTLs (Università, San Francesco-Pratello, Moline-Capo di Lucca) are closed 24 hours a day and are not covered by an ordinary access ticket. As verified against the city council's own pages.
I have a foreign number plate. Is there anything special I need to do?
Yes, and it is the single most expensive detail on this page. When buying the digital access ticket online you must UNTICK the 'targa italiana' box before entering a foreign plate. If you leave it ticked, the plate is rejected as wrongly formatted, your car never reaches the authorised list, and YOU GET FINED EVEN THOUGH YOU PAID. Check every character too — one wrong letter has exactly the same effect.
How much does an access ticket cost?
EUR 6 for one day, EUR 15 for four consecutive days, bought from the council's permit operator. The daily ticket expires at midnight on the day it is validated. You may use three daily tickets per calendar month for the same vehicle, or one four-day ticket — and the two cannot be combined.
When do I have to buy the ticket?
BEFORE you drive in, and you must wait for the confirmation message before passing a gate. Bologna does not accept retrospective validation. And after 20:00 the system stops accepting validations altogether, because the SIRIO cameras are off for the night.
Can my hotel let me in?
Yes — guests of hotels, garages and workshops inside the ZTL are explicitly listed among the permitted categories. Give the property your number plate before you arrive and check they have actually registered it: a booking on its own does nothing. If they cannot, buy the access ticket instead.
My hire car is a hybrid. Can I get a permit?
Not a new one. Since 1 January 2026 Bologna no longer issues ZTL permits for hybrid vehicles belonging to non-residents or to firms based outside the city. Permits issued up to 31 December 2025 remain valid until they expire. In practice a hire car will not hold one anyway, which is why the access ticket is the route for a visitor.
Is there an emissions rule as well?
Yes. On top of the ordinary ZTL sits the 'ZTL ambientale', in force since 1 January 2020, which bars older vehicles by emissions class regardless of any other permit. Diesels up to Euro 4 and petrol up to Euro 1 cannot hold most permit types. A recent hire car is unaffected.
Are the roadworks around the Garisenda tower still affecting access?
They were as of the last check. Since July 2024 an ordinance restricts who may cross the Zona T, entering from via Ugo Bassi and leaving by via Rizzoli, because of work on the Garisenda tower and the tram construction sites. The council itself warns that the works evolve and that the road signs on the day take precedence over anything published.
Driving into Bologna with a foreign plate?
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Source: Comune di Bologna (comune.bologna.it), ZTL and access-ticket pages; tickets and permits are issued through the council's operator. Hours and rules are set by ordinance and change without notice; roadworks around the Garisenda tower and the tram sites are still in progress, and the council warns that road signs on the day take precedence. This page carries the date it was last checked and is reviewed monthly.