Where to stay in Turin
The central traffic zone in Turin is short: three hours on weekday mornings. Outside those hours the ZTL Centrale is open to cars, so the emission rules and the blue-bay tariff matter more to the choice of area.
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How the areas differ
The Centro and the Quadrilatero Romano hold the arcades, the museums and the cafes, with Piazza Castello and Piazza San Carlo a few minutes apart. It is the base for a first visit and the one most affected by the traffic zone.
South of Porta Nuova, San Salvario is the eating and drinking quarter, backed by the Valentino park and loud at weekends. Crocetta, west of the station, is its opposite: a quiet grid with a street market. East of the centre, Vanchiglia is a student district with late bars.
Across the Po, Borgo Po climbs the hill behind the Gran Madre and is the calmest central option. Lingotto, in the south, sits around the old Fiat works and the conference centre, with wide roads and the metro.
Staying with a rental car
The rule that matters is short. Inside the ZTL Centrale, driving and parking are banned from 07:30 to 10:30 on weekdays, Saturdays excluded. Outside those three hours the zone is open to everyone. The perimeter runs along corso Vittorio Emanuele II, corso Re Umberto, corso Palestro, corso Regina, viale Primo Maggio, corso San Maurizio and the Po embankments, and those streets are themselves excluded from the zone. Cameras read plates at 27 entry points, with 11 more inside for other restrictions and 3 outside for the Statuto and Valperga areas and the Valentino.
There is no visitor ticket. The city issues Blu A, Blu B, Borgo Dora, Cantiere, Verde and heavy-vehicle permits to listed categories, and none of them is a hotel guest; a permitted vehicle must also be Euro 3 or better, or Euro 2 or better on LPG or methane. A hotel can apply for a concession to keep a reserved bay in front of the door for loading luggage, up to 20 metres of kerb, which is not the same as a right to drive in. The practical answer is to arrive after 10:30 or before 07:30, or to park outside the perimeter.
Parking is sold in four bands: EUR 2.80 an hour inside the ZTL Centrale, EUR 1.70 at the ordinary tariff, EUR 1.50 reduced and EUR 1.20 smart, charged Monday to Saturday from 08:00 to 19:30 and ending at 18:30 near seven named hospitals. Motorcycles use blue bays without a permit. GTT also runs barrier and multi-storey car parks, which keep charging even when the street tariff is suspended. GetCar’s car rental page for Turin covers the hire side.
The emission rules reach further than the ZTL. Petrol and diesel vehicles up to Euro 2, and LPG or methane vehicles up to Euro 1, may not circulate at all, every day of the year, 00:00 to 24:00. Further seasonal limits run from 15 September 2026 to 15 April 2027, and the regional alert system can add emergency stops that reach diesel Euro 5. Check the Euro class on the rental agreement.
What the tourist tax and registration rules mean for a guest
Turin charges the imposta di soggiorno by type of property: EUR 1.00 a night per person in a hostel or campsite, EUR 3.00 in a one or two-star hotel, EUR 3.50 in a three-star, EUR 4.50 in a four-star and EUR 5.00 in a five-star, and EUR 3.80 in a bed and breakfast, an affittacamere, a holiday flat, a residence, a casa per ferie or a short let. The council approved these figures on 15 December 2025 for 2026.
The tax is charged for at most seven consecutive nights, and from 2026 the seven are counted over the year rather than the quarter, which matters for repeat work trips. Children up to their thirteenth birthday pay nothing, as do coach drivers and one tour leader per 20 travellers, patients and their carers at local health facilities, school groups with their teachers, out-of-town university students, staff of the property, people with a severe disability and one companion, and police and armed forces on public-order duty. Every exemption needs the comune’s single declaration form handed to the operator.
Every licensed stay in Italy, hotel or short-let flat, has a national identification code (CIN) shown outside the building and in every listing. Italian law lets a host accept only guests with an identity document or passport, and the host registers each one with the police within 24 hours. A 2024 Interior Ministry circular, upheld by the Council of State in November 2025, requires the host to identify guests in person or by a video link at the door.
When to book what
In August the city suspends the ZTL and the blue-bay tariff for a fortnight; in 2026 it ran from 10 to 23 August. The Trasporto Pubblico, Pedonale, Area Romana and Valentino zones stayed in force, and the barrier and GTT car parks kept charging. A car is easiest to keep in the centre in those two weeks.
From mid-September to mid-April the seasonal emission limits apply, so a winter trip needs a newer car or a plan without one. Arrival time matters more than season for the ZTL: a flight landing at 08:00 means a car in the centre only after 10:30.
For a month or longer, the lease type matters more than the date: up to 30 days a flat is a short let with a CIN, and beyond 30 days it is a lease that must be registered with the Agenzia delle Entrate. Compare and book on this page once the dates are fixed.
Which area for which trip
A first visit on foot: the Centro and the Quadrilatero Romano.
Food and nightlife: San Salvario.
A quiet base near the station: Crocetta.
A student neighbourhood and lower prices: Vanchiglia.
Calm evenings and a view: Borgo Po.
A trade fair or a car that comes and goes: Lingotto.
Questions
Is the whole centre of Turin a traffic zone?
The ZTL Centrale covers the area inside corso Vittorio Emanuele II, corso Re Umberto, corso Palestro, corso Regina, viale Primo Maggio, corso San Maurizio and the Po embankments, with those streets excluded. The city also runs separate Trasporto Pubblico, Pedonale, Area Romana and Valentino zones.
What happens if a car enters the ZTL Centrale without a permit?
Cameras at 27 points read the plate and the fine follows later, since the checks are remote. The ban applies to parking inside the zone as well as to driving through it.
Where can a car stay while the ZTL is active?
Outside the perimeter, in blue bays at EUR 1.70 an hour or less, or in a GTT barrier or multi-storey car park. Blue bays are charged Monday to Saturday from 08:00 to 19:30.
Does Turin have a low-emission rule beyond the ZTL?
Yes. Petrol and diesel vehicles up to Euro 2 and LPG or methane vehicles up to Euro 1 are stopped all year, every day, and seasonal limits run from 15 September 2026 to 15 April 2027.
How much tourist tax does a family pay in a Turin flat?
EUR 3.80 per person per night in a holiday flat or short let, for each guest who has turned 13, for at most seven consecutive nights.