Guide to Parking in Bari, Italy

When planning a trip to Italy, you may find yourself wanting to visit a city that lies on the Adriatic Sea. Well, there's no better destination to visit than Bari, Italy.

As with any other historical Italian city, the streets are very old and maze-like, which can present some challenges to foreign drivers. If you want to avoid fines or parking violations when renting a car in Bari, it is important to keep a few things in mind.

In this article we'll share some general information and helpful tips to tell you where to park, where not to park, and how to safely explore Bari, Italy by car.

What's it Like Driving & Parking in Bari? 

Driving in Bari, Italy is similar to other old Italian towns, but there are some key differences due to its size (it's a smaller Italian city), which means that many of the roads are very narrow and windy.

It may be your best bet to try and take the highway as much as possible when driving around Bari. The country roads, while beautiful, are extremely narrow.

Additionally when renting a car to drive in downtown Bari, it might be advisable to choose the smallest car possible. Bari's roads are very small and parking spots tend to be small as well, so driving a smaller vehicle downtown will simplify things for you and give you one less thing to worry about.

If you want to take some time to gaze around at your surroundings and take the countryside roads, simply make sure you are not under any time constraints, as you may encounter some delays. To us, that's one of the charming parts of driving in Italy ... if you approach your trip with that in mind, you'll enjoy it!

Bari Parking Zone Colors

When trying to find parking in the city of Bari, there are three colors to look out for.

• Blue means paid parking,
• Yellow is for disabled card holders, and
• White means free parking.

Bari Parking Zone Times

It is important to be reminded of the times in which you must pay for parking in Bari. These are Monday-Saturday from 8:30am - 8:30pm.

There are also 4 different parking zones with different prices for each:

• Zone A is the most expensive which contains the Murat district and is set at 2 euro per hour.
• Zone B, C and D which contain the Liberta quarter, Madonnella district and Bar Vecchia, are all priced at 1 euro per hour.

We should note that if you plan to park in a blue zone during the day in Bari, you will need coins in order to pay for your street parking. To pay for street parking, insert your coins into the nearest parking machine, and you'll receive a ticket to place on the dashboard of your car.

Make a note of what time you need to be back to collect your car or pay for more parking time if it is before 8:30pm.

Is There Free Parking in Bari? 

When looking for parking in the city you will note that as you get closer to the beach or centro storico, it will be much harder to find any white free parking zones. It is possible to find free parking in general in Bari, but near the most popular destinations you may have to search around for it.

If you have patience, you will have more of a chance to find parking, but it will be a bit further from the center of town.

Summer is the busiest time of year in Italy - it's when most tourists visit, so if you are visiting after the summer months have passed many of the paid parking spots actually become free parking (after mid-September). If you can plan your trip to Bari for late September or early October you'll save a lot of money on every part of your travel.

Another thing to look out for with free parking is the possibility of restrictions. Some free parking only allows 30 minutes free or it might be free for residents only. Wherever you stay in Bari, whether it is a hostel, hotel or Airbnb, you should inquire in advance about where the nearest free parking is located, and ask for a recommendation about where the best or safest place to park is too. 

Garages & Parking Lots in Bari, Italy

There are a few great parking garages and lots in Bari to pin on to your Google maps. These are great locations to drop your car before exploring the city on foot.

The first is Parcheggio di Porto. This structure offers multiple stories of parking, is located near the port and is only 10 euro daily (including overnight parking).

Another garage that is a lot more expensive, but located in the center of historic Bari is Garage Tiemme Bari Centro. It will cost you 20 euro per day to park your rental car here.

There are also a few car parks in the city center which are all 2 euro per hour if you know you won't need to park for a full day:

• Saba Bari Porto located at: 5, Corso Vittorio Veneto 
• Quick San Francesco located at: 54, Via Giovan Battista Trevisani 
• Garage Dante di Ceglie Giuseppe located at: 14, Via Melo Da Bari
• Autorimessa Cinquepalmi M. located at: 119, Via Roberto Da Bar

There are a few others as well, but these are the most popular options for hourly garage parking in downtown Bari.

Bari ZTL Zones: Where You Can't Drive or Park

ZTL zones are limited traffic zones known as Zona Traffico Limitato.

If you have driven in any major Italian city you will have experienced the ZTL zones which were created to reduce traffic in high congestion areas.

This makes it nice for those who are walking in these areas, but this can make tourists receive unpleasant surprises in the form of heavy fines from mistakenly driving into these zones. There are cameras that will take a photo of your car, and if you are not on the register list of being either a resident or disabled, then you will receive a fine (usually the local car rental company will charge your credit card on file, and they may even assess a payment processing fee).

The ZTL zone in Centro Storico is active for a specific time period each day, which is 12:00pm through 12:00am.

If you are staying in a hotel within one of these ZTL areas you should ask to see if they can put your license plate number on the registered list to allow you to drive in to park your car in their lot.

Parking Signs and Symbols in Bari, Italy

The road signs and parking signs in Bari are similar to those you will find in any other Italian city.

Parking areas are indicated by a blue sign with a white P, or the word parcheggio.

It is good to know that when there is either a white arrow or white car next to another car or arrow that is red, the person who is going the direction of the white arrow/car, has the right of way.

ZTL signs are characterized by a white circle with a red exterior lining (pictured above). There are also red lights when the ZTL is on and green lights when the ZTL is off (meaning you can drive into the ZTL zone).

Driving in Bari, Italy is not complicated. As long as you are aware and ready for some small roads, know you should stay on the highways mainly, and watch where you are parking, you should have an enjoyable trip afforded by the access and flexibility of driving your rental car in the city.

Some drivers who aren't accustomed to city parking may want to rent a smaller sized car if possible and practice your parallel parking beforehand.

Book a rental car at Bari Palese Airport and enjoy your time in this beautiful coastal town!