Introduction
Finding a parking space in Cortina d'Ampezzo, at certain times of the year, is almost a "mission impossible". In the high season, during peak hours, the enormous influx of tourists fill in a very short time all the available parking spaces, both in the village and in the mountains, causing traffic and frustration.
If you only need to quickly find a parking spot without having to pay for a ticket, you may want to click the link below, to directly jump to the free parking section:
If, on the other hand, you are willing to pay to park your car, below you can go directly to the chapter on paid parking:
As mentioned in the opening, the problem of the lack of parking places in Cortina has always existed. This is the reason why we have decided to write this article: we want to give you all the necessary knowledge about all the parking lots: the free, the paid and the "almost secret" ones, in order to increase your probability of finding a free space to park your car in Cortina.
First of all, let's start from the premise that finding parking in the center during the aperitif hour, maybe at Christmas time, maybe with snow, is almost impossible. The time you will waste looking for a parking space, while uselessly circling the clogged ring road, could be better spent with a nice walk.
... When possible, we always suggest that you prefer a walk...
Cortina is a fairly small town, and is relatively livable even without using a car. When possible, we suggest you walk.
If, on the other hand, you absolutely have to move your car, for example if you have to go buy something heavy, or you have mobility problems, always try to insist on finding a parking space close to home, which allows you to avoid going all the way around the ring road to get home.
The problem is that Cortina is surrounded by a one-way loop road that goes around the center of the town. When traffic is high, if you park in the wrong place, you risk having to unnecessarily drive an entire loop around Cortina in the middle of traffic at walking pace.
... if it's snowing, avoid secondary roads...
There are side streets that can help in some cases, but we can't consider all the possibilities in this article. In case of heavy congestion, if you don't know the roads well, Google Maps can do wonders by directing you to those lesser-known detours. Be careful though: if it's snowing or has just snowed, avoid secondary roads, when possible.
... try to avoid peak times...
As for the best times to move your car in peak season, it's absolutely inadvisable to take the car in moments such as late morning, when the ski slopes close in winter, or in the cocktail hour in summer. In these cases the best thing to do is to play smart, leaving early in the morning, before everyone else, trying to get back a little earlier, or stopping for a drink, rather than go back in town when everyone else is doing the same. Try to do the opposite of the mass, or anticipate it.
A good alternative to the use of the car is also the city bus, click here for the website, unfortunately in Italian. It is effective and well managed. During peak season may be subject to minor or major delays due to traffic in peak hours.
Map of every parking lot
To make it easier to find the ideal parking spot for your location, we have created a map of all the parking lots in Cortina, that you can see by clicking here.
We suggest you consult it while you read the article, in order to have a better overview of the size and position of all available parking spaces in Cortina.
Free parking
Let's see now all the free parking spaces in the central area of Cortina, which are about 440. Let's start from the Church of the "Difesa", with a 90 minutes parking disc, is definitely the best to easily reach the center.
The road that connects the center to the parking lot of the Church of the "Difesa" is called Via Difesa and it's also sided by some free parking spaces, but it is a one-way street, so you'll have to reach it from the ring road, where it crosses Jacheto street.
At the left of the crossroad there is also a tiny Parking with three places, really hard to find free. If you look carefully, behind the house in front of you, there are also few parkings, but they have to be reached from the one way road called Via San Francesco that has a really, really tight entrance on the opposite side.
Alternatively, continuing on the same road, you can find the parking "Via del Parco" with 60 free parking spaces where to park without any restriction.
If you come from the north of the town we recommend first try the parking of the Ice Stadium, thanks to the 120 minute parking disc that leaves you a lot of time without risking to get a ticket. The stated capacity would be 46 seats, but I think I've seen at least twice as many cars parked there.
If none of the above solutions were available, or if you are coming down from the ski slopes of Socrepes, Cinque Torri or Tofana, you need to go first to the parking lot of the "Lungo Boite", which offers 96 free parking spaces. It has a little less tourist passage, so it could give you a few more chances to find a free parking space. Currently the parking lot is, for the most part, closed due to a large construction site.
During periods when schools are closed you can also park in the parking of elementary schools, be careful though because, if the schools are opened, there is a parking bar that gets closed, with the risk of getting stuck inside the parking lot and getting a ticket. To be 100% sure, the best thing to do is to avoid leaving the car in the night, using it only as a temporary parking space.
To conclude the free parking there are three other places you could try. The first is in front of the Cortina Bus Station Bar, with a few parking spaces, but in a good position.
The second one is the small parking lot in front of the Funivia Faloria and the third is the "bonus", the least known, which is located on a meadow behind the bus station. It is ideal in summer, a little less in winter, because it becomes more targeted due to its proximity to the cable car. Attention only in case the weather conditions make possible the formation of mud, because it's a meadow, without gravel and without asphalt.
Paying parking lots
Let's start with the paid parking lots, which are closer to the town center, allowing you easily reach Corso Italia, the pedestrian street in the center of Cortina.
The most central parking, the handier and undoubtedly the most expensive is the Parking "Largo delle Poste". It's located in a central position and it has about 66 parking spaces that costs approx €3 per hour, needless to say it's often full.
The second most strategic parking is the "Former Market Square", with about 60 car places and an hourly cost of approx €2 per hour, it's very handy because it's close to the Basilica and Corso Italia.
If you have to find something further away, we recommend you try the Bus Station Square, it's very large and close to the center. It is divided into two different areas, that of "Faloria" cable car, with 122 parking spaces, and that of "Piazzale Marconi", with 135 car places. Both cost 2€ per hour approx.
If you are coming in the town from the south, the direction of Zuel or San Vito di Cadore, there is a parking lot parallel to the "Via Roma" which is very strategic. Since you'll probably drive past it, if you find a spot, take it. "Via Roma" is the road that leads from the traffic circle at the beginning of Cortina to the supermarket Conad City. It costs approx 1€ per hour for about 30 parking spaces. It's difficult to find a free place, but you never know.
Another very central option is the parking in "Piazza Pittori F.lli Ghedina". It is as handy as small, it has only 11 car places with a 15 minute parking disc, it's almost always full.
The same characteristics and problems apply to the parking in "Piazzetta San Francesco", with 6 parking spaces at a parking disc of 15 minutes it's almost impossible to find them free, even in mid-November. Anyway, when you drive by, always check, you might be lucky.
To conclude this list of the paid parking lots in Cortina, you also have to try with the parking in "Via dei Campi". It is not very central, but it's big and it allows you to reach the bell tower in less than 10 minutes. It's also only 5 minutes away from the "Cooperativa" and the "Conad City", the two main supermarkets of the center.
Multi Storey parking lots
If you are looking for a public indoor parking, perhaps with the possibility of leaving the vehicle stationary for several days, today the only solution is given by the Pontechiesa multi-storey car park.
It offers a total of 200 parking spaces and a rate of approx €2 per hour, with discount for long stays. It's also possible to purchase subscriptions for both the uncovered floor and the underground. For any additional information, you can refer to the official website of the parking lot "Pontechiesa".
There are also two private car parks, created for those looking to buy their own parking space or for very long periods.
First, the Farsetti multi-storey car park, a covered parking lot, very central because of its vicinity to the Parish Church, accessible from "via del Parco".
The second is the Dolomiti parking lot, an open forecourt located near the Bellevue hotel, below the Antonio Cantore park.
Since these are private structures, designed for those who need their own parking and long term parking, we are unable to provide more information. We recommend that you contact the facility if you are interested.
A curiosity: the Farsetti Parking Lot received the award as the best reinforced concrete work for the year 2021 from the A.I.C.A.P. (Italian Association of Reinforced and Prestressed Concrete).
Some considerations
There are a couple more things to say before concluding, and it has to be read in a slightly polemical tone, because it seems that the lack of parking spaces is never seriously considered, even though it is one of the prime causes of stress and traffic in the peak season.
It is not uncommon for Cortina's parking lots to be occupied by some activity, such as when the market takes place at the bus station, or in the case of any event, as well as during construction sites, when the public parking lots become vehicle storage.
Many times, if it snows, parking lots are not always cleaned to perfection, especially free ones, such as the one at the stadium, that remain often mostly unusable for some days. Those who abandon their cars submerged in snow should also be blamed, because they make it difficult to proceed with the cleaning of the parking lot. The fact that these are free parking lots, also, certainly does not make them a priority when snow removal is scheduled.
Motorhomes, in summer, occupy several parking spaces, sometimes for many days. They hide behind the excuse that they also have the right to park, but in reality they occupy, generally, far more than a single parking space each. This selfish behavior creates various inconveniences and, in some cases, also degradation.
In short, as already mentioned, parking in Cortina could get really frustrating, try to move around on foot when possible.
If, after parking your car, you want to find out more about Cortina d'Ampezzo and the famous Corso Italia, you should read the dedicated page:
Conclusion
We hope you liked this page on all the parking lots in Cortina d'Ampezzo are their locations. Before saying goodbye, we would suggest you read our home page, with all the articles we wrote about Cortina d'Ampezzo.
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