Any timeAsk EneaThe Scopri Gaeta guide answers even at night.
In short: this weekend the centre of Gaeta will be packed. On Friday 6, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November half of the Ex Vetreria Avir car park is taken up by the Pizza & Birra Fest village, and on Saturday 7 at 16:00 the Christmas lights are switched on in Piazza XIX Maggio. From 7 November the Piazza XIX Maggio and Piazza della Libertà car parks are closed for the whole Favole di Luce season. It is an even trickier weekend than usual: driving around the centre looking for a space can leave you stuck in traffic for a long time. Our advice, if you can walk for a quarter of an hour: park in Serapo, on the blue-line bays along the whole beach road, and walk to the Pizza Fest and the lights. If you come from Formia and do not want to cross the town, the alternative is Lungomare Caboto, with the free car park in Calegna.
Why parking will be hard this weekend
- Piazzale Avir, the car park recommended by the Christmas lights programme, has about half its spaces on Friday, Saturday and Sunday: the rest is taken by the Pizza & Birra Fest village.
- Piazza XIX Maggio and Piazza della Libertà are closed to cars from 7 November to 10 January: the switch-on starts from the first, and the Christmas market is in the second.
- On Saturday 7 at 16:00 the opening show «Caieta: Corpi di luce» starts from Piazza XIX Maggio, followed by the parade at 18:15 and the San Francesco fountain show with fireworks at 18:30: the centre will be very crowded.
- From 15:30 the local police traffic plan for the lights comes into force: coaches do not enter the event area and drop passengers off at Villa delle Sirene.
Where to leave the car
The best option: Serapo, a quarter of an hour on foot
There is no dedicated car park in Serapo: there are the usual blue-line bays along the whole beach road, Via Marina di Serapo, and the nearby streets, at Blu Gaeta rates (€2 an hour, €15 for 24 hours). It is away from the traffic of the centre: from there the Pizza Fest village is about ten minutes on foot and Piazza XIX Maggio about a quarter of an hour, with no traffic jams or circling around. If you come along the Via Flacca (Sperlonga, Terracina) you pass it before reaching the centre. All the details are on the Serapo parking page.
In the same area, if you prefer a staffed car park or a parking-disc bay:
- Quick car park, private, next to the Pizza Fest area: 250 spaces, open and video-monitored 24 hours a day, €2 an hour or part of an hour and €15 a day. It is the closest to the festival, so it fills up early.
- Via del Piano: white-line bays with a parking disc, about 650 m from Piazza XIX Maggio. Check the sign for maximum stay and hours.
Coming from Formia: on Lungomare Caboto
Driving into Gaeta from Formia, Lungomare Caboto is the first thing you reach: if you do not want to cross the town to get to Serapo, stop here.
- Piazzale Salvatore Bisbiglia, in the Calegna area: the free car park listed on the official Christmas lights website. From here Piazza XIX Maggio is about 1.4 km, 20–25 minutes on foot along the seafront. Open in Google Maps
- Lungomare Caboto and Via Buonomo car park: blue-line bays, €2 an hour and €15 for 24 hours, about 1.1 km from Piazza XIX Maggio, a quarter of an hour on foot.
On Saturday afternoon avoid Villa delle Sirene: from 15:30 coaches drop off their passengers there, and part of the area may be reserved for coaches and little trains.
If you arrive early, before 14:30
Towards Medieval Gaeta there are Piazzale Giovanni Caboto, before the ZTL gate, and Piazzale 5 Febbraio, open 24 hours: they are next to the Christmas lights food stalls and fill up first. Piazzale Avir keeps its blue-line bays, but with half the spaces. You cannot drive into Medieval Gaeta without a permit while the ZTL is active. The closest to where the lights start is the Spaltoni car park, at the foot of Monte Orlando about 200 m from Piazza XIX Maggio: it has blue-line bays for cars too, but it is the first to fill up.
When to arrive and when to leave
- Saturday 7: arrive by 14:30–15:00 if you want to see the 16:00 switch-on without rushing.
- On Christmas-lights weekends traffic is heaviest between 17:00 and 18:30; after 20:30 it is usually easier to get in.
- In the evening, after the fountain and the fireworks, many people go on to the Pizza Fest for dinner: with the car on Lungomare Caboto or in Serapo you avoid the queue to get out of the centre.
Without a car: train, bus and little trains
By train you arrive at Formia-Gaeta station and continue by Cotral bus or taxi: bus timetables to Gaeta. In town everything is on foot; the little light trains run along the route, on Saturday from 15:00 to 23:00 and on Sunday from 15:00 to 22:00, stopping in Piazza XIX Maggio, on Lungomare Caboto and in Medieval Gaeta. No shuttle from the car parks has been announced.
Campervans, coaches and visitors with disabilities
- Campervans: Spaltoni area, Via Munazio Planco at the foot of Monte Orlando, €20 for 24 hours, no services; the same area has blue-line bays for cars.
- Coaches: «S. D’Acquisto» port area, free parking with booking on the official Christmas lights website.
- Visitors with disabilities: free parking at the «Flavio Gioia» Base Nautica with a European blue badge, while spaces last.
All the car parks for the season, with rates and distances, are in the guide to parking for the Gaeta Christmas lights.
The weekend at a glance
- Friday 6, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8: Pizza & Birra Fest at the former Avir glassworks, free entry. Times and guests for the new evenings have not been announced yet.
- Saturday 7, 16:00: Favole di Luce opening from Piazza XIX Maggio to Piazza della Libertà; parade at 18:15, San Francesco fountain with fireworks at 18:30.
- Sunday 8: street artists on Corso Cavour from 17:00, the fountain at 18:30 and the first live event in Piazza XIX Maggio at 19:00.
The day-by-day programme is in what to do in Gaeta this weekend: 6–8 November; the 26 installations are on the Christmas lights map and the whole season in the guide to the Gaeta Christmas lights 2026-2027.
Frequently asked questions
Where to park in Gaeta for the Christmas lights this weekend?
In Serapo, on the blue-line bays along the whole beach road, if you can walk for a quarter of an hour: you leave the car away from the traffic in the centre and reach the Pizza Fest in about ten minutes and Piazza XIX Maggio in about fifteen. If you come from Formia, the alternative is Lungomare Caboto, with the free car park in Calegna.
Is the Avir car park open on 6, 7 and 8 November?
Yes, but part of it hosts the Pizza & Birra Fest village: there are about half the usual spaces. It is better to leave the car in Serapo and walk in.
Where can I park for free for the Gaeta Christmas lights?
At Piazzale Salvatore Bisbiglia, in the Calegna area on Lungomare Caboto: it is the free car park listed on the official Christmas lights website. From there Piazza XIX Maggio is about 20–25 minutes on foot along the sea.
Are the Piazza XIX Maggio and Piazza della Libertà car parks open?
No: they are closed to cars from 7 November 2026 to 10 January 2027, for the whole of the Christmas lights. The Christmas market is in Piazza della Libertà.
What time should I arrive on Saturday 7 November?
By 14:30–15:00 if you want to see the 16:00 switch-on in Piazza XIX Maggio without rushing. On Christmas-lights weekends traffic is heaviest between 17:00 and 18:30.
Is there a shuttle from the car parks?
No shuttle from the car parks has been announced. The little light trains run along the route, on Saturday from 15:00 to 23:00 and on Sunday from 15:00 to 22:00.
Sources
Free parking at Piazzale Bisbiglia, traffic plan from 15:30, coaches, campervans and visitors with disabilities: official Christmas lights website, Dove parcheggiare and Info utili pages (checked on 5 November 2026). New Pizza & Birra Fest dates and the switch-on on Saturday 7 at 16:00: official notice from the organisers, 1 November 2026. Closed car parks, little trains and the weekend programme: official Favole di Luce 2026-2027 programme. Blue-line rates: Blu Gaeta (21 September 2026); Quick car park: operator’s website (21 September 2026). Spaces at Avir during the festival: information gathered by ScopriGaeta.
