Where to park for the Gaeta Christmas lights: car parks, ZTL, coaches and campervans (2026-2027)

Updated on 25 October 2026. The 2026-2027 Gaeta Christmas lights, Favole di Luce, switch on on 7 November 2026 and stay until 10 January 2027. Here you will find where to leave your car, which car parks are closed, the ZTL, coaches and campervans. Dates, programme and news are on the main guide: Gaeta Christmas lights 2026-2027 →

In short: where to park for the Christmas lights

• The recommended car park is Ex Vetreria Avir car park, about 350 m from Piazza XIX Maggio: from here you can walk both to the centre and to the seafront.
• If you arrive early, especially at weekends: the two car parks in Medieval Gaeta, Piazzale Giovanni Caboto, which you can reach even when the ZTL is active, and Gaeta Medievale car park in Piazzale 5 Febbraio, open 24 hours a day. They are next to the food stalls and fill up early.
• Closed from 7 November 2026 to 10 January 2027, for the whole of the Christmas lights: the car parks in Piazza della Libertà, where the Christmas market is, and in Piazza XIX Maggio.
• How much it costs: on Blu Gaeta blue-line bays €2.00 an hour and €15.00 for 24 hours (rates checked on 21 September 2026). Private car parks have their own prices.
• When to arrive: at weekends the heaviest traffic is between 17:00 and 18:30, when the lights come on. Better to arrive in the early afternoon, or after 20:30.
• Shuttle bus and extra parking for 2026-2027: not announced yet. In 2025-2026 the shuttle ran at weekends.

Christmas market and food stalls

The Christmas market is in Piazza della Libertà; the food stalls are on Lungomare Caboto, near Porta Carlo III, towards Medieval Gaeta. The stalls are already being set up and should open with the switch-on on 7 November. For the market the most convenient car park is Ex Vetreria Avir; for the food stalls, the two car parks in Medieval Gaeta, if you arrive early.

The car parks for the Christmas lights, one by one

The light trail runs through the centre, from Piazza XIX Maggio and the seafront to Medieval Gaeta. Distances are as the crow flies; on foot it is a little more.

The recommended car park

• Ex Vetreria Avir car park: blue-line bays, €2.00 an hour and €15.00 a day, about 350 m from Piazza XIX Maggio. The best choice on weekends and holidays during the lights: from here you can walk to the Christmas market, the centre and the seafront.

Medieval Gaeta side, if you arrive early

• Piazzale Giovanni Caboto car park: blue-line bays, €2.00 an hour and €15.00 a day, about 200 m from the Cathedral. It is before the ZTL gate, so you can reach it even when the ZTL is active.
• Gaeta Medievale car park (Piazzale 5 Febbraio): blue-line bays, €2.00 an hour and €15.00 a day, on Lungomare Caboto about 300 m from the Temple of San Francesco. Open 24 hours a day.

They are the closest to the food stalls at Porta Carlo III and to the installations in Medieval Gaeta: on Saturdays and Sundays they fill up early, so it is worth arriving in the early afternoon.

Other car parks

• Quick car park: private, 250 spaces, €2.00 an hour or part of an hour and €15.00 a day, about 400 m from Piazza XIX Maggio. Open and video-monitored 24 hours a day.
• Via del Piano car park: white-line bays with a parking disc, about 650 m from Piazza XIX Maggio. Check the sign for maximum stay and hours.
• Villa delle Sirene car park: blue-line bays, €2.00 an hour and €15.00 for 24 hours, about 750 m from Piazza XIX Maggio. On Christmas-lights days part of the area may be reserved for coaches and little tourist trains.
• Lungomare Caboto and Via Buonomo car park: blue-line bays, same rates, about 1.1 km from Piazza XIX Maggio.

Closed during the Christmas lights (7 November – 10 January)

• Piazza della Libertà car park: closed from 7 November 2026 to 10 January 2027: the Christmas market is in the square.
• Piazza XIX Maggio car park: closed from 7 November 2026 to 10 January 2027.

All the car parks in Gaeta, with a map and the blue-line rules, are in the Gaeta parking guide.

Medieval Gaeta ZTL

Medieval Gaeta has a limited traffic zone (ZTL) with electronic gates: driving in without a permit when it is active means an automatic fine. Via Annunziata is closed with a camera every evening from 19:00 to 5:00. For the Christmas lights leave your car outside, at Piazzale Caboto or in Piazzale 5 Febbraio, and continue on foot. If in doubt, ask Enea whether the gates are active at that moment. All the rules are in the Medieval Gaeta ZTL guide.

Coaches, campervans and visitors with disabilities

These are the Pro Loco di Gaeta instructions for the most recent editions of the Christmas lights. The 2026-2027 plan has not been published yet: check the official Christmas lights website before you set off.

• Coaches: free circulation until 15:30. After that the traffic plan starts: coaches go as far as Villa delle Sirene, where passengers get off and back on, and do not enter the event area. Parking in the dedicated areas is free for those who book with the form on the official Christmas lights website.
• Campervans: Spaltoni area, in Via Munazio Planco at the foot of Monte Orlando, about 200 m from Piazza XIX Maggio. The Pro Loco indicates €20 for 24 hours during the lights, with no services (no water or electricity) and parking only, no camping. Run by the Blu Gaeta cooperative.
• Visitors with disabilities: free parking in the Base Nautica «Flavio Gioia» area, while spaces last, with a valid European disabled badge.
• Free parking: the Pro Loco mentions Piazzale «Salvatore Bisbiglia» in the Calegna area, further from the centre.

By bus and on foot

From Formia (railway station) and nearby towns there are Cotral buses: bus timetables to Gaeta (in Italian). Once in the centre, the Christmas lights are explored on foot: the route runs from Piazza XIX Maggio to Medieval Gaeta along the sea. When the 2026-2027 installations are up, the Christmas lights map takes you from one to the next with your phone’s GPS.

Info points and services

In the most recent editions the Pro Loco opened three info points: in Piazza XIX Maggio (every day 16:00-20:00, on Saturdays and holidays also 10:30-13:30), at Villa delle Sirene (days before holidays and holidays 16:00-20:00) and in Piazza della Libertà (days before holidays and holidays 15:00-21:00, every day from 22 December to 6 January). There were portable toilets at Villa delle Sirene and in Piazza XIX Maggio. Times and locations for 2026-2027 to be confirmed.

Before or after the lights: eating and sleeping

Besides the food stalls at Porta Carlo III, on Christmas-lights weekends restaurants fill up: book ahead, or do as the locals do and grab a slice of tiella to eat as you walk. Partner restaurants and places to stay that are open in winter, area by area and with the distance from the route, are in the guide to the Gaeta Christmas lights 2026-2027. If you sleep in Gaeta, you park once and see everything on foot.

Frequently asked questions

Where to park for the Gaeta Christmas lights?

The recommended car park is Ex Vetreria Avir. If you arrive early, especially at weekends, there are also the two car parks in Medieval Gaeta: Piazzale Giovanni Caboto, reachable even when the ZTL is active, and Piazzale 5 Febbraio.

Are the Piazza della Libertà and Piazza XIX Maggio car parks open?

No: they are closed from 7 November 2026 to 10 January 2027, for the whole of the Christmas lights. The Christmas market is in Piazza della Libertà.

Where are the Christmas market and the food stalls?

The Christmas market is in Piazza della Libertà, the food stalls on Lungomare Caboto, near Porta Carlo III, towards Medieval Gaeta. They are already being set up and should open with the switch-on on 7 November.

How much does parking cost in Gaeta for the Christmas lights?

On Blu Gaeta blue-line bays €2.00 an hour and €15.00 for 24 hours (rates checked on 21 September 2026). The private Quick car park costs €2.00 an hour or part of an hour and €15.00 a day. The Pro Loco mentions Piazzale «Salvatore Bisbiglia» in the Calegna area as free.

Is there a shuttle bus for the Gaeta Christmas lights?

It has not been announced for 2026-2027 yet. In 2025-2026 the shuttle ran at weekends.

Where do coaches park?

In the most recent editions coaches could circulate freely until 15:30; after that they went as far as Villa delle Sirene to drop off and pick up passengers. Parking in the dedicated areas was free with a booking on the official Christmas lights website.

Where can campervans park?

At the Spaltoni area, in Via Munazio Planco at the foot of Monte Orlando: parking only, no water or electricity. During the lights the Pro Loco indicates €20 for 24 hours.

What time is best to arrive?

In the early afternoon, before the lights come on, especially if you want to park in Medieval Gaeta. At weekends the heaviest traffic is between 17:00 and 18:30; after 20:30 it is usually easier to get in.

Can I drive into Medieval Gaeta?

Only with a permit while the ZTL is active: the gates are monitored by cameras and Via Annunziata is closed every evening from 19:00 to 5:00. Better to park at Piazzale Caboto or in Piazzale 5 Febbraio.

Sources

Closed car parks, Christmas market and food stalls: information gathered by ScopriGaeta on site (25 October 2026). Blue-line rates: Blu Gaeta (checked on 21 September 2026). Coaches, campervans, visitors with disabilities, free parking and info points: Pro Loco di Gaeta instructions on the official Christmas lights website, valid for the most recent editions. Car parks, distances and notes: ScopriGaeta car park pages.