One hour on the road, and a border checked again
Sixty kilometres, fifty-five minutes: on a map it is one more coastal transfer. The difference is administrative. France has notified a reinstatement of checks at its internal borders, including the land border with Italy, from 1 May to 31 October 2026.
That does not make the trip complicated. It makes it something to prepare: every passenger must be able to show a valid identity document, children included. A check adds a few minutes, rarely more, but it turns a traveller without papers into an unsolvable problem at the roadside.
We would rather write that plainly than advertise a crossing with no formalities. The end date of the measure is public: beyond 31 October 2026 it has to be renewed to stay true.
On Fridays, Ventimiglia changes the run
The commune of Ventimiglia publishes the fact itself: its market is held every Friday, from 07:00, on the seafront. It is the commercial fixture of the whole border area, and it is also the day when the coast road and the immediate approaches to the town load up most.
A client who wants to stop there is therefore not on the same job as one carrying on to Sanremo. In the first case the drop-off is set back from the market and the return time is fixed before midday. In the second, staying on the motorway beats dropping down to the seafront.
The commune’s official page says nothing about street closures or car parks. So we invent none, and we stick to the day and the opening hour.
How far the car goes into the centre
Sanremo operates a limited traffic zone controlled by electronic gates that read number plates. The local press names the streets involved: via Matteotti, piazza San Siro, piazza Bresca, with more recent cameras on via Debenedetti and at the via Gaudio junctions. The fine recorded is €83.
The Sanremo commune site does not answer automated requests, so we will publish neither an exhaustive list nor loading hours. The rule we apply is the only workable one: stop at the edge of the zone, walk the client in if the address is inside, and never cross a gate to save a hundred metres. An Italian penalty notice always finds its addressee.