Two zones, two different logics
The centre of Milan is protected by two schemes with similar names that do entirely different things. Mixing them up costs either money or a fine.
Area C is a paid limited-traffic zone. The official city page, updated on 22 June 2026, states that it is active all year from Monday to Friday, 7.30 am to 7.30 pm, public holidays excluded. The ticket is daily, at 7.50 €, and covers every entry from the first access until 7.30 pm that day. On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays nothing is due.
Area B costs nothing. It bans. Same days, same hours, but its purpose is to exclude engines: the official calendar lists Euro 5 diesel passenger transport cars among the restrictions already in force. No ticket buys past that ban, and Area B covers most of the city’s territory, bounded by 186 entry gates. You do not drive around it.
One warning, because it circulates widely: several Italian sites announce that Area C was extended to Saturdays and Sundays in January 2026. The official page says exactly the opposite. When in doubt, the official page wins.
The exemption does not follow from the trade
Private hire vehicles with up to nine seats are exempt from the Area C ticket. The official wording adds a condition that many people skip: provided the plate is registered for limited-traffic zones and reserved lanes.
The exemption is therefore attached to an administrative registration, not to the trade itself. Without it, the 7.50 € is due. When it is due, it appears on the quote before departure, alongside the tolls. Nothing is added on the way back.
A border that is being checked again
France has notified the European Commission of the temporary reintroduction of control at all its internal borders — land, air and sea — including the Italian one, for the period from 1 May to 31 October 2026.
In practice, an identity check is legally possible at the crossing. That changes one simple thing in preparing a long run: each passenger keeps their identity document on them, not at the bottom of a case in the boot. One minute of organisation the night before against a quarter of an hour lost on the road.