Hotel Stendhal

The hotel lists three room types on its own site: a single with a French (small double) bed, a standard double and a deluxe double. Standard rooms have a king-size bed, air conditioning, a safe, a desk, a smart TV, a minibar and free Wi-Fi. Floors are carpet or parquet, depending on the room. The deluxe adds bathrobes, slippers and an espresso machine with a kettle.

Breakfast is where the price creeps up. On both dates checked, the cheapest rates excluded it and Booking.com listed it at €15 per person. For two people that is €30 a morning. A cappuccino and a pastry at a bar on the centro storico's streets costs much less, so take the room-only rate unless a breakfast-included deal is priced within a few euros of it. On October 14 the breakfast-included non-refundable rate was €172, which is €21 more than room only.

Booking.com also showed a cheaper partner offer at €125 on October 14. It is sold by a third party, cannot be changed, and carried higher taxes and charges (€12 to €13 against €8). Read the conditions before you take it.

Via Bodoni is inside ZTL 1, Parma's limited traffic zone, under the city's 2024 traffic ordinance. The hotel says its guests may enter freely for check-in and check-out. Under the ordinance, hotel guests are allowed in only to load and unload luggage, and the hotel must register the vehicle with Infomobility, the city's traffic company. Give reception your plate number as soon as you arrive.

Parking on the surrounding streets is for residents only, the hotel warns. You have two choices:

• The hotel garage, next to the building, at €20 a day. It must be booked, and it is also where the electric-car chargers are.
• Parcheggio Toschi, a covered public car park on Viale Toschi, at €2.40 an hour or €16 a day, according to the hotel. It is about a 5-minute walk.

If you would rather not drive into the zone at all, read our ZTL and parking guide first. The access cameras run from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. every day.

Times below are from OpenStreetMap walking routes at an unhurried pace.

That makes the Stendhal a good base for the historic centre loop and for an evening at the opera, when you want to walk back rather than hunt for a taxi.

It suits couples on a two- or three-night stay who want the Pilotta, the Duomo and the station all within 8 minutes, and drivers who are happy to pay €20 a day for a garage they do not have to search for.

Look elsewhere if you want a pool, a garden or a restaurant you would choose for dinner. For those, compare Starhotels Du Parc by the Parco Ducale. If you want the cheapest central bed, Hotel Button was €33 less on October 14.