The resolution to limit the number of day-trippers in Venice was approved by the City Council: Yes to the entrance fee in Venice for day visitors. Five euros for a day in the Serenissima. The trial of an access fee for day-trippers in Venice will begin in the spring of 2024.
The decision is symbolic: the entrance to the city of Venice will be charged and you will have to pay 5 euros to enter the lagoon city, which has become the epitome of overtourism at its own expense.
It is necessary to regulate the flow of tourists at certain times, but this does not mean closing the city. Venice will always be open to all
Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said.
On September 5, 2023, the City Council gave the green light to the final text of the resolution on the “Ordinance establishing and regulating the entrance fee, with or without porters, to the ancient city of the municipality of Venice and the other smaller islands in the lagoon”. The measure will now go before the City Council for approval on September 12.
The resolution, according to the City Council, establishes the guidelines for the implementation of a new system to manage tourist flows based on an entrance fee in Venice, with the definition of general principles, exceptions, exemptions, controls and sanctions through a multichannel and multilingual platform that will be made available shortly.
The goal is to curb daytime tourism in Venice at certain times. The trial for 2024 will last about 30 days, to be determined by the junta in the coming weeks, focusing on spring bridges and summer weekends.
Authorities will spread the days subject to the entrance fee in Venice throughout the year rather than over a calendar month, selecting days when traffic is expected to be heaviest, such as holiday weekends and carnival periods. In a statement, the city council said that “the goal is to curb daytime tourism during certain periods.” The dates on which the entrance fee in Venice will be charged will be determined in a forthcoming resolution.
The measure will be tested on an experimental basis, said the mayor of the city, Luigi Brugnaro, who is facing the problem. The municipality will draw up a calendar of days when reservations must be made to visit the city and day visitors who do not stay overnight in the lagoon city must pay an entrance fee in Venice.
Targeted are the extended weekends in spring and the particularly busy weekends in June and July. The number of visitors is not to be limited. On average, 10,000 tourists a day crowd into the historic center of the lagoon….
So that you are well prepared for Venice, you can find here my personal packing list for the lagoon city, with everything that should not be missing in your luggage.
This step falls short of what was proposed in the past. Since 2019, the municipality had been discussing a “contributo di accesso” (entrance fee) for all day-trippers, which would be charged throughout the year and ranged from 3 euros to 10 euros. The amount of the entrance fee in Venice was reduced from 10 euros to 5 euros during the discussions.
As early as 1987, UNESCO warned of the need for “more sustainable tourism management” locally when the city was added to the World Heritage List as an “exceptional architectural masterpiece.”
In late July 2023, the United Nations cultural agency warned of the risk of “irreversible” damage that could result from the combination of the climate change and mass tourism. At its next meeting in early fall in Saudi Arabia, UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee will consider a recommendation to add Venice to the list of World Heritage Sites in Danger.
The entrance fee in Venice is the most recent attempt to avert this danger and preserve the city for future generations, on the one hand, but also for its current inhabitants.
The best places to stay to avoid paying an entrance fee in Venice
B&B Bloom
Elegance and refinement are just two of the elements that distinguish this bed & breakfast: You will be satisfied because B&B Bloom is a warm and cozy accommodation. Modernity blends with the classic Venetian style to create a charming decor. And don’t forget to take advantage of the terrace with panoramic view of the Serenissima, which is the unique selling point of the Bloom Bed & Breakfast!
Antica Locanda Sturion ***
On the top floor of an ancient Venetian palace stands one of the rare 3-star hotels, one of the oldest in Venice. The interior is very charming, with the typical Venetian red furniture and damasks that recall bygone times of rich spice merchants and ambassadors from all over the world. The sign of the Locanda even appears in a famous painting by Vittore Carpaccio, “One of the Miracles of the Cross” of 1494, exhibited in the Gallerie dell’Accademia.
Here you will find an overview of the best hotels Venice has to offer:
Who must reserve and pay entrance fee in Venice
The entrance fee must be paid by all persons over 14 years old who enter the ancient city of the Municipality of Venice, unless they fall under the categories of exceptions and exemptions.
We are aware of the urgency of finding a new balance between the rights of those who live, study or work in Venice and those who visit the city. Therefore, at certain times and on certain days, an innovative management of traffic flows is needed, capable of putting an end to everyday tourism. This is certainly not a measure to raise money.
According to the councilor Simone Venturini
Penalties
Tourists visiting Venice for a day must first check their date of visit, then register online and, if the day of visit falls on one of the days subject to entrance fees in Venice, pay if necessary. In return, they will receive the QR code, which they must show to the inspectors. Violators can be fined between 50 and 300 euros.
Exceptions
The Municipality of Venice stipulates that the following categories of people do not have to book or pay online:
- Children under 14 years,
- Residents of the municipality of Venice,
- workers (employed or self-employed), including commuters
- Students of all levels and classes attending schools or universities in the historic center or on the small islands of Venice.
And those who book online but do not have to pay an entrance fee in Venice:
- Tourists staying on the lagoon islands,
- residents of the Veneto region,
- people who need care,
- people who participate in sports competitions,
- police officers on duty,
- spouses, partners, parents or parents-in-law of persons residing in the areas of the lagoon to which the right of entry also applies.
Those who visit only the “smaller islands” of the lagoon are also exempt from the tax. This means that day tourists who, for example, only visit Burano or Murano – two islands that suffer from over-tourism – do not have to pay anything if they go there directly.
However, most visitors from outside the Veneto region drive through Venice to reach the islands and would therefore still have to pay in Venice.