All About the Access Fee for Venice: Here Are the Cases Where You Won't Have to Pay

Starting April 25, tourists wishing to visit the historic center of Venice will need to pay a fee of 5 euros. This fee will be applied to those visiting the city on holidays or weekends without staying overnight at a Venetian hotel. Those who are not residents of the Veneto region will have to register and pay the access fee.

Visitors who register will receive a QR code that they must show if requested. Fines for non-compliance can reach up to 300 euros. Those staying in hotels are also subject to a tourist tax, which varies according to the hotel's category. In total, this tax generates 36 million euros annually for the City of Venice.

Mayor Luigi Brugnaro has explained that the goal is not to limit the number of visitors or increase revenue, but to protect the city and make it more livable. Brugnaro hopes that this initiative will become a model for other cities around the world, helping to manage tourist flows in symbolic and delicate places. The revenue generated will be allocated to the maintenance and cleaning of the city, which has seen its population drop to fewer than 50,000 residents in 2022. Many Venetians fear that this measure will turn the city into an open-air museum, losing its identity and authenticity.

Matteo Secchi, president of the Venessia.com Association, criticizes the fee, arguing that it reinforces the perception of Venice as a theme park and does not address the problem of mass tourism. Instead, he proposes limiting the number of tourists to a manageable figure for residents. A study from Ca' Foscari University suggests that one tourist per resident would be ideal, considering that Venice receives around 30 million visitors annually.

The Councilor for Finance, Michele Zuin, mentions that 2024 will be a year of experimentation to calibrate procedures and controls. In 2025, a threshold could be established based on the data collected, with a fee adjusted according to demand.

Venice has implemented this measure as part of a broader strategy to protect its heritage, in response to UNESCO's threats to place the city on its blacklist if urgent measures were not taken. Venice is the first city to charge an entrance fee to access its historic center.