Venice has confirmed it will be bringing back its controversial entry fee for visitors next summer.
In 2026, the number of days that the levy will be in place for has been extended to 60, compared to 54 in 2025.
The fee will be applicable on certain dates – mainly weekends – between 3 April until 26 July.
Entry costs €5 (£4.30) if bought in advance, although if day trippers leave the payment until three days before, the fee increases to €10 (£8.70).
Famed for its network of canals and Gothic architecture, the Unesco World Heritage city typically attracts around 30 million tourists per year – although seven in 10 only stay for the day.
The city has struggled to accommodate such large volumes of visitors and officials wary of “irreversible damage” to its historic centre. It is the first in the world to charge for day tripper admission.
The fee can be paid on the Venezia Unica website, at Venice-Santa Lucia station or in tobacconists. Once paid, visitors are given a QR code that can be scanned at access points between 8.30am to 4pm.
Workers, residents, those with disabilities, those visiting residents and tourists who are staying overnight in Venice are exempt from the fee.
People who fall into those categories still need to request exemption on the days that the access fee is being enforced. Children under 14 years old do not have to pay or register to access the Old City.
The seasonal tourist tax was first trialled between April and July 2024, with a goal to regulate crowd flows on certain days, “allowing everyone to enjoy Venice with no rush”, the city’s council said.
It was in force for 29 days, during which time the city saw over 3.6 million daily reservations from 194 different countries.
The access fee was introduced by the council in order to “promote sustainable and conscious tourism as well as the adoption of good practices in tourism”.
Simone Venturini, deputy mayor for tourism for Venice, told The Independent in 2024 when the trial first commenced: “Day trippers can be, during some days of the year, overwhelming, and we are trying to keep the number of day trippers lower.”
“Venice is always here. They are always there. So they can pick another day to visit Venice.”
He said that the scheme is not designed to make money, but to act as a deterrent on peak days: “Our goal is to collect very, very low taxes because it means that we have less day trippers.”
“I think that humanity has one duty to preserve and safeguard Venice. If this system helps us to do that, I think that the system is good.”
The Independent has contacted the City of Venice for comment.
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