Venice plans to introduce entry fees into the historic city center in 2024. Testing of the system will begin in April 2024 and will take place on days when the largest number of tourists tend to visit Venice.
The trial period for charging entrance fees will last 29 days. This is the period from April 25 to May 5, 2024 (daily), and then on Saturdays and Sundays in May (11 and 12, 18 and 19, 25 and 26 May), June (8 and 9, 15 and 16, 22 and 23, June 29 and 30) and July (July 6 and 7, 13 and 14). Entrance to Venice will be charged from 8:30 to 16:00.
How much does it cost to enter Venice?
The entrance fee to the historical center of Venice will be 5 euros (5.45 US dollars). All visitors over 14 years of age who plan to spend only one day in Venice and do not plan to stay overnight will have to pay an entrance fee. There are no plans to close the entrance to the city if there are too many tourists.
The authorities abandoned the idea of establishing an attendance threshold, above which entry into the city would be limited.
A special website (cda.ve.it) has been created to control the flow of tourists. All tourists must book a ticket in advance and pay the entrance fee and receive a QR code. The QR code will become a pass to enter the city. The presence of a QR code can be checked at any time and anywhere, so the QR code should always be with you. Violators of the rule may be punished with a fine from 50 to 300 euros.
The restrictions will not yet apply to the smaller islands of the lagoon, such as Murano, Burano, Lido and others.
Residents and people born in Venice, as well as students, workers and homeowners will be exempt from the fee.
Visitors under 14 will also need to register, but will have free access to Venice.
Tourists who stay overnight and pay a local accommodation tax are also exempt from paying entrance tax. But these tourists also need to register on the cda.ve.it portal and receive a QR code.
Why is this being done? It is reported that this was done not to generate additional income, but to regulate the number of tourists.
There really are a lot of tourists in Venice. It is no secret that local residents need tourists in order to be able to make money from tourists.
It can be assumed that the introduction of an entrance fee may force some tourists (the poorest of tourists) to refuse to visit Venice.
This can give a double advantage: there will be fewer tourists and only solvent tourists will remain. Richer tourists will feel more comfortable in Venice, they will buy more expensive goods and services. As a result, Venice's revenue will increase, while the number of tourists will decrease.
If the “experiment” is considered successful, then entry fees will be collected at other times. This could be the period of Christmas and New Year holidays, the days of the Venice Carnival, or the summer of next year. To increase the effect, it will be possible to increase the ticket price.
Will it be possible to visit Venice without paying an entrance fee?
Most likely, such a possibility will exist. You will need to look for information on the Venice tourism portal website.
Perhaps you should come to Venice not on days of mass arrival of tourists (spring, autumn, weekdays in summer), in days entry into the city will be free (perhaps).
Perhaps you should stay in Venice for two days and book a hotel room.
Companies that organize guided tours may offer some kind of discount to their clients.
Venice has long wanted to charge entry to the city for tourists. But Covid-19 prevented the implementation of these plans. Now the time has come.
That's the question I had! If residents of Venice's neighboring cities had to pay extra to visit Venice, would they be willing to make their cities subject to entry fees for Venetians? It seems wrong to me to create more obstacles to travel.
Tourists! Be ready to pay more, or don't come.