Entrance tickets to Lagoon City
What Venice visitors need to know
Venice is fighting against overtourism.
© 2015 Pani Garmyder/Shutterstock.com
In Venice, some tourists will soon have to pay an entrance fee. Who needs tickets, how much do they cost and when do visitors have to pay?
Fight against mass tourism: The city council of Venice has decided that visitors will soon have to pay a fee if they want to visit the lagoon city. According to media reports, Mayor Luigi Brugnaro (62) emphasized the need to “show the world that something is being done for Venice for the first time.” How much the ticket costs, who exactly Will tickets be needed and when will the new system come into force? Here is the information known so far:
Venice entrance ticket cost
Tourists should be able to book the access ticket to the city online; the fee will then be 5 euros per person aged 14 and over. The aim is apparently to limit and control the flow of tourists, as “Corriere Del Veneto” reported. The city also hopes to get as accurate an overview as possible of tourism.
Who has to pay?
The entry ticket for Venice is required for tourists aged 14 and over who are coming to the city for a few hours or a day. It doesn’t matter whether you travel by public transport or privately. Residents and tourists staying in a city hotel do not have to pay the fee. People who commute into the city for work are also exempt.
When do day tourists need an entry ticket?
According to Italian media reports, the city plans to begin introducing the ticket on a trial basis in the spring and summer weekends of 2024. First of all, it should be tried out on 30 days when the tourist crowds are particularly high, such as long weekends, they say.
Where do day tourists get the tickets?
Reservation and payment for the Venice ticket will be made via a portal that will be presented and launched in the coming weeks. Anyone who wants to travel to Venice as a day tourist must register and receive a QR code that can be shown in digital form during controls. There are reportedly fines of between 50 and 300 euros if day-trippers circumvent the system and get caught.
Are there any entry restrictions?
The city is reportedly not planning to limit the number of visitors. This has already been criticized – just like the price, few tourists are likely to be deterred by 5 euros. However, the entrance fee could be increased during periods when large numbers of visitors flock to Venice. There could also be phases with fewer day-trippers during which they register but do not have to pay.
What does the city do with the money?
The fee is “not a means of making money,” the city said in a statement, according to Italian media reports. Apart from the costs of operating the system, all income from entrance fees will be used to relieve the burden on the city’s residents. Cleaning work was included, for example.