Status: 07/02/2022 02:02 a.m
In the high season Venice is choking on tourists and there is no shortage of visitors. So the city is acting now. If you only come to Venice for a day trip in the future, you will have to pay admission from January 16th.
Day tourists in Venice will have to buy tickets for their visit to the lagoon city from next year. With the rule that will apply from January 16th, the flow of guests in Venice and on the surrounding islands should be regulated, especially at peak visiting times, said tourism assessor Simone Venturini.
Anyone not staying overnight in Venice must register online for the planned date of their stay. The fee is between three and ten euros. The amount depends on how far in advance you book and whether it is high season. If you book earlier, you pay less. With a QR code, for example, tourists can then show their ticket. Exceptions are children under the age of six, people with disabilities, local residents and those born in Venice.
Fine of up to 300 euros
If you don’t follow the rules, you can expect a fine of up to 300 euros. The regulations serve to better deal with the number of tourists in Venice. The number of visitors is often well above the population of just over 50,000. Because of the number of people, narrow streets are clogged and the pedestrian bridges over the waterways in the lagoon city are crowded.
Locals in particular criticize the mass tourism with overcrowded streets and sights. Before the corona pandemic, more than 100,000 visitors came to the city every day.
No limit on the number of tourists
Venturini made it clear that the regulation should not limit the number of day tourists. But there should be a balance between residents and visitors, he said at a press conference on Friday. City representative Michele Zuin added that the new ticket system helps the municipality to better plan the utilization of the means of transport and cultural sites.
Venice already monitors the flow of visitors with the so-called Control Room. Surveillance cameras and people counting devices on bridges and canals as well as the anonymous evaluation of mobile phones in the radio cells give the city a picture of how busy it is.
About four fifths are day tourists
About four fifths of all tourists in Venice are only in the city for a one-day trip. In 2019, there were around 19 million throughout the year. Cruise ship guests disembarking in Venice also have to pay the entrance fee. It is only waived if your cruise line pays a set fee to Venice. Hotel guests already pay an accommodation tax, so they don’t have to pay the new fee.
Venice wants to experiment with the system until January. From September, the prices for museums and vaporetti, quasi the regular buses on the water, will also increase – unless you book online.