Venice charge tourists: Popular holiday destination begins charging holidaymakers for entry - price of charge, who has to pay and how to buy a ticket

A popular holiday destination in Italy has launched its new pilot scheme today where it will charge day visitors a five euro fee. The scheme will initially be tested across 29 days from today (Thursday 25 April) until July in Venice.

After Sunday 14 July, the charge will be reportedly lifted. Day trippers visiting Venice between 8.30am and 4pm will be required to pay the fee, which equates to £4.28. Visitors can either download a QR code, while a kiosk has been set up for those not equipped with a smartphone.

Signs advising arriving visitors of the new requirement have been erected outside the main train station and other points of arrival. Some 200 stewards have been trained to politely walk anyone unaware of the five euro fee through the process of downloading a QR code.

Once past designated entry ports, officials will carry out random checks for QR codes that show the day-tripper tax has been paid or that the bearer is exempt. Transgressors face fines of 50-300 euros (£53-£257).

Venice has long suffered under the pressure of over-tourism. According to Simone Venturini, the city’s councillor for tourism, Venice “affixed itself” to mass tourism in the 1960s and since then visitor numbers have surged to the point that during the busiest periods of the year it attracts an average of 40,000 people a day. The final push to enact the measure came after Unesco threatened last year to put Venice on its list of heritage sites in danger, citing mass tourism as one of the factors.

How much is the charge and who has to pay?

The “Venice access fee” costs €5 (£4.30). Only day trippers have to pay. Residents, commuters, students and children under 14 are exempt, as are tourists who stay overnight. 

How do I buy a ticket?

The tickets are bookable online and apply on 29 peak dates between 25 April and 14 July. You will be provided with a QR code on your phone – keep it as this is the proof that you have paid the fee.

Where does the charge apply?

The charge applies only to those entering the historic centre of Venice between 8.30am and 4pm on any of the peak dates. That includes the Rialto Bridge, St Mark’s Square, La Fenice opera house and many other top-drawer tourist attractions, as well as quieter neighbourhoods such as the island of Giudecca.