Venice brings back day fee

Venice has brought back its day-tripper access fee for 60 peak days in 2026, starting Friday, April 3. (comune.venezia.it) The fee applies on 60 non-consecutive days from April 3 to July 26, 2026, and only during the busiest hours, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors need a QR code from the city’s portal to show during checks. (comune.venezia.it) Day visitors who book by the fourth day before arrival pay 5 euros. Anyone who pays in the last four days before entry pays 10 euros. (live.comune.venezia.it) The charge covers Venice’s historic center, not the whole lagoon, and the city said the smaller islands named in its regulation remain outside the scheme in 2026. Transit areas around Piazzale Roma, Santa Lucia station, the Maritime Station, San Basilio and Tronchetto are also carved out for people just passing through. (live.comune.venezia.it) (cda.veneziaunica.it) The measure is aimed at day-trippers, not overnight guests. The city says people staying in accommodation inside the municipality do not pay the access fee, because they already pay Venice’s tourist tax, but they still need to register for an exemption. (comune.venezia.it) Residents of Venice, workers, and students with schools or universities in the historic city or smaller lagoon islands are excluded from the payment. In 2026, residents of the Veneto region are also exempt, and children under 14 do not pay. (comune.venezia.it) (cda.veneziaunica.it) Venice first tested the fee in 2024 on 29 days. That pilot brought in more than 2.4 million euros from about 485,000 paying visitors, and city officials said they would extend the experiment. (citynews.ca) The city expanded the program in 2025 to 54 days. Euronews reported that 723,497 visitors paid the fee that year, generating 5,421,425 euros, with 51 percent booking early at 5 euros and 49 percent paying the 10-euro late rate. (euronews.com) Critics have argued the charge does not do much to deter crowds because 5 euros is too low for many tourists. During the 2024 trial, activists protested outside Santa Lucia station and said the city was turning Venice into “an amusement park,” according to The Associated Press. (citynews.ca) Venice says the 2026 version is still a trial, not a permanent system. The city’s next test is whether a higher last-minute price and another summer of QR-code checks can thin the heaviest weekend crowds without shutting visitors out. (live.comune.venezia.it)