Venice adds access fee

Venice will charge most day visitors 14 and older to enter its historic center on 60 peak days in 2026. (comune.venezia.it) The city says the new rules start on April 3, 2026, and run through July 26, 2026, on selected nonconsecutive days. The fee applies from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and is tied to the “Città antica,” or ancient city. (comune.venezia.it, cda.veneziaunica.it) The price is €5 a day if visitors book by the fourth day before arrival, and €10 if they book later. Payment or exemption is recorded with a QR code that visitors are supposed to carry during checks. (cda.veneziaunica.it, comune.venezia.it) Venice is widening the rule from earlier trials aimed mainly at day-trippers. Under the 2026 regulation, every person older than 14 entering the historic center must pay unless they fall into an exclusion or exemption category. (comune.venezia.it) The city still carves out broad exceptions. Overnight guests staying anywhere in the Municipality of Venice, residents of the Veneto region, workers, students, people visiting for medical care, and relatives of local residents can avoid the charge, though many of them still have to register online. (comune.venezia.it, cda.veneziaunica.it) Some transit zones are also outside the fee area. People who remain only around Piazzale Roma, Santa Lucia station, the Maritime Station, San Basilio, or Tronchetto without entering the ancient city do not owe the charge, and the city says the 2026 fee will not apply on the smaller lagoon islands. (cda.veneziaunica.it, cda.veneziaunica.it) Venice has framed the measure as crowd management, not a cap on tourism. The official portal says the fee is collected directly by the city through a multilingual web app, giving Venice a way to track flows as well as raise compliance at entry points. (comune.venezia.it, cda.veneziaunica.it) The access charge now sits inside a wider Italian push against overtourism. Forbes and Afar reported this spring that Capri is limiting organized tour groups to 40 people, Florence has tightened rules in its historic center, and other destinations are adding controls rather than shutting visitors out entirely. (forbes.com, afar.com) Enforcement in Venice comes with money attached. The city says administrative penalties run from €25 to €150, plus the €10 access charge, and false declarations can trigger criminal complaints under Italian law. (comune.venezia.it) For travelers, the practical change is simple: on many spring and summer days in 2026, a walk into central Venice will require either a paid booking or proof of exemption before you cross into the old city. (comune.venezia.it, cda.veneziaunica.it)