Venice has reactivated its tourist entry fee system for 2026, and the program is significantly larger than when it first launched. The city now requires day visitors to pay to enter on 60 designated days between April and July, double the 29 days trialled when the scheme debuted on April 25, 2024.
The fee is €5 per person for those who book in advance, but rises to €10 for last-minute visitors. The access window runs daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on charged days, with the 2026 schedule running from April 3 to July 26.
Why Venice introduced the fee
Venice has long struggled with the pressures of mass tourism. The city receives an estimated 30 million visitors per year, a figure that has strained its historic infrastructure, crowded its narrow streets, and threatened its cultural heritage. City authorities introduced the access fee as a management tool, not a revenue scheme, aimed at discouraging peak-hour day-trippers from flooding the historic centre during the busiest periods.
The measure was first tested in 2024, paused, and then reactivated in 2025. Its return in 2026 with a significantly expanded calendar signals that Venice considers the approach a permanent fixture of its tourism strategy.
How the pricing works
The tiered pricing system rewards early planners. Visitors who purchase their entry ticket at least four days before their planned visit pay €5 per person. Those who leave it later face a doubled fee of €10.
The City of Venice explains the cutoff on its official website: “For example, if the day of access to the historic center of Venice is Sunday, making the reservation up to and including the previous Wednesday, you pay €5.00 per person; if, on the other hand, the reservation is made from the third day prior, starting from Thursday, the amount to be paid will be €10.00 per person.”
Tickets must be purchased through the official online platform, where visitors select their entry date, complete payment, and receive a QR code to present at access points around the city.
Charged days in 2026
The fee applies on the following dates:
- April: 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30
- May: 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 29, 30 and 31
- June: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27 and 28
- July: 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25 and 26
Days outside this schedule remain free to access without any prior registration or payment.
Which areas are exempt
The fee does not apply to the entire lagoon city. Several zones are excluded from the access charge, including the Ponte della Libertà area, Piazzale Roma, the Santa Lucia train station and its directly connected areas, the Maritime Station, San Basilio Station, Isola Nova del Tronchetto, and the section in front of the Gran Turismo boat docks at Riva degli Schiavoni in the Cornoldi area. The entire peninsula is also exempt.
Who is exempt from paying
Overnight guests are not required to pay the entry fee, though they remain subject to Italy’s existing tourist tax for accommodation stays. Day visitors, however, must pay unless they qualify for one of the city’s listed exemptions.
Key exemptions include children under 14, residents of the Veneto region (of which Venice is the regional capital), people born in the municipality of Venice, and holders of the European Disability Card along with their companion. Venice publishes a full breakdown of exemption categories, split between those who require no certification and those who must submit documentation, on its official website.
Photo Credit: Eric Isselee / Shutterstock.com
