A POPULAR European city is set to bring back its ‘tourist tax’ for visitors this summer.
The city became the first metropolitan area globally to charge day-trippers an admission fee, which was introduced on April 25, 2024.
Day-trippers who book last-minute trips to Venice this summer will feel the biggest sting, with reservations that are made less than four days in advance costing €10 per person.
Holidaymakers who are a bit more organised, and book their trips more than four days ahead of their planned visit, will only have to pay €5.
Entering the city before 8.30am or after 4pm exempts you from paying, as does being a current resident or a Venetian-born visitor, a student, worker, or someone in the city on an overnight stay.
When you’ve secured your QR code via the booking platform, it will be checked at one of seven entry points across Venice, which includes Santa Lucia railway station.
However, if you do not pay the fee and are not registered for exemption, or if you fail to produce the QR code, you could be fined anywhere between €50-300.
That’s equivalent to up to £260.
The number of pay-to-enter days is increasing from 54 to 60 this year.
However, last year’s stats show visitor numbers dropped only slightly over the summer, from an average of 16,676 in 2024 to 13,046 in 2025.
The new tax is to help incentivise tourists to visit the small Italian city on weekdays, rather than during the weekend.
But it faces opposition as critics argue that it would not teach visitors ‘respect’.
Giovanni Martini, the city council member, said: “Wanting to raise this to 10 euros is absolutely useless. It makes Venice a museum.”
There are now more tourist beds in Venice than official residents, whose numbers stand at an all-time low of 50,000.
The dates the fee will be in place this year
- April: 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
- May: 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 29, 30, 31
- June: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28
- July: 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26
