by InTrieste
Tourists planning to visit Venice in 2026 will once again face the city’s entry fee, part of an ongoing effort to manage the pressures of mass tourism in the fragile lagoon city.
City officials announced that the so-called contributo di accesso will be active on 60 days next year — an increase from 54 in 2025 and double the number of days it was enforced in 2024, when the pilot scheme first launched. The measure, aimed at curbing day-tripper crowds, will apply on weekends and select days between April 3 and July 26.
The exact cost of the 2026 entry fee has yet to be determined. In 2025, day visitors were charged a base rate of €5 per person, with late bookings — those made fewer than four days in advance — subject to a €10 fee. The fee will continue to apply between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Venice’s mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, said the expansion reflects the city’s “commitment to tackling overtourism,” describing the initiative as an attempt to spread visitor numbers more evenly throughout the year. Michele Zuin, Venice’s budget councillor, called the new schedule “a crucial step in planning the admission fee well in advance,” adding that it serves as “a useful tool for managing tourist flows and ensuring a better balance between residents and visitors.”
Zuin also emphasized that the policy remains “experimental.” “Venice is the first city in the world to have undertaken this path,” he said, “and we will continue with the aim of protecting the city’s livability while enhancing the visitor experience.”
The entry fee applies only to day visitors aged 14 and over. Residents, overnight guests, students enrolled at Venetian universities, disabled visitors with their carers, and relatives of residents are among those exempt. Violators face fines ranging from €50 to €300.
The system was first introduced in April 2024, when Venice charged day visitors on 29 select days. That year, roughly 485,000 paying tourists generated more than €2 million in revenue — triple the city’s initial estimates. The program’s costs, including communication campaigns, staffing, and the development of the online booking platform, totaled about €3 million.
In 2025, authorities collected €5.4 million from approximately 720,000 day-trippers.
While city officials have hailed the project as a success in managing visitor numbers, critics argue it has done little to alleviate congestion in the narrow streets and crowded squares of the historic center. Opponents have accused the municipality of turning Venice into a “theme park,” and some residents have staged protests against the policy.
Venice, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, has long faced warnings about the impact of overtourism and climate change. In 2021, UNESCO stopped short of placing the city on its endangered list after Italy introduced several protective measures, including the ban on large cruise ships.
More recently, the organization has praised Venice’s entry fee as part of a broader strategy to protect its fragile ecosystem while preserving its role as one of the world’s most visited cultural landmarks.
For the 2026 season, the entry fee will apply on the following dates:
April: 3–6, 10–12, 17–19, 24–30
May: 1–3, 8–10, 15–17, 22–24, 29–31
June: 1–7, 12–14, 19–21, 26–28
July: 3–5, 10–12, 17–19, 24–26
City officials said that while the fee remains a work in progress, it represents a crucial experiment in balancing Venice’s dual identity — both as a living city and as one of the world’s most beloved travel destinations.
