Venice > Planning > Entry fees for daytrippers

Venice's 'access fee' for day tourists in 2025

The city of Venice has expanded on 2024's congestion-pricing admission scheme, with a €5 to €11 entry tax for daytrippers on peak days. Even if you're staying in the city center overnight, you'll need to obtain a free QR code to show city inspectors.

ABOVE: Disguising yourself as a gondolier won't help you escape Venice's tourist taxes.

By Durant Imboden

Updated October 30, 2024

2025 Venice Access Fees for Daytrippers
Who pays:	Non-residents over 14 who visit the city center without staying overnight.
Dates:	Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays from April 18 through July 27, 2025.
Fees:	€5 if booked 4 or more days before arrival, €11 if booked within 3 days of arrival.

Altrhough the program failed to reduce peak-season crowds in its first year, it has been retained and expanded for 2025. Here's a summary of the new rules:

• If you're over the age of 14 and you visit Venice's historic center on designated days during 2025's peak tourist season, you'll register your visit and pay an "access fee" unless you're staying within the municipality or qualify for an exemption (e.g., because you're visiting relatives or attending a sporting event).

• The access fee is applicable on weekends (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) and public holidays from April 18 through July 27, 2025.

• The fee is €5 if you register at least 4 days before arrival, or €11 if you register later than that.

• Even if you're exempt from the fee, you'll need to register in advance and obtain a QR code to show tax inspectors. (See "Practical Information" below.)

Why the access fee? According to Venice's municipal powers-that-be, the tax is intended to reduce crowding during peak periods (e.g., during holiday weeks and on summer weekends). The 2024 tax scheme was a bust, by all accounts, but the authorities still appear to believe that tourists will schedule their vacations around a 5- to 22-euro day tax.

We'd argue that the daytripper-tax scheme is merely a boondoggle to create a few jobs and create the false impression that the city is trying to solve the problem of overtourism. What Venice really needs is more trash bins, toilets, benches, and other public amenities that benefit both tourists and residents.

Practical information:

• The "access fee" or daytripper tax applies only to visits between 8:30 and 4:00 p.m. on the designated days, so you'll be exempt if you're just coming into the city center for dinner or evening entertainment.

• The fee applies only to visits within the centro storico or historic center of Venice (what most people mean by "Venice"). The Lido di Venezia, Murano, Burano, and other islands outside the centro storico are exempt.

• Even if you're staying at a hotel or private accommodation within the municipality of Venice, you'll need to register and claim an exemption from the access fee on designated peak days. The good news is that the municipality includes Mestre and Marghera on the Italian mainland, so you won't have to pay the fee if (like many budget-minded visitors) you stay at a Mestre or Marghera hotel.

• If your request for an exemption is approved, you'll receive a QR code that must be shown during spot checks by inspectors. Fines for non-compliance are steep.

• Should you neglect to book your visit (and, if necessary, pay the fee) before arriving in Venice, you can register and pay at the Venezia Santa Lucia railroad station or the Piazzale Roma bus and taxi gateway.

• For more details (including frequently asked questions), or to register and pay the tax, see the official Venice Access Fee Web site when it has been updated for 2025. You can also see a video FAQ here.

About the author:

Durant Imboden has written about Venice, Italy since 1996. He covered Venice and European travel at About.com for 4-1/2 years before launching Europe for Visitors (including Venice for Visitors) with Cheryl Imboden in 2001.

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