Italy’s Venice considers raising tourist entry fee to $34

Venice is considering extending its tourist entry fee to cover more days of the year and raising the daily charge to as much as €30 ($34), a senior city official has announced.

Michele Zuin, the city’s councillor for budget and taxation, said the current €5-€10 charge was too low to deter overtourism, Caliber.Az reports, citing Reuters.

However, he noted that any new fee for 2027 would have to be discussed and agreed with the Italian government.

“The current €5-10 charge is affordable for virtually everyone; the risk is that it no longer has the deterrent effect that this measure is supposed to have,” Zuin added.

According to Zuin, there had been “even talk of (going up to) €50”, but authorities could opt for a maximum charge of €30.

The entry fee, which applies only to day-trippers, was introduced in 2024 as the first scheme of its kind in the world. Visitors who book in advance pay the lower rate, while several exemptions apply, including for children under 14.

In 2026, the fee was collected on selected days between April 3 and July 26, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The scheme generated more than €5.2 million for the city from the sale of just under 680,000 entry tickets.

Venice has long struggled with overtourism and population decline. Local officials say the fee is intended to encourage visitors to avoid the busiest periods, including the May Day public holiday.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov