Traveling to Venice in 2025? Here’s What You Should Know

A few changes are coming for tourists traveling to Venice in 2025. Some of these changes have already gone into effect, and others have a launch date in the coming months.

If you're planning a trip to Venice, Italy (even just a day trip), you need to be aware of a few crucial things.

According to CNBC, historic Venice saw 20 million tourists in 2023. For such a small area (only a couple of miles), it is one of the most heavily visited places in Europe.

Venice isn't the only city seeing the effects of tourism en masse, and they are making some changes in order to help preserve the ancient city, keeping it safe, accessible, and long-lasting.

In fact, the ancient city of Venice was almost placed on the UN's Endangered Heritage Sites list. Preservation is at front of mind.

Venice has created a "day trip" fee

Is it already in effect?: Yes

To help discourage last-minute day trips to Venice, the city has decided to implement a day trip fee, referred to as the Venice Access Fee.

Last year, they implemented a similar fee, and this year they have amplified it.

Tourists entering the ancient city of Venice will be required to pay 5-10 euros per person if they are not staying the night in the historic neighborhood and enter between the local hours of 8:30 am and 4:00 pm.

On top of that, only specific calendar dates require an access fee. These are the most popular travel dates from April through July, primarily on weekends with 54 days in total.

The specific dates with rates for 2025 are:

• April 18-30.
• May 1-4, 9-11, 16-18, 23-25, and 30-31.
• June 1-2, 6-8, 13-15, 20-22, 27-29.
• July 4-6, 11-13, 18-20, 25-27.

Those staying the night in Venice aren't without fees, though. We'll discuss those in a moment.

How much is Venice's access fee?

The access fee is 5 euros per person if you pay it no later than 4 days before your arrival. It is 10 euros if you pay it within 4 days of your trip.

So, if you are visiting Venice on Saturday, you must pay the fee by Tuesday to get the discounted rate.

Otherwise, there are no discounts, even age-based or student-based ones.

How to pay the Venice access fee

Travelers taking day trips to the historic part of Venice can pay their access fee ahead of time, online through the official website. There's also an option to pay via WhatsApp with a QR code found on their website, or at a participating Punto Lis Tobacconist.

Before you send any payments, make sure you're on the official website.

Also, make sure you pay the fee before entering the city. If you enter the city without having paid, you can be subject to steep fines.

Is anyone exempt?

Yes, there are exemptions.

• The new access fee is only for the ancient city of Venice, not the entire metropolitan area. Tourists who are going to the areas of Ponte della Libertà, Piazzale Roma, Santa Lucia Station, and the area directly connected to Piazzale Roma and San Basilio Station do not need to pay the access fee, so long as they don't enter the ancient part of Venice. Those only accessing the minor islands of the Venice Lagoon are also exempt.
• Tourists staying overnight in the Ancient City of Venice are exempt from the daily access fee.
• Those entering the ancient city for medical appointments, including therapy, are exempt.
• Athletes and coaches who are participating in recognized sporting events are exempt.
• Students of upper secondary school who are visiting for educational purposes are exempt.

This is not an exhaustive list of the exemptions. You can see them all here.

In general, most tourists taking day trips to Venice must pay the access fee.

If you're traveling to Venice from the UK, make sure you understand which entry requirements apply to you.

FAQs about the new access fee

Venice has a tourist tax for overnight stays

Is it already in effect?: Yes

While travelers who plan to stay the night within the ancient city don't have to pay the access fee, they are subject to tourist taxes. All tourists who rent hotels (including B&Bs) in the Venice municipality will be charged a nightly tax, sometimes on top of the listed nightly rate.

Tax rates vary depending on a few things like:

• The time of year you're visiting.
• The type of accommodation you've chosen to stay at.
• Where the accommodation is (the historic area, for example).
• How many travelers are staying in the accommodation.

What are the rates?

During most of the year (February 1 through December 31), tourists can expect to be charged anywhere from under a euro per night (for a basic campground, for example) to 5 euros a night for higher-rated accommodations.

Overnight tourists are only charged a tourist tax for the first five nights of their stay. If you're traveling to Venice and plan to stay for 7 days, for example, you will only have to pay the tax for the first five nights.

If you're staying less than five days, you will be charged the tax for each night you stay.

Additionally, children between the ages of 10-16 have a reduced tax rate, and children under the age of 10 are exempt.

How do I pay my Venice tourist tax?

The manager of your accommodation is responsible for collecting the tax. They may do this before or at the end of your trip. Some establishments may require tourist taxes to be paid in cash.

If it's your first trip to Italy, don't worry. The collection and payment of the tourist tax is a smooth process.

What do the Venice tourist taxes go to?

They go towards the city, specifically to support the infrastructure for tourism. Some of the things they go to include museums, events, and services for tourists. These taxes also go to maintaining the historic city of Venice, culturally and architecturally.

FAQs: Venice tourist tax

You can't do self-check-in in Venice

Is it already in effect?: Yes

Venice only allows in-person check-ins for accommodations, including ones booked on popular sites like Vrbo and Airbnb.

Self-check-in is a big perk for international travelers, as it can give you flexibility with your arrival and departure times, as well as a way to communicate digitally should there be a language gap between you and your host.

However, Italy recently decided to abolish the self-check-in option throughout the entire country, not just Venice.

Italy decided to do this to help combat criminal activity, ensuring that accommodation owners and managers see their guest(s) face to face and can visually confirm their identity.

Pre-travel authorization will be mandatory to visit Venice

While it was expected to launch in 2025, the date has been pushed back to the end of 2026. That said, it's still a good thing to know about for the future.

Tourists who are not EU/Schengen country citizens AND who do not hold a valid Italian visa will need to apply for pre-authorization (called ETIAS) before traveling to Italy. This includes US and UK citizens.

We highly recommend you read our guide to Italy ETIAS. It details exactly what ETIAS is, why it's being instituted, and how to apply once the new policy goes into effect.