All about the Venice access fee

Updated for 2025

In their infinite wisdom, the commune of Venice has seen fit to bring back last year’s access fee: essentially an entrance fee to the historic city of Venice aimed at reducing the number of visitors on busier days.

Us locals remain unconvinced that the access fee makes any difference to how busy our city gets, but it does seem to have some value as a way of generating much-needed revenue to cover the costs associated with overtourism, such as extra policing, rubbish collection, and street cleaning.

The access fee is a small charge applied at certain hours on certain days – such as holidays, local festivals, and weekends during peak season. The fee applies per person, and each individual must have their own QR code generated after paying the fee. This QR code must be kept with you at all times – rather like the green pass in the times of Covid.

When is the fee applicable?

The fee will apply for certain weekends and holidays in April, May, June, and July, so far. Please know, though, that this is still experimental and may be subject to extension through August, so please check back as I’ll update as and when the information becomes available.

We have the following dates confirmed:

  • April 18th to 30th
  • May 1st to 4th
  • The weekends of May 9th – 11th, 16th – 18th, 23rd – 25th, and the 30th & 31st
  • June 1st and 2nd
  • The weekends of June 6th – 8th, 13th -15th, 20th – 22nd, and 27th – 29th.
  • The weekends of July 4th – 6th, 11th – 13th, 18th – 20th and the 25th – 27th.
Per the Venezia Unica website

The access fee will apply to the ‘centro storico’ – the historic centre of Venice, but not the outer lying islands of Burano, Murano, Torcello, Lido or Pellestrina, and other minor islands. The fee is only applicable from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. This doesn’t mean you can arrive before 8:30 am and not pay; it means you have to have a valid QR code with you at all times while you are in the historical centre of Venice between 8:30 am and 4:00 pm. Failure to provide proof of a code when asked will lead to a hefty fine between €50 and €300.

Where does the fee apply?

The access fee only applies to the old city of Venice itself. You’ll be able to transit from Piazzale Roma to Santa Lucia station without paying the fee, and vice versa. It doesn’t apply to the islands either, so if you wanted to go from your hotel in Mestre to Burano, for example, you’d be able to get the vaporetto from Piazzale Roma without having to enter the old city and pay the fee. Tronchetto also remains free from the access fee, so if you needed to get to the car park to grab your car, you’d not need to pay the fee either.

The entry ‘gates’ will be just in front of Santa Lucia station as they were last year, so only those going down Fondamenta Dei Scalzi and into the city will need to show the QR code. Those grabbing a vaporetto straight to the islands need only to buy their tickets and head straight to the water bus stations.

How much is the acees fee?

There is a tiered fee structure this year to encourage visitors to buy their entry ticket as early as possible.

For those buying their ticket up to 4 days in advance of the day of their visit, it will be €5. This means if your visit is planned for Friday, you need to book your ticket no later than Monday so you have 4 clear days before the day of access.

For those last-minute decision-makers who buy their ticket less than 4 clear days in advance of their visit, the fee will be €10.

Who doesn’t have to pay?

Exemptions to the access fee do exist. The main exemptions applicable to tourism are as follows:

  • Any young person under the age of 14.
  • Individuals staying in a hotel in the municipality of Venice who have paid the city tax. This will include Mestre, the islands of Venice and obviously those whose hotel is in the historical centre. You do need to apply for the exemption though, which you can do through the website. Showing your hotel booking confirmation will not be enough.
  • People visiting relatives and family members. This applies for family members upto the 3rd degree of realtion. It would seem a written invite from the family member would be necessary, but ideally get them to meet you at the gates and enter with you.
  • Entrepreneurs entering the city for work reasons.
  • Students attending all levels of schooling, for whatever reason.
  • People visiting for sports events.
  • People with disabilities and their carers. You will need to show proof of entitlement to disability services – according to the Venezia Unica website this includes documents from any public authority such as the blue badge.

You can find the full list of exemptions here and navigate that page to apply for an exemption.

How do I pay the fee?

You can pay the fee by going to the Venezia Unica website and clicking on the ‘pay the access fee’ red button link in the top right-hand corner of the page. There’s also the option to pay via WhatsApp. Scan the QR code here and follow the instructions in the WhatsApp chat that opens. Very last-minute trippers can pay the fee at Punto Lis tabaccconists (news agents selling tobacco), which are found all over. Searching punto lis on Google doesn’t work, so type your nearest postcode into the search bar here. The page is in Italian, but it’s easy to use. Simply type the name of the nearest tabaccaio it gives you into Google, and you can follow maps there.

Are there any reductions?

At this time there are no reductions for seniors, families, etc.

I’m going as part of a tour, do I pay?

Your tour operator should organise the payment of the access fee on your behalf, using a dedicated method set up just for them. If you’re arriving in Venice by tour bus, by tour boat, or by train with a group leader, you should have the access fee already paid for you and included in the price. It is always worth checking with your tour operator though to make sure they are complying.

Where can I find more info?

I’ve tried to cover everything here, but if you have a question you can’t find an answer to, go to the Venezia Unica website. All the information is available in English, so you should be able to find the info you’re looking for.

If you need some inspiration for what to do while you’re in Venice I have a fair few guides, tips and itineraries:

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