Venice considers €30 tourist entry fee as Rome rejects similar measures

Venice is considering raising its tourist entry fee to as much as €30 and extending the number of days on which it applies, as Italian cities explore different approaches to managing visitor numbers.

Michele Zuin, Venice’s budget and taxation councillor, has suggested that the existing €5–€10 charge is no longer sufficient to discourage day trips during busy periods.

Proposals have included fees of up to €50, although €30 is being considered as a possible upper limit. Any increase for 2027 would require discussions with, and approval from, the Italian government.

Introduced in 2024, Venice’s entry charge applies to day visitors on selected dates, with exemptions for overnight guests and children under 14.

In 2026, the scheme operated between 3 April and 26 July on designated days, generating more than €5.2 million from almost 680,000 tickets.

The city is seeking to reduce pressure on its historic centre and encourage visitors to travel outside peak periods.

Rome, meanwhile, has ruled out introducing a comparable entry charge.

Mayor Roberto Gualtieri said the Italian capital would instead prioritise protecting residential housing and regulating short-term tourist accommodation, while maintaining unrestricted access to the city.

Rome recorded 22.9 million tourist arrivals in 2025, including approximately 12 million international visitors.

The contrasting approaches highlight how popular European destinations are responding to overtourism, with potential consequences for travel planning, visitor spending, and the affordability of short city breaks.

For travellers visiting Venice, any future increase would add to the cost of day trips, although no changes to the current charging structure have yet been approved.