UpdateTourists who want to visit Venice for a day must pay 5 euros on Thursday to visit the immensely popular city. This is a test at the busiest times of the year. Venice hopes to limit the negative consequences of mass tourism.
29 busy days have been marked for this year. For those days, visitors must purchase a ticket online. Anyone who does not have a ticket risks a fine of 50 to 300 euros. There are exceptions. For example, a ticket is not necessary for an overnight stay in the city, for children under the age of 14 and for people with disabilities. Commuters and students also do not need a ticket.
“It is an experiment. It is the first time in the world that such a measure has been taken,” Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said earlier this month. “The measure is not about making money (…) our goal is to make Venice more liveable.”
Day trippers must show their ticket if necessary to inspectors at the main entrances to the city, such as Santa Lucia station. Anyone who does not have a ticket must purchase one on site. For the time being, there is no limit on the number of QR codes that can be sold per day. “We do not want to admit a fixed number of people, otherwise we will no longer be a city, but a museum,” said the mayor, who also promised “very soft, random” checks.
Overwhelmed during high season
Venice attracts millions of tourists every year, while the city has only 50,000 inhabitants and the center is becoming increasingly depopulated. In 2022, 3.2 million people stayed overnight in the city alone. On top of that, tens of thousands of day trippers every day visit the city with its world-famous canals.
The hope is that requiring people to buy a ticket on busy days will encourage people to come on quieter days. The proceeds also help pay for maintenance.
This year, the scheme only applies on the 29 busiest days between 8:30 am and 4 pm, from April 25 to July 14.
According to the UN organization UNESCO, the world heritage is in danger of being endangered by the large numbers of tourists, plus rising sea water as a result of climate change. The Venetian trial is being watched closely in other areas where many tourists visit. Even in cities such as Bruges, Venice is often cited as a nightmare of a city overrun by visitors.
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