Venice Access Fee 2026: Dates, Price and Exemptions

In April 2024 Venice became the first city in the world to charge day visitors just for walking in. Not for a museum, not for a gondola: for the streets themselves. The historic center now has fewer than 50,000 residents, and on a sunny spring Saturday it can receive more visitors than that before lunch. The access fee (contributo di accesso) is the city's attempt to spread those crowds out, and in 2026 it ran for 60 days, more than ever before.

If you are planning a trip, here is who pays, who doesn't, which days it applied, how the QR code works and what we know so far about 2027.

What the Venice Access Fee Is

The fee is a day ticket for the historic center (the Città antica, the part of Venice built on the main group of islands). It only applies on specific calendar days and only during the busiest hours. It is aimed at day trippers: people who arrive in the morning, walk from the station to San Marco and leave before dinner without sleeping in the city.

It started as an experiment with 29 days in 2024, grew to 54 days in 2025 and reached 60 days in 2026. The city still describes it as experimental, so details can change from year to year.

2026 Dates and Hours

In 2026 the fee applied on 60 days between April 3 and July 26, mostly Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays plus holiday bridges:

April: 3 to 6 (Easter), 10 to 12, 17 to 19, 24 to 30
May: 1 to 3, 8 to 10, 15 to 17, 22 to 24, 29 to 31
June: 1 to 7, 12 to 14, 19 to 21, 26 to 28
July: 3 to 5, 10 to 12, 17 to 19, 24 to 26

On those days the fee covered entry between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Arriving before 8:30 or after 4:00 was free, and so was any day not on the calendar. Most Mondays to Thursdays, all of August and everything from autumn to early spring were fee-free in 2026. One Italian outlet reported a 4:30 p.m. cutoff, so if you are cutting it close, check the official portal for your exact date.

How Much It Costs: €5 or €10

There are two prices, and the only difference is how early you pay:

€5 if you pay at least four days before your visit.
€10 if you pay within the last four days, including the same day.

Same ticket, same day, double the price for booking late. If your plans are set, book as soon as you know your date.

Who Is Exempt

Many people don't pay. Some are simply excluded, others are exempt but must still register for a free QR code. The main categories, according to the city:

Overnight guests staying anywhere in the municipality of Venice. You already pay the tourist tax with your room, so you don't pay the fee, but you should request the free exemption QR on the portal using your accommodation details.
Children under 14.
Residents of the Veneto region, plus residents of the municipality and people born in Venice. Carry ID.
Students enrolled at schools and universities in the historic center, and workers and commuters (including those who work in the city).
People with disabilities and one companion.
Others listed in the regulation, such as relatives of residents, owners of property who pay local property tax, and police or emergency staff on duty.

The full list is on the official portal and it is long, so if you think you might fit a category, check before paying.

Where It Applies (and Where It Doesn't)

The fee covers the historic center only. You don't need it to:

Pass through Piazzale Roma, Tronchetto or the cruise terminal to catch a boat or bus elsewhere.
Visit the minor islands: Lido, Murano, Burano, Torcello and the rest of the lagoon islands are excluded.
Stay in Mestre or on the mainland. Only entry into the old city counts.

So a day spent on Murano and Burano doesn't need a ticket, but if you walk from the station toward the Rialto on a fee day, it does.

How to Get the QR Code

Go to the official portal, cda.veneziaunica.it (the city also links it from comune.venezia.it). Ignore third-party sites that charge a service fee.
Choose your date and your category: paying visitor or exempt.
Pay by card (or register the exemption). You receive a QR code by email.
Keep it on your phone or print it, together with an ID.

The city also lets you pay at some tobacconists with a Punto LIS terminal and through other channels it advertises each season. Stewards carry out random checks at the main arrival points, especially the Santa Lucia train station and Piazzale Roma, and scan the codes. In the first four days of 2026 the city counted around 45,000 payments.

Fines

Getting caught without a QR on a fee day can cost you an administrative fine of €50 to €300, plus the €10 fee itself. Local police issued dozens of fines in the first days of the 2026 season alone. At €5, it is not worth the gamble.

What About 2027?

As of October 2026, the city has not published a 2027 calendar. In previous years the dates were approved in the autumn or early winter before each season, so the announcement could come any time. Local press has reported discussions about a longer calendar and a higher fee, but nothing has been approved, so treat any figure you see online as speculation until the city confirms it. If you are traveling between April and July 2027, assume weekends and holiday bridges will be included and check the portal once the dates are out.

How to Beat the Fee (Legally)

Sleep in Venice. One night in the city makes you exempt and lets you see it in the early morning and at night, when it is at its best.
Arrive before 8:30 a.m. The fee checks entry hours, and early mornings are the quietest time anyway.
Go on a weekday. Monday to Thursday was free on most of the 2026 calendar.
Spend the day on the islands. Murano, Burano and Torcello are excluded.
Travel outside spring and early summer. August and the whole autumn and winter had no fee in 2026.

Explore Venice with Trevurs

Paying €5 to enter a city makes more sense when you know what you are looking at. Trevurs has three free self-guided audio tours in Venice that work offline: "Venice: 1,100 Years of a Republic Without a King or Mainland" tells how a lagoon of refugees built a maritime empire; "Dark Venice: Spies, Informers and the Council of Ten" shows how the Republic watched its own citizens through anonymous denunciations; and "Venice: Seven Centuries of Masks in the Republic That Regulated Anonymity" explains why masks were a serious matter of law. Download them before you arrive and walk at your own pace, fee or no fee.

Venice Access Fee 2026: Who Pays, Which Days and How to Book