Nothing, and I mean nothing is ever written in stone in Italy and surely not in Venice. So I hesitate to post anything regarding the new “tax or ticket” to enter Venice known in Venice as “contributo di accesso” or “ticket d’ingresso.” In fact the vote at the city council was 24 yes and 12 no for the so called tax to limit hit-and-run tourism (day trippers) making Venice the first toll city in the world. I see it not so much a hinderance to these visitors, but a way to have them contribute for the trash and chaos they cause to the city’s infrastructure, canals and streets.

Just announced (again remember all things can change): The start of the Admission Ticket is slated for 25 April (why? who knows?). Perhaps it is because 25 April is the celebration of Venice’s patron saint (Saint Marco) who died on April 25 in 68AD. There will be 29 days in the year 2024 which require the payment of admission. The other 28 days have not been posted. The list and rules are long and vague. There is a website where you can book online is scheduled to be available by 16 January (we will see) http://www.cda.ve.it. At this point it appears they will use the turnstiles they did as a test a couple of years ago with these located at the foot of the Scalzi Bridge (near the train station), Piazzale Roma (where buses arrive). But as you can see in the photo below, you need only cross the Scalzi Bridge to avoid the checkpoint. And maybe at the airport, because otherwise all the arrivals on Alilaguna (the private boat line from the airport) is another question. And of course arrivals via water taxi have no off loading po9int.l The rest has not been stated. It makes sense (well sort of) because otherwise they would need a very large staff to enforce.

The fee will be a minimum of 5 Euro for tourist who visit for just the day. Using dynamic pricing, the more tickets sold, the higher the price will be (but no top limit has been published). If you are arriving as part of a tour group (cruise, bus tour) the assumption is these tour operators will have paid. However, be sure you have your digital ticket. If you are staying at a hotel, the assumption is the hotel that the hotel tax you pay will include this. However the exact means as to how Venice “Tax Police” will verify any of this is unclear.

What is clear is that Venice of necessity must do something to curb the tourism, the damage to the city. Without a plan, UNESCO has threatened to remove Venice from the World Heritage Sites whose benefits include access to funding for restoration or preservation projects. It is also a status symbol. The 45th session of the UNESCO World Heritage is scheduled for 10 to 25 September 2024. Venice is scheduled to be discussed to decide whether to remove it or not. So this new “tourist” tax is an attempt to prove Venice is doing something positive. But 5 Euro is not a significant cost to curb tourism.

Who will pay to enter
The measure, created to discourage hit-and-run tourism and contested from the first moment by a large part of citizens, provides for a contribution for access to the city of 5 euros for now, but the cost of the so-called ticket will be set by the Venice and can be modified returning to the initial 10 euros.

In practice, those who want to come to Venice and the islands for the day will have to pay an initial sum of 5 euros by adding the sum to the ticket for the vehicle they will use to get to the city (cruises, train, plane or tourist speedboats). It is not yet clear how the payment will be made, but the principle is that anyone who does not stay overnight in the in Venice will have to pay, under penalty of a fine of up to 300 euros. The checks will take place either through authorized personnel who will ask to show the documents or the payment document or through the carriers obliged to collect.

Who is exempt from the ticket
There is the long list of exemptions which obviously include residents of the Municipality of Venice, the Metropolitan City (44 Municipalities) and the Venetians. Followed by relatives (how to verify relative is not explained); workers who commute; employees, self-employed workers or entrepreneurs who have their business headquarters or domicile in Venice; students, including commuters and family members.

Those who stay in the hotels of Venice will not pay because they already pay the tourist tax through the hotel bill; those who are domiciled; the disabled; who must come for treatment and their companions; those who arrive to participate in sporting competitions; public administrators; volunteers participating in events; armed forces; people summoned by justice.

Just how the Venice Tourist Police will verify all of this and allow entrance is yet to be determined. Though they say that it will be verified by random checks. Perhaps like the vaporetto personnel occasionally verify that you have a valid boat pass.

When a Ticket be Required and What it Includes and How to Get the Ticket

For the year 2024, there will be a limited number of days (the mayor suggested a total of about 30 days) when the ticket is required, generally on days of high visitors, like Carnevale, Easter, summer season, etc. But exact dates have not been given.

Visitors will be able to pay the fees digitally through a website which will be in multiple languages where you can pay the fee and obtain a QR code.

If you are staying multiple days, you do not need to purchase a pass for each day. The ticket includes access to Murano, Burano, Torcello and Lido. You still need a vaporetto ticket to reach the these locations.

Visitors who arrive without pre-booking will pay the full 10 Euro and those who are caught by an inspector may incur fines up to 300 Euro. The rollout of this will be confusing as the rules are fairly confusing. If you are booking through a travel agent, be sure to ask them if the booking includes the entrance fee to Venice. If you are staying in a hotel, not sure how you get your digital ticket prior to checking in.

….That is as of today. Everything is subject to change.