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Venice became the first city in the world to charge entrance fees for day-trippers and is now a city of culture, gastronomy and prices.
From Thursday, April 25, 2024, visitors to the historic center of Venice will be charged 5 euros (4.30 Pounds) had to be paid. It is essentially a congestion charge for tourists.
Ariana Fracaso, the city’s leading transport and tourism official, told The Independent that the plan was aimed at “protecting the city from overtourism”.
Documents, please: Simon Calder (Charlotte Hindle) at a control point outside Santa Lucia.
In a typical year, about 30 million tourists visit Venice, but about 7 out of 10 (or 21 million) stay for only one day. Just before the coronavirus pandemic, UNESCO warned that the city’s “world heritage status is at risk.”
Tourists staying in Venice hotels will be exempt from the fee, but must register online and obtain a code that will allow them to pass through checkpoints and random checks by officials.
“This is like an open-air museum, so we want to protect it,” Fracasso said.
29-day pricing applies during 2024. The first is Italian Liberation Day, which commemorates the struggle of the Italian resistance movement against fascism during World War II.
This rate applies for 10 days, ending on Sunday, May 5th.
Visits over the next 7 weekends until Sunday 14th July are also eligible for the fee. However, the fee will be lifted from mid-July.
“It’s an experiment for this year only,” Fracasso said. “Next year, maybe things will change.”
UNESCO has warned that “Venice’s ‘Outstanding Universal Value’, the hallmark of all World Heritage Sites, is at risk.”
Cruise ships will be banned from calling at Venice’s historic center in 2021, in response to a request from the United Nations agency that aims to protect cultural heritage.
But UNESCO remains concerned about “overtourism and the potential negative effects of new development.” [and] Lack of integrated management system. ”
How does the system work?
Visitors wishing to stay in the historic center of Venice, anywhere in the city except the Piazzale Roma traffic access area and the offshore islands, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on a given date, can visit cda.ve in advance. You must register online at . .it/en.
A QR code on your smartphone or a printed QR code is required to enter the ancient city.
If you just want to pay a fee, click on “Pay access fee” and you will be taken through a very simple process. One difficulty is that you have to pretend to click and read the privacy policy (all in Italian) before enabling the checkbox.
Entrance ticket: Allows entry to the historic center of Venice (Città di Venezia) on the day the new regime comes into force
Is it not possible to pay contactless or with a 5 euro note on the day?
yes. Most tourists are expected to apply online. However, visitors arriving at Santa Lucia Station, the main access point, can pay in cash at kiosks. If you are caught without a permit, you can be fined up to 500 euros (about 43,000 yen).
There are actually no fences, but there are separate passages outside Santa Lucia station for local residents and workers, tourists and people leaving the city.
How can I avoid fees?
Be under the age of 14 (if you believe you are over 14, we will require proof). If you live in the city of Venice or were born in the city of Venice, you can receive the exemption simply by presenting documentation to prove this. Being a European Disabled Person. card or their accompanying caregiver. I will stay overnight. Guests of hotels within the municipality of Venice, including the islands and mainland hinterland around Mestre, are entitled to an exemption, including on the check-in and check-out dates. To do this, you need to click on “I am a guest of an accommodation located in the city of Venice”. Enter your usual personal information. It then takes him less than a minute to call an Italian number from his registered smartphone. This is said to result in no charges and no consequences.
Please note that guests staying at hotels in Venice must pay an accommodation tax, which is usually included in the final bill.
What happens to the cash I collect?
The pilot scheme currently being designed is not intended to make money, but rather to cover costs and see if it has a deterrent effect on tourism.
The maximum legal fee is €10 (£8.60).
Will access fees become widespread elsewhere?
Venice’s unique geography, consisting of an archipelago accessible only by bridge or waterway, makes it one of the few cities where tolls can be collected. But other cities concerned about overtourism, such as Amsterdam, Barcelona and Dubrovnik, will be watching closely.
