Day visitors to Venice's historic center will pay a €10 access fee on 60 dates from April 3 through July 26, 2026, per the city's official access portal. The charge applies mainly on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays across April to July, plus selected holiday dates including Easter Monday, April 6, and the week of April 27.
Overnight hotel guests do not pay the fee, but they must register on the same portal to receive an exemption code tied to their accommodation booking — a step travelers who skip it discover only at a spot check in the historic center.
Who pays and who does not
The fee targets day trippers only. Exempt categories, per the city's rules, include overnight guests with a registered booking, children under 14, residents, commuters working in Venice, and students. Everyone else entering the historic center on a charged day between roughly 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. needs a paid QR code. Late registration has carried a higher price in past seasons, so booking ahead of the travel date is the cheaper route.
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How the third season differs
The 2026 season is longer than the 2025 trial: 54 charged dates ran in 2025, and 2026 expands to 60 with a flat €10 headline rate. City officials have framed the fee as a visitor-flow management tool rather than a revenue measure, and reported figures from the first two seasons showed the program covered its administrative costs while producing usable visitor-flow data. Venice's new administration has discussed raising the charge in future years.
What travelers booking spring trips should do
Three practical steps. If staying overnight in Venice proper, obtain the free exemption code from the official portal before arrival. If visiting on a day trip, check whether the date falls in the April 3 – July 26 window and pay in advance to avoid last-minute surcharges. And note that the fee is separate from accommodation tourist taxes, which Veneto lodgings collect per night on every stay regardless of the access-fee calendar.
The official portal, cda.veneziaunica.it, is the controlling source for dates, exemptions, and payment; summaries elsewhere — including this one — lag the city's own updates.