What is the Venice Entry Fee in 2026?
- Darcy Melton
- Feb 11
- 5 min read
Who Has To Pay the Venice Access Fee and How To Do It
This fee, which is officially called the "Contributo d'accesso," is often referred to as the Venice Entry Fee or Venice Access Fee. It is a fee payed by day-trippers to Venice during certain times of the year. This was first instituted in 2024, and during it's second year in 2025, garnered the city of Venice an additional €5,421,425 in revenue. But what does that mean for you? In this article, I'll answer essential questions like "Is there an entry fee to Venice?," "How much is the Venice entry fee?," and "How do I pay the entry fee and when?"
Jump to
Who Has to Pay the Venice Entry Fee?
Anyone staying outside the city of Venice and visiting Venice for the day must pay the entry fee if your day-trip is on one of the specified dates from 8:30am-4:00pm (calendar and official links below).
Who is Exempt from Paying the Entry Fee?
People staying in Venice. If you're staying at a hotel in Venice, you do not have to pay the entry fee. This fee is only for day-trippers.
Children under 14 years old
People with disabilities and their caregivers
Residents of Venice
People visiting only certain transportation hubs in Venice*
People visiting only the minor islands**
*According to the Venzia Unica website, you do not have to pay the entry fee if you only enter the Ponte della Libertà, Stazione Marittima, Isola Nova del Tronchetto, Piazzale Roma, Santa Lucia Station and the area directly connected to Piazzale Roma and San Basilio Station areas without entering the "Ancient City." This basically means that if you are only connecting to transportation in Venice without entering the historic city, you do not have to pay the entry fee. More info can be found on the official Venezia Unica website.
**The "minor islands" of Venice include:
Lido di Venezia (including Alberoni e Malamocco) | |
Pellestrina | Murano |
Burano | Torcello |
Sant‘Erasmo | Mazzorbo |
Mazzorbetto | Vignole |
Sant'Andrea | La Certosa |
San Servolo | San Clemente |
Poveglia | Sacca Sessola |
One way to avoid paying the Venice entry fee is to stay inside of Venice. If you'd like to stay in Venice, here are some hotels that we recommend.
Ai Mori d'Oriente in Cannaregio - A great area for restaurants and bars, a little quieter as well.
Acca Hotel in San Polo - Convenient, between San Marco and the Santa Maria train station.
Aqua Palace in Castello - Convenient to the late night Arsenale Water Show that happens during Carnevale. During the rest of the year its a fairly quiet neighborhood.
Hotel A La Commedia in San Marco - The heart of the city around Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square).
Palazzo Veneziano in Dorsoduro - More residential with lots of great wine bars and places for small bites.
These are affiliate links, and while we don't represent any of the companies listed, we receive a small commission if you book a stay through any of the above links.
How Much Does the Venice Entry Fee Cost? And When to Pay
The Venice entry fee costs €5 if you book your entry at least 4 or more days in advance. The fee increases to €10 per person if you book 3 days in advance or fewer (including day of). This is a new rule as of 2026, in 2024 and 2025, the fee was a flat €5 per person.
What Dates Does the Entry Fee Apply To?
The Venice entry fee is targeted at the height of tourist season from April to July. This mostly pertains to Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays during this period, but there are some weekdays included as well. The fee applies to anyone entering the "ancient city" of Venice on these dates from 8:30am to 4:00pm. Click here for the official calendar of dates where day-trippers must pay the Venice entry fee.
Calendar of dates in 2026 when visitors must pay the Venice entry fee (this applies from 8:30am-4:00pm)
Where Do I Pay the Venice Entry Fee?
How to Pay the Venice Entry Fee Online
The best way to pay the Venice entry fee is buy purchasing it more than 4 days in advance through the official Venezia Unica website*. When you click the "pay the access fee" button you will be prompted to insert your dates, name, and group size. Be sure to the screenshot the QR code as you will need it to enter the city.
*As of February 2026, as I write this article, the payment portal is down. I will update this article when the portal seems to be functioning. It should be working by April of 2026, when the entry fee goes into effect.
You can also pay the entry fee via Whatsapp by using the QR code at the bottom of the official Venezia Unica wesbite Access Fee page.
How to Pay the Venice Entry Fee In-Person
If you want to pay in-person, you can pay for the entry fee at any Punto Lis tabacchi shop. A tabacchi is a shop that sells public transportation tickets, tax stamps, cigarettes, salt, and more. Punto Lis is a specific brand of tabacchi shop, there are several in and around Venice. A full list of Punto Lis tabbacchi shops can be found here.
Some convenient Punto Lis tabbacchi locations are:
Near the Santa Lucia train station in Venice: Cannaregio, 58, Venezia VE
Near the bus depot at Piazzale Roma: Fondamenta Santa Chiara, 517, Venezia VE
Near the Venezia Mestre train station in Mestre: Piazzale Pietro Favretti, 1, Venezia VE
How To Avoid Paying the Venice Entry Fee
To avoid paying the Venice entry fee you can:
Stay in Venice instead of outside of the city.
Make your day-trip into Venice on one of the days that the fee does not apply (see calendar above).
What Happens if I Don't Pay the Fee?
If you do not pay the entry fee and you on making a day-trip into Venice on one of the applicable days between 8:30am and 4:00pm, you can be fined €50-€150.
I hope that this brief explainer has helped you to understand what the Venice entry fee is, whether it will apply to you, and how to pay it if neccessary. If you're feeling grumpy that you may have to add €5-€10 euros per person per day to your trip, you're not alone! Even many Venecians don't like this project. So at least maybe you can take some solice in that.
