On Sunday, 26 July 2026, the second test phase of the entry fee for day visitors to Venice came to an end. According to the city's preliminary figures, the scheme generated over 5 million euros across 60 operational days between 3 April and 26 July, with more than 650,000 paid vouchers issued. From Monday, the ticket points, access controls and totems in the historic centre will be dismantled, and access to the historic city centre will remain free until the end of 2026. How the scheme will continue in 2027, and whether the charge will become permanent, remains open and is the subject of a comprehensive review, the results of which are expected this week.
The results of the 2026 test phase
The 60 test days covered all weekends between April and July, as well as several consecutive weeks, including late April and early May around the Italian public holidays and a further week in early June. As the City of Venice reports on its live website, revenues of over 5 million euros and 650,000 vouchers sold were significantly above the previous year's figures. The average number of paying visitors stood at around 15,000 per day, with numbers concentrated at peak weekends. Six additional test days compared to 2025 contributed further to the record. Looking at the historical trend, the direction is clear: in 2024, the first year of operation, the city collected 2.2 million euros; by 2025, this had already risen to 5.4 million. The 2026 figure is expected to marginally exceed last year's record, suggesting a degree of stabilisation in the system.
The entry fee was payable on designated days between 08:30 and 16:00; at all other times, and outside the test days, access remained free of charge. The standard price was 10 euros per person; those who registered online at least three days in advance paid 5 euros. Exemptions applied, as in 2024 and 2025, to overnight guests in Venice, residents of the city, people staying with relatives or friends in the historic centre, commuters, students at Venetian educational institutions, and children under 14. The exemptions were designed to ensure that the scheme targets exclusively the classic short-stay day-visitor.
The effect: fewer peaks on critical days?
The primary purpose of the entry fee was, and remains, the management of visitor flows rather than revenue generation. According to the city's initial assessments, there are "signals of a reduction in peak congestion on critical days", as the official statement puts it. As Il Gazzettino from Venice reports, these early signs are not yet sufficiently substantiated, and a definitive assessment will only be made in the final report. Whether the scheme has actually led to a measurable reduction in pressure on the city centre, or whether it functions primarily as a revenue source, will be determined by the analysis due to be presented at the start of the week.
For Venetian overtourism , the scheme represents a high-profile experiment. Venice was the first major city in the world to introduce an entry fee for its historic centre, and the experiment is being closely watched internationally, from Amsterdam to Kyoto. The two test phases conducted so far have served, beyond revenue generation, primarily to gather user data and behavioural patterns in order to refine and potentially expand the scheme in subsequent years. Those wishing to place the Venetian approach in a broader context will find a wider overview of measures across Italy, from the Alps to Sardinia, in our article on overtourism regulations in Italy .
What happens from Monday
With the test phase ending on 26 July, the dismantling of the infrastructure begins from Monday. Totems, access controls and ticket points will be removed from the historic centre over the coming weeks and will remain out of service until the end of 2026. As VeneziaToday reports, from August onwards free access to the historic city centre resumes, without vouchers, without controls, without time slots. For travellers visiting Venice in the autumn, nothing changes compared to the period before the entry fee was introduced. The rules for the Fondaco districts, for the vaporetto connections and for the exemptions also remain unchanged.
The city is, however, keeping the two central instruments of the scheme, the online booking portal and the data collection systems, active. This means the arrangements for 2027 can be activated at relatively short notice once the final assessment and political decisions are in place. The administrative apparatus of the City of Venice is now tasked with deciding on the measures for the coming years over the months ahead, as stated on the city's website.
Outlook for 2027
Based on the first signals from the Comune administration, a significant expansion is under discussion for the 2027 test phase. The new mayor, Simone Venturini, a centre-right politician, has already set out a concrete position, proposing a price of between 30 and 50 euros per person on particularly busy days, well above the current 10 euros. In addition, the number of operational days could potentially rise beyond the 60 of 2026, with a greater focus on Carnevale, the Easter holidays, the summer months and the classic long weekends. Specific figures and timeframes have not yet been confirmed, however, as the decision rests not solely with the city administration but also with the Italian government.
Whether access to Venice's historic city centre for day visitors will become permanently chargeable remains the central unresolved question. The city's official statement makes clear that the administrative bodies must decide on further measures for the application of the entry fee in the years after 2026 over the coming months. The matter is therefore not yet formally settled. Observers of Venetian tourism policy, however, expect that the scheme, given its positive results to date in terms of both revenue and its steering effect, will be established on a permanent basis, in a further developed form.
The broader context: overtourism rules in Italy
Venice is far from the only Italian destination responding to the influx of day visitors with regulations. The Cinque Terre have also announced new rules for 2027; Vernazza, for instance, will limit guided tour groups to 25 people and ban the use of megaphones. Sardinia has introduced access restrictions with advance booking for certain beaches; in Portofino , zones with time limits on visits have been in place for several years. The Italian approach consists of deliberately curbing the movement of mass tourism at its most sensitive points, without restricting tourism as a whole.
For German and Austrian travellers who in the current summer season 2026 are responsible for part of the growth in Italian visitor arrivals, these regulations do not represent a fundamental change of approach. Those who inform themselves in advance and register online where required will navigate even the busiest zones without difficulty. The trend does indicate clearly, however, that Italy is making its cultural treasures and natural areas increasingly accessible on a selective basis, with a lead time that calls for a degree of planning. Venice is the most prominent case in this development, and how things unfold there over the coming years will set the benchmark for other Italian cities and regions.
