Venice doubles number of days with tourist tax in 2025

The city of Venice, Italy, will double the number of days that tourists will be charged an entry fee in 2025.

The tourist tax, which aims to help combat overtourism in the city, was initially trialed for 29 days between April 25 and July 14, 2024, including weekends and public holidays. For 2025, the city will impose the tax for 54 days — payable every Friday to Sunday and public holidays between April 18 and July 27.

Day-trippers who can book ahead of time will be charged 5 euros (about $5.40 at current exchange rates) to enter the city. This charge increases to 10 euros for bookings less than four days in advance.

Prior to its trial in 2024, the Venice tourist tax was hotly debated for several years; it faced numerous delays and setbacks before its eventual launch in April.

During the trial, visitors who entered the city before 8:30 a.m. or after 4 p.m. (or those staying in hotels who had already paid a lodging tax) were exempt from paying the fee. Visitors who didn’t pay were subject to immediate fines of between 50 and 300 euros if they failed a random spot check. This is expected to continue the same way in 2025.

The tourist tax was initially launched to combat overtourism in Venice, which is arguably one of Europe’s most well-known and popular destinations. However, few travelers were discouraged by the fee — an average of 75,000 visitors came to the city each day during the first 11 days of the trial.

Back in July, Mayor Luigi Brugnaro and Deputy Mayor Assessore Simone Venturini hinted that the tax would continue and potentially increase with amplified enforcement.

While the trial period didn’t drastically reduce visitor numbers, it generated around 2.4 million euros in additional income. According to city officials, the money will be used to fund essential municipal services within Venice, such as garbage removal and canal maintenance. According to Brugnaro, further analysis is still required to assess whether the scheme managed to break even.