The Venice access fee (in Italian contributo di accesso, often called the day tax) is the charge the City asks day visitors to pay to enter Venice’s historic city on certain days of the year. It costs €5 if you pay by the fourth day before your visit and €10 if you pay later, applies from 8:30 to 16:00, and is paid only on cda.ve.it. If you are staying overnight in the municipality you don’t pay, but you still need an exemption QR code.
The basic rules stay the same from one season to the next; what changes is the days, which are set each year in a calendar. This page explains how the system works, so you know what to do whatever the date of your trip.
What it is and where it applies
The fee rests on a national law from 2010 that allows the City of Venice to charge people entering the historic city and the minor islands, and it is governed by a City Council regulation. The stated aim is to manage visitor numbers on the busiest days, nudging those who can towards other dates or towards staying the night.
The area covered is the historic city: the six sestieri of the centre plus Giudecca and San Giorgio Maggiore. The regulation lets the City exclude the minor islands, and so far it always has: on charging days you do not pay for the Lido (including Alberoni and Malamocco), Pellestrina, Murano, Burano, Torcello, Mazzorbo, Sant’Erasmo, Vignole or the other lagoon islands. The mainland, Mestre included, is not covered either.
There is also a border zone: anyone who goes only to the Ponte della Libertà, Piazzale Roma, Santa Lucia station, Tronchetto, the Marittima or San Basilio is exempt for the time spent there. This covers people changing transport without entering the city.
Who pays and who doesn’t
In short: you pay if you are a day visitor aged 14 or over entering the historic city during charging hours on a calendar day. For every other category, this is how it works.
| Category | Pays? | Needs to register? |
|---|---|---|
| Day visitor aged 14 or over | Yes, €5 or €10 | Yes, you get the QR code when you pay |
| Children under 14 | No | No, ID is enough |
| Residents of the Municipality of Venice and people born in Venice | No | No, ID is enough |
| Residents of the Veneto Region | No | No, ID is enough |
| People working or studying in the historic city, local property-tax (IMU) payers and their families | No | Depends on the case, see the portal |
| Guests of hotels, B&Bs, apartments and campsites in the Municipality of Venice | No, from arrival day to departure day | Yes, exemption QR code |
| People with disabilities and one companion | No | Usually not, documentation is enough; check your case on the portal |
| Relatives of residents up to the third degree, guests of residents | No | Yes, with a self-declaration |
| People attending medical appointments, athletes competing, school trips | No | Yes |
| Cruise passengers | Yes, standard fee | Yes |
The key distinction is between those excluded, who do nothing, and those exempt, who don’t pay but must declare their situation on the portal and get a QR code. The full list of categories is in the regulation and the FAQ on cda.ve.it.
The most common case: staying in Venice or Mestre
If you are staying in accommodation within the Municipality of Venice, meaning the historic centre, the islands and the Lido, but also Mestre, Marghera and the rest of the municipal mainland, you do not pay the fee on any day of your stay, from arrival day to departure day inclusive. You pay the tourist tax instead, which is a separate charge settled with your accommodation.
To be covered you need the exemption QR code: on cda.ve.it choose the option for guests of accommodation and enter your dates and where you are staying. If in doubt, ask your hotel when you book: many send instructions with the confirmation.
Watch the municipal boundary. If you stay in Treviso, Padua, Jesolo or Cavallino-Treporti, however close, you are outside the Municipality of Venice: unless you live in the Veneto, on calendar days you pay like a day visitor. The same applies to cruise passengers. If you are deciding where to stay, our Mestre page sets out the pros and cons of the mainland, exemption included.
How much: the €5 and €10 rule
The amount depends on when you pay, not when you enter. The rule confirmed by the City for recent seasons is:
| When you pay | Amount |
|---|---|
| By the 4th day before your visit (inclusive) | €5 |
| In the last 3 days before your visit or on the day | €10 |
| No ticket, when checked | €10 plus a fine |
An example: if you are visiting on a Saturday, you pay €5 up to and including Tuesday; from Wednesday the price rises to €10. So anyone planning a day trip a few days ahead halves the cost just by paying straight away.
The ticket is personal: everyone aged 14 or over has their own, in their own name. It is valid for the day shown until midnight and cannot be moved to another date. If your plans change you can cancel on the portal up to the day before; after that, amounts up to €10 are not refunded.
Hours: from 8:30 to 16:00
On calendar days the fee applies from 8:30 to 16:00. Outside those hours you neither pay nor register. It is a rule worth using: if you arrive after 16:00 for a sunset walk, dinner or a concert at La Fenice, you enter without paying, even on a Saturday in May.
How the calendar is set each year
The days are not fixed. Each year the City council approves a calendar, published on cda.ve.it, usually towards the end of the previous year or at the start of the season. So far the pattern has repeated:
- a block of consecutive days in spring, around Easter and the April and May holiday weekends;
- then almost every Friday, Saturday and Sunday until late July;
- no days at all between late summer and winter.
The number of days has grown every season: from about thirty in the first trial to about sixty in the most recent ones. The rules are likely to keep evolving, in both days and amounts: the only reliable source is the calendar on the official portal, which also shows the current price for your chosen date. When the calendar lists no days, as is currently the case in autumn and winter, you need do nothing.
How to pay and get your QR code
- Go to cda.ve.it (the same service is also reachable at cda.veneziaunica.it). Be wary of any other site offering to “pay the Venice ticket”: the portal is run for the City by Vela S.p.A., part of the AVM group, and there are no resellers.
- Choose the date and whether you are paying or exempt.
- Enter the first name and surname of everyone aged 14 or over and pay online if required.
- You receive a QR code for each person: save it on your phone or print it. A screenshot avoids problems if you have no signal in town.
Museum, gondola or tour tickets bought on Tiqets, GetYourGuide or elsewhere do not include the fee, and neither do vaporetto passes.
Checks and penalties
Checks are random, carried out by authorised staff at the main entry points, such as the station and Piazzale Roma, and around the city. You will be asked for your QR code or the document proving your exemption.
Anyone not covered must pay the full €10 fee plus an administrative fine: the published regulation sets it at between €25 and €150, while some official information pages give a higher range. Either way, spending €5 in advance is far cheaper. Making a false declaration to get an exemption, for example by inventing a hotel stay, is a criminal offence, not a minor irregularity.
Tips for day-trippers
- Pick a day outside the calendar if you can: Monday to Thursday in spring or, going by the calendars so far, any day from August onwards. The city will still be busy, but there is no fee.
- Pay as soon as you have a date, even if you are not certain: €5 instead of €10, and you can cancel up to the day before.
- Arriving after 16:00 is free and brings the best light. An evening in Venice with dinner and the Grand Canal lit up is worth more than a morning in the queues.
- Head for the islands: a day on Murano, Burano and Torcello does not require the fee, but check on the portal what to do if you only pass through landing stages in the centre. Ideas on our lagoon islands page.
- Stay the night: one night in the city or in Mestre makes you exempt and gives you the best hours, early morning and evening. For planning a short visit, see also our page on Venice in one day.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the Venice access fee?
Under the rules confirmed by the City it costs €5 if you pay by the fourth day before your visit and €10 if you pay in the last three days or on the day itself. Anyone caught without a ticket pays €10 plus a fine.
On which days do you have to pay the Venice access fee?
Only on the days in the calendar approved each year by the City council and published on cda.ve.it. So far the days have fallen between spring and the end of July, mainly Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holiday weekends. Always check the calendar before you travel.
Do hotel guests have to pay the Venice day tax?
No. Guests staying in accommodation within the Municipality of Venice, Mestre included, are exempt from the day they arrive to the day they leave, but must get an exemption QR code on the portal. If you stay outside the municipality, for example in Treviso or Padua, you pay like a day visitor.
Do you pay the fee for Murano, Burano and the Lido?
No. The regulation lets the City exclude the minor islands, and so far the Lido, Pellestrina, Murano, Burano, Torcello, Mazzorbo, Sant'Erasmo and the others have always been excluded. Giudecca and San Giorgio, however, are part of the historic city.
Do children pay the access fee?
No, children under 14 are exempt and do not need to register. If checked, they need an ID document showing their age.
What hours does the Venice access fee apply?
The fee applies from 8:30 to 16:00 on calendar days. If you arrive after 16:00, for example for dinner or a concert, you neither pay nor register.
What happens if I am checked without a QR code?
You pay the full €10 fee plus an administrative fine, which the published regulation sets at between €25 and €150. Making a false declaration to claim an exemption is a criminal offence.
Can I pay the access fee on Tiqets or GetYourGuide?
No. The fee is paid only on the official portal cda.ve.it, run for the City by Vela, part of the AVM group. No commercial platform sells it, and a museum ticket does not replace the QR code.