Venice’s New Access Fee: What’s the Local Mood Been Like These First Few Days?

| Tue, 04/30/2024 - 03:40

A steward checks visitor passes at the Santa Lucia station checkpoint in Venice on April 26 / Photo: giocalde via Shutterstock

In Venice, there’s one thing nearly everyone agrees on: Something’s got to be done to curb the effects of mass tourism. But local consensus on what, exactly, remains elusive.

Never was this clearer than during the late April rollout of a hotly debated new ticket for day trippers, known officially as the Venice Access Fee — but better known as the world’s first example of a city charging for entry. The €5 fee (about $5.36) came into effect on April 25 and will be enforced

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