Venice day-trippers to pay €5 entry fee on 29 dates in 2024.

Venice will launch an online payment platform on Tuesday for its new €5 entry fee system for day-trippers as part of measures to ease pressure on the fragile lagoon city from mass tourism.

The booking platform on the Città di Venezia website will be active from midday on 16 January, with the new entry fee system coming into force this spring.

The trial scheme will be active on 29 dates in 2024, on days around Italian public holidays and weekends between April and July.

The fee only applies to tourists on day trips, not visitors staying in Venice overnight, with those who book receiving a QR code which will be checked at random.

The dates when the entry fee will be in place are: 25 April to 5 May and every other weekend in May (11-12, 18-19, 25-26 May), the last four weekends in June (8-9, 15-16, 22-23, 29-30 June) and the first two weekends in July (6-7, 13-14 July).

On these days, the entry fee system will be effective from 08.30 to 16.00, with those who violate the rules facing penalties of up to €300.

Venice first mooted the introduction of an entry fee several years ago but the plan was stalled several times due to the covid pandemic and various logistical obstacles.

Photo: Great Pics Worldwide / Shutterstock.com.