Venice, Italy is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, attracting nearly six million visitors in 2023. That number eclipsed any pre-pandemic records set in the city. It's not hard to understand why. Venice's unique layout of canals combined with old-world Italian charms and history have fascinated visitors for centuries.
The problem with that is Venice was not designed to accommodate these kinds of numbers, particularly the seemingly endless volume of cruise ships that dock every day. Tens of thousands of people appear, clog the city without putting real money into it, and leave. It's become a huge problem which is why those in charge have been looking for ways to offset the damages caused by them. That included a daytripper fee in 2024 that primarily target cruise patrons.
The fee is making a return in 2025. Anyone visiting the city between 8:30 AM and 4:00 PM without a hotel reservation in Venice will be subject to a 10 euro fee when arriving. If you pay in advance, that number goes down to 5 euros. The daytripper fee is only in effect on 54 days throughout the year during the high travel season when Venice is overrun by tourists and cruise ships. It's worth noting that the 2024 fee raised 2.4 million euros, though no one has said what the money was used for.
This isn't Venice's first attempt to limit the issues caused by mega cruise ships. In 2021, damage to the lagoon saw the city restrict the size of cruise ships allowed to dock there. The pollution from cruise massive cruise ships has apparently played a big part in eroding the foundations of Venice. The move has proven to be an improvement for both the environment and the city.