Venice became last year the first city in the world to charge an entrance fee to day-trippers. Under nearly three months, it cost 5 euros – equivalent to approximately 54 kronor – for a visit.
The same amount applies this year on the days when the fee is charged. But only if you pay at least three days before arrival, otherwise the cost doubles to 10 euros per person, reports German DPA.
The entrance fee is not expected to significantly reduce the number of tourists in the city, and the 2.4 million euros the city received last year barely covered the costs of setting up the payment system.
Of the total of over 15 million tourists who visited Venice last year, only about 485,000 paid to access St. Mark's Square, the Rialto Bridge, and other attractions.
Already on Friday morning, over 8,000 people had paid a fee for a day's stay, according to news agency AP.
How many avoided paying the fee last year is unclear, but those caught risk fines of 300 euros.
The fee will be charged every day for the rest of April and on all weekends until July. This amounts to a total of 54 days, nearly double the number of days as last year.
