Venice Will Start Charging Visitors In 2023 & Here's When You'll Have To Pay The Most

It's already going to be more expensive and complicated to visit Italy next year, but if you're planning a day trip to Venice, you'll soon be expected to pay up for that, too.

Venice has just firmed up plans to start charging day-tripping tourists for entry beginning in January, as part of a new scheme that also forces you to pre-book your visit.

It's all part of a plan to control the influx of tourists to Italy's most-visited city — and to pocket a bit of extra revenue along the way.

Under the newly-announced, soon-to-be confirmed plan, anyone visiting the city for the day will be required to pay a fee and book their visit online. And if you sneak in or try to dodge the fee, you can expect a fine of up to €300 and potential criminal charges, the New York Times report.

The new plan applies only to people who are visiting for the day, and those staying overnight will have the fee rolled up into their hotel bill.

The fee is expected to range from €3 to €10, and it'll all depend on how busy the city is. If you visit during peak tourist season or on a particularly busy day, for example, you can expect to pay more, reports The Guardian.

In other words, the best days to visit Venice will be when the weather is bad and there's nothing special going on.

"The aim is to disincentivize day-trippers at certain times of year and incentivize overnight tourism," the city said in a news release.

Day-trippers are actually a huge deal and account for 80% of the city's visitors, the Associated Press reports.

The fee is expected to apply to the historic city itself, and to other minor islands around it.

Visitors will be expected to show proof of their day pass while they're in the city, and there will be some exceptions for young children, property owners and people with disabilities.

City officials also say that there won't be a cap on how many people can actually enter the city.

So if you're really dying to visit, just be prepared to pay up!