The day-tripper fee. In 2026 Venice charges day visitors on 60 dates between April 3 and July 26, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Register at cda.ve.it: €5 if you do it at least four days ahead, €10 after that. You get a QR code and inspectors check it at the station and Piazzale Roma. Under-14s, Veneto residents and anyone sleeping in the municipality (Mestre and the Lido count) are exempt, but overnight guests still need an exemption code, which your accommodation’s registration generates. The fine is about €25 to €150 plus the fee.
The vaporetto. A single ACTV ticket is €9.50 for 75 minutes, so the passes pay fast: €25 for 24 hours, €35 for 48, €45 for 72. Buy at the machines, through Venezia Unica online, or tap a contactless card at the validator. Ages 6 to 29 can add a Rolling Venice card (€6) that cuts the 72-hour pass to €27.
From the airport. Alilaguna boats run to San Marco for €18 one way or €32 round trip, one suitcase and one hand bag included and €4 for each extra; allow around an hour and a quarter to San Marco.
The rules. Sitting on bridges, steps, wellheads and monuments costs €100 to €200. Feeding pigeons, swimming in a canal and walking about in swimwear each carry fines, roughly €25 to €500 depending on the offence. Since 2024 tour groups are capped at 25 and guides may not use loudspeakers. Wheeled suitcases are not banned.
St Mark’s and the Doge’s Palace. The basilica sells timed online tickets: €10 for the nave, €20 with the Pala d’Oro or the museum, €30 for everything; the campanile is a separate €15. Tourist hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Monday to Saturday and from 2 p.m. on Sunday. Shoulders and knees covered, no large bags; the free deposit is at Ateneo San Basso next door. The Doge’s Palace opens daily from 9 a.m.; the ticket, which includes the Correr, is €30 booked a month out and €35 nearer the day.
Acqua alta. From October to January a siren with rising tones warns of a high tide a few hours ahead; more tones, deeper water. The MOSE barriers now hold back most of the flooding.
Eating cheaply. A bacaro sells cicchetti, small toasts and fried things, for about €1.50 to €3 each, with an ombra of wine for €2 or so. Count what you take; they tally at the bar.
At the vaporetto. Keep the access fee QR, the vaporetto pass and the basilica slot together in Waystop’s Documents: the inspectors at the station want the first, the validator the second, and the basilica scans the third from your screen.