Thousands of tourists squeeze down Venice streets ahead of controversial entry fee: ‘Fight for survival’

February 19, 2025

Tourists flooded roads and bridges for the opening weekend of the Carnival in Venice, Italy just weeks before the historical city imposed its controversial entry fee to curb tourism.

Astonishing footage shared on social media showed overcrowded streets at a standstill as people tried to take in the sights and attend events such as the boat parade along the Grand Canal.

But the excitement turned into irritation for some observers as they got stuck in a human traffic jam on some routes that didn’t appear to be moving at all.

The chaos had some social media users opting to skip out on the celebration in the future.

“Experienced this today… never again,” on TikTok user commented under a video showing the packed streets during the first day of the festival.

“The Venice Carnival must be seen once in a lifetime, but it is mainly a fight for survival to see people walking around and being bored to death,” another quipped.

Italians on TikTok added that they avoid the area during this time of year.

Carnival events will run through to Mar. 4.

Soon, the island city will start capitalizing on visitors.

From mid-April to the end of July, the ancient city will start charging a controversial access fee for visitors on Friday to Sunday and on public holidays.

Travelers wanting to visit the island will be charged 5 euro (roughly $5.22 USD) if they book at least four days ahead of time and 10 euros (roughly $10.45 USD) if they book last minute, the local tourism office stated.

Not everybody will have to pay to wander the city’s beautiful canals, churches and art collections.

Exemptions are in place for kids under 14, students, workers, people visiting family in town and visitors who paid to stay at hotels in Venice.

The fee was installed as part of an effort to control tourism in the iconic city after officials made the controversial decision to ban cruise liners in 2021.

Fines for not registering can reportedly be as high as $310.

Europeans have spoken out about overcrowding in their countries too.

Spain made changes after citizens claimed “overtourism” contributed to the lack of affordable housing.

Malaga, a port city in Spain, announced it will prohibit new rental properties in 43 neighborhoods of the city as Barcelona made plans to close 10,000 short-term rental apartments to make the city “livable” again.

Locals in Santorini, an island in Greece in the Aegean Sea, even called for a cap on visitors after villages and beaches were packed with people.