The Latest Breaking News on Europe

Tourists in Venice will be able to avoid paying the entry fee on the condition that they are staying for longer than a single day in the Italian city.

Letter: The people who live and work in tourist hotspots such as Florence are engaging and generous, and deserve consideration, writes Stuart Henson

The fragile lagoon city of Venice launched a pilot program to charge day-trippers an entry fee that authorities hope will discourage crowds on peak days and make the city more livable for residents.

The overcrowded city is leading the way with a tax on day trippers, says Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins

Some residents say €5 fee aimed at curbing tourist numbers goes against principle of freedom of movement

Residents fear the scheme will do nothing to reduce tourist numbers, but will turn Venice into ‘a museum, a theme park’

Visitors entering the UNESCO World Heritage site for the day have to buy a five-euro ($5.3) ticket, with inspectors carrying out spot checks at key entry points.

Under the gaze of the world’s media, the fragile lagoon city of Venice launches a pilot program Thursday to charge day-trippers a 5-euro (around $5.35) entry fee that authorities hope will discourage visitors from arriving on peak days and make the city more livable for its dwindling residents.

The Italian Unesco site is hoping to reduce over-tourism with the charge – the first of its kind in a major city

If restaurant owners in Andalusia want to charge more, they will need to ensure that customers can visibly be aware of the price changes for certain tables.

Venice will this week begin charging day trippers for entry, a world first aimed at easing pressure on the Italian city drowning under the weight of mass tourism.