Italy remains one of the world’s top travel destinations, attracting visitors with its rich history, iconic landmarks, and fascinating culture. Italy set historic tourism records in 2025, welcoming over 185 million arrivals and logging more than 477 million overnight stays. This surge marks a 7.1% increase compared with 2024, and was heavily driven by international visitors. Tourism has reached record levels in the first half of 2026.
However, about 70% of tourists visit just 1% of the country. The classic Rome Florence Venice itinerary lead to the biggest pressure amongst these destinations. So Italy has rolled out strict measures to combat over-tourism and protect cultural heritage. To manage crowds and protect delicate local environments, Italian famous destinations have implemented stricter regulations. So, if you are travelling to Italy in 2026, read on for all the new norms for tourists, including increased taxes, crowd control and public behaviour laws.
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New Entry regulations and taxes
1. EU Entry/Exit System (EES) at Italian Borders
Since April 10, 2026, every external Schengen border in Italy uses the new EES biometric system. All non-EU visitors (including those from the US, UK, and Australia) are subject to this. It permanently replaces traditional manual passport stamping.
On your first entry into EU, the passport control officer captures your fingerprints, takes a facial photo, and stores it digitally for three years. Children under 12 do not give fingerprints, only a photo. If you have a biometric passport, you can head first to a self-service kiosk, if available at the airport. These self-service systems capture biometric data (facial images and fingerprints) together with the traveler’s name, passport details. After using the self-service system, you still need to go to a border control lane, where the passport control officer will have already received information from the self-service system.
Italian key airports are amongst the major holiday airports where passengers were experiencing long delays and missed connections due to the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES). Lines at Fiumicino, Malpensa, and Venezia Marco Polo have been running 60 to 90 minutes longer than usual since the rollout. Build that into your connection time.
2. Tourist overnight tourist taxes are higher in 2026
Italy’s overnight tourist tax is not new, but the rates increased significantly across Rome, Florence, Venice, and Milan in 2024 and 2025, and they’re still climbing. This is a per-person, per-night charge for staying in paid accommodations.
It is rarely included in the initial booking total on websites like Expedia or Booking.com. You must pay it directly to the property at check-in or check-out. The exact rate varies significantly depending on the city, the type of lodging, and its official star rating. It is usually between €1 to €10 per person, per night, depending on the city and accommodation rating.
3. Entry fee to Venice for day trippers
Venice began charging a day entry fee in 2024 and expanded it significantly in 2026. Day-trippers who visit the historic center in Venice without staying overnight must pay a separate €5 to €10 entry fee during peak spring/summer days [Fee dates: April 3 through July 26, 2026]. If you pay the overnight tourist tax at a Venetian hotel, you are completely exempt from this day fee. However, if you are visiting Venice for 2/3 days during the peak 60 day period, you must register your accommodation and get a digital voucher.
The day entry fee is €5 if you book at least 4 days before your visit. It rises to €10 inside the four-day window. You register on the official Comune di Venezia access portal and you receive a QR code. There are random checks at points around the city, including Santa Lucia station and Piazzale Roma. If you are found without a code, it is a fine up to €300.
Crowd control and Access fee to famous attractions
1. Colosseum tickets are nominative
Colosseum tickets in Rome are now nominative. The name you provide at booking must match your passport or ID when you arrive at the gate. For your Rome itinerary, book the Colosseum in advance through the official Parco Colosseo site. Tickets release exactly 30 days before the visit date, and the underground slots disappear within hours of release. You must bring your physical passport or a valid government-issued ID card to the Colosseum.
This was done to kill the resale market. The men outside the Colosseum who try to sell you a skip-the-line ticket are now selling something that won’t work. Don’t buy from them.
If you are buying a guided tour from Viator or Get Your Guide, that still works. Make sure to input the absolute correct names of every traveler exactly as they appear on their passports. However, there is a slight gamble. Because Viator is a marketplace, local tour companies list slots on Viator before they actually secure the official tickets from the government. Look past Viator’s branding to find the name of the local supplier running your tour and check their recent reviews. If they are mass-cancelling trips, that’s a red flag.
2. Trevi Fountain now has a ticket
Since February 2, 2026, the basin of the Trevi Fountain costs €2 to enter. There is a barrier, a ticket booth on Via della Stamperia, and a queue. The fountain is still visible from the square at any time, free of charge. The €2 only applies if you want to go down to the lower level where the coin toss happens.
Paid hours run 9 AM to 10 PM most days, 11:30 AM to 10 PM on Mondays and Fridays. After 10 at night, the barriers open and access is free for everyone. If you want the close-up view without paying, go between 10 PM and 8 AM.
3. Uffizi tickets are nominative
Since October 13, 2025, every ticket to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence is tied to the buyer’s name. The name on your ticket must match the photo ID you present at the entrance. This rule also applies to the Accademia (Michelangelo’s David), the Bargello, and other Florence state museums.
Our one day in Florence with a young kid did not include a trip to Uffizi or the Academia. But while booking the ticket to Uffizi, book direct via the official site. You cannot transfer, resell, or gift a nominative ticket. If someone in your group can’t make it, the ticket is forfeit.
A guided tour with Viator still works, and is worth it if you want in-depth information from a local guide to the Uffizi or the Accademia.
4. Crowds control at Capri
For the 2026 high season, Capri introduced rules aimed at controlling large tour groups. Groups are capped at 40 people, and guides with groups of more than 20 people need to use earpieces instead of loudspeakers. Flags, umbrellas, and loud group signals are also being restricted.
We visited Capri island from Amalfi town by ourselves, and that worked out well. The change that catches solo visitors is the single-use plastic ban. If you are caught on the island carrying a single-use plastic water bottle, the fine reaches €500. Most ferry passengers from Naples bring one without thinking. Carry a refillable metal bottle. There are public drinking fountains.
5. Crowd control at Pompeii
Since November 15, 2024, Pompeii limits daily entry to 20,000 visitors. That sounds like a lot until you realize it sells out weeks in advance in peak season. While visiting Amalfi Coast from Naples, we couldn’t make time for Pompeii, but it is usually the highlight. If you plan to visit in June, July, or August, book Pompeii as soon as your travel dates are confirmed.
From March 2026 onwards, the only authorised online seller is Vivaticket. Anything else is a reseller markup or a fake. Morning slots in summer sell out two to four weeks ahead. Tickets are nominative. The name on the ticket has to match the ID you show at the gate. Bag size limit at the gate is 30 by 30 by 15 centimetres. There is no luggage storage. If you arrive with a suitcase, you do not get in.
If you want the first-hand expertise of an archaeologist guide, Viator guided tours still work out well.
6. Beach reservations
Several popular beaches in Italy now require advanced online reservations to limit daily crowds.
La Pelosa in Sardinia is one of the most beautiful beaches in Italy, but you cannot just show up during the regulated season. From May 15 to October 15, access is limited to 1,500 people per day, and reservations cost €3.50 per person. Children under 12 do not need to be included in the reservation.
More Tourism & Public Behaviour laws
1. Odd-Even at Amalfi coast
During busy periods, the Amalfi Coast uses an alternate license plate system on the coastal road. The commonly published rule is that cars with plates ending in an even number cannot circulate on even-numbered days, and cars with plates ending in an odd number cannot circulate on odd-numbered days, during restricted hours, usually 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
This applies to rental cars too.
2. Alfresco Dining limits in Florence
From early 2026, Florence has banned outdoor dining structures on 50 streets inside the UNESCO historic core. Among them are major tourist routes, including Ponte Vecchio, Piazzale degli Uffizi, Via Roma, Via Maggio, Via Romana, Borgo Santa Croce, Piazza di Santa Maria Nuova.
In another 73 streets, outdoor seating is allowed only under tighter rules: no plastic sheets, no tarps, no semi-permanent structures, no bright signage. Existing permits had to be re-applied for by mid-March 2026.
Rental e-scooters are also banned in Florence from April 1, 2026.
3. No swimwear in city centers
Towns like Varenna (Lake Como) fine tourists between €50 and €200 for walking around shirtless or in bathing suits away from the beaches. So best to cover up on your Lake Como trip.
4. Buying Counterfeit Goods
Purchasing fake designer goods from street vendors can land you with devastating fines of up to €7,000. So while buying Italian souvenirs and gifts, best to visit the local stores.
5. No Smoking on streets in Milan
Since January 1, 2025, you cannot smoke outdoors in Milan. Streets, sidewalks, parks, squares, bus stops. The only exception is if you are at least ten metres from any other person.
6. Monument Fines
Sitting on historic steps (like the Spanish Steps in Rome), eating near major heritage sites, or wading in fountains is strictly illegal.
The best way to stay on the right side of Italian law is to assume that historic sites are protected spaces, not casual hang-out spots. Dress modestly around churches and historic centers, and remember that many city centers are living neighbourhoods.
What are your holiday travel plans for 2026? Share with us in the comments below.
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