Venice has become the first city in the world to introduce a payment system for tourists in an effort to thin the crowds that throng the canals during the peak holiday season.
Signs warning day-trippers about the new five-euro ($8.21) charge were set up outside the train station and near an entry footbridge, telling visitors they had to pay before diving into Venice’s narrow alleyways.
April 25 is a national holiday in Italy and is the first of 29 days this year when people must buy a ticket if they want to access the lagoon city from 8.30am to 4.30pm.