Tourists in Italy to pay €2 fee for access to Rome’s Trevi Fountain 

Forget three coins in the fountain, tourists visiting one of Italy’s most iconic monuments will soon have to pay €2 for the privilege, as authorities in Rome prepare to implement an entrance fee for the Trevi Fountain and other sites in the city.

From 1 February 2026, between 9 am and 10 pm, a barrier will prevent close-up access to the fountain, which sits at the intersection of three roads and marks the end of the ancient aqueduct that brought water to the Italian capital. The 26-metre-tall Baroque landmark was made in the 18^th century from travertine stone and features a statue of Oceanus. Its fame hit new heights after a 1950s film and theme song portrayed the custom of throwing coins into the fountain. To do the same from February, visitors will first have to pay €2 for the privilege.

Recent years have seen an uptick in antisocial behaviour by tourists in Italy, including incursions into the fountain. With visitor numbers at the fountain reaching up to 30,000 per day, the city had already undertaken measures to restore and protect the monument, restricting access to 400 people at a time and putting a queuing system in place.

Now, the new charge is expected to raise a pot of €6.5 million annually, intended to go towards the fountain’s future maintenance and to help the city better manage the crowds who gather there, according to Mayor Roberto Gualtieri.

Calling the city a World Heritage Site, Gualtieri told Reuters, “Two euros isn’t very much, and it will lead to less chaotic tourist flows.” City residents, children under the age of five, and those with disabilities and their carers, will continue to benefit from free access, and tourists will still be allowed to throw coins into the fountain – funds that are periodically gathered and given to charity. It will also still be possible to view the fountain free of charge from afar.

The tourist charge comes under a new initiative that Gualtieri said would “improve the quality of the experience of enjoying our heritage, counteracting overcrowding and the reduction of the quality of the experience” by implementing levies across six attractions in the Italian capital. They are the Carlo Bilotti Museum, the Giovanni Barracco Museum of Ancient Sculpture, the Napoleonic Museum, the Pietro Canonica Museum, the Trevi Fountain, and the Villa of Maxentius. 

Meanwhile, those seeking charge-free access to Rome’s heritage and culture can still visit the Alberto Moravia House Museum, the Casal De Pazzi Museum, the Museum of the Roman Republic and Garibaldian Memory, and the Museum of the Walls, which Gualtieri said in a statement “will remain free for everyone.”