It’s going to be getting a lot harder to visit Venice in the near future…
Beginning in May of 2015, using wheeled luggage is going to be banned in Venice.
Imagine arriving fresh off the train or boat and then having to lug your suitcase through the narrow, cobbled streets. Well Kim and I did during our visit but we travel with backpacks so it’s definitely a bit different…
According to Yahoo Travel, “The Venice City Council has announced that beginning May 2015, any tourist seen using a bag with hard wheels will be subject to a fine of 500 Euros (about $620)“.
The reason given for the new law is noise pollution and wear & tear on the streets and bridges.
The oddest part of this new law is that it doesn’t affect locals. They are exempt from the law.
Yahoo mentions that the Council said it is OK to use bags with inflatable tires but I can’t say that I’ve ever heard of that luggage option. The article says no bags lik that exist!
So unless you’re traveling with a backpack, have the energy to carry your luggage or hire someone to do this for you, I wouldn’t recommend a visit to Venice from May 2015 on forward.
I’m not sure about Venice’s employment rates, but maybe this could spark a whole slew of new jobs.
However, I’d imagine that many will rethink their plans to visit once they come across this inconvenient law that is sure to make a trip to Venice quite painful for many. (Can you picture the group of elderly seniors carrying their bags through Venice?)
Find out more about the wheeled luggage ban in Venice from Yahoo travelĀ here.
Tony- Where was a tourist fined for loud luggage??? We travel with backpacks but I don’t agree with your statement. Some people can not lug around a backpack so the wheeled kind is what works for them…
Recently a tourist was fined almost 2000 euros for “loud luggage” so is not surprising. I was in Venice 2 days ago and why in the world would you bring luggage anyway a backpack will suffice.
Levy Flight- I can totally see the point if it’s due to the cobblestone streets. However, why would this ban not apply to residents too. This could be more a way to reduce tourists to the area.
Our hotel was not accesible by water taxi nor are many others. For our hotel, we had to talk to someone through a video camera at the entrance and then follow directions to another hotel to pick up our key. It was a lot of walking…
if it is causing damage I can see their point. Many hotels can be reached directly by water taxi, though pricy can get people to destination without having to lug bags. If it does reduce the tourist masses then may be a good thing.