Tourist Charged Extra for Background Music at Venice Cafe

An Italian tourist reported being charged an additional 7 Euros (approximately £6) for background music during a visit to Caffé Florian, a renowned cafe in Venice's St. Mark's Square. Simona Pera, who was visiting from Tuscany, shared a picture of her receipt on Facebook, showing the surcharge alongside charges for food and drinks, which brought her total bill to 72 Euros.

Pera told the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera that a three-musician orchestra was playing at the cafe, providing music that "enlivened the conversation of the customers." She acknowledged that dining at such a well-known establishment in Piazza San Marco would be expensive but found the explicit "music supplement" on the bill amusing.

Venice, a city that attracts an estimated 20 to 30 million tourists annually, has been implementing measures to manage overtourism. In April 2024, the city introduced a 5 Euro daily fee for day-trippers on crowded days. This fee increased to 10 Euros in 2025 for those who did not make reservations in advance, with the enforcement period extended. These measures are part of a broader effort to address the strain on the city's infrastructure and rising local frustration.

The practice of adding extra fees is not uncommon in popular tourist destinations like Venice. Many global hotspots have introduced levies to manage high visitor numbers and generate revenue. These can range from nightly tourist taxes in cities like Rome to percentages of hotel room rates in Amsterdam. In Manchester, a City Visitor Charge was introduced in 2023, and Edinburgh is set to implement a similar tax. Amsterdam's 'Toeristenbelasting' can add 12.5 percent to hotel costs, while parts of Spain, including the Balearic Islands, charge varying local rates plus VAT for visitors over 16.