Venice or Milan: which city charges more per night

Milan charges more in every hotel category, 12.00 euro per person a night in a 5-star against 5.00 euro in Venice's historic center, and Venice is the one that lowers its rates by zone and season; the city famous for overtourism has the gentler table.

The two tables side by side

Milan is at least double Venice in every hotel category, and more than double at 1, 4 and 5 stars.

Venice has three zones and two seasons

Venice charges the full rate in the historic center, the Giudecca and the islands used mainly for hotels, 20% less on the Lido and the lagoon islands such as Murano and Burano, and 30% less on the mainland. From February 1 to December 31 is high season; in January the base rates fall by 30%.

The zone discount doesn't apply to tourist rentals. For everything else, the table rewards staying outside the center and coming in winter, and it caps the charge at 5 consecutive nights.

Milan has one table for the whole city

Milan's rates, in force since April 1, 2026, run from 3.00 euro for 1-star hotels, hostels and campsites to 12.00 euro for 5-star hotels, with 9.50 euro for B&Bs, holiday homes, rooms for rent and short-term rentals. There's no zone and no season.

The flat 9.50 euro for non-hotel stays is the figure that stands out. In Venice a B&B pays between 2.00 and 5.00 euro depending on its grade; in Milan it pays nearly as much as a 4-star hotel.

Two things we couldn't verify. From January 1 to March 31, 2026 some Milan categories paid different, higher rates linked to a surcharge allowed for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, and we have no primary source for that table. We also don't know Milan's maximum number of taxable nights.

Both cities sit on the same law

Every Italian tourist tax rests on article 4 of legislative decree no. 23 of March 14, 2011, which sets an ordinary ceiling of 5 euro a night and allows it to be raised for municipalities where tourist presences far exceed residents. Venice's top rate is exactly 5.00 euro; Milan's rates go well above it.

So the difference isn't one of rules but of choice. Both cities could charge more than 5 euro, and only one of them does.

What a short stay costs

For one person in a 4-star, 3 nights cost 13.50 euro in Venice's historic center and 30.00 euro in Milan. In a B&B graded three lions, 3 nights in Venice cost 9.00 euro; in a Milan B&B, 28.50 euro. That's our arithmetic from the two published tables.

Venice's lower tax is not the whole Venice bill. The day-visitor access fee is a separate charge, and it has not applied since July 27, 2026; the details are on Venice access fee or tourist tax.

Pick which

The tax won't decide between two cities this different, but if you're choosing where to spend the extra nights of a northern trip, Venice's table is kinder, especially off the historic center and in January.

For the rules city by city, see the tourist tax in Italy, and for where to sleep, where to stay in Venice and where to stay in Milan.

↑ Contents