“Two euro, two euro, due euro…”: the workers of the Trevi Fountain have not stopped repeating it since last February 2 at the emblematic monument of Rome, which from now on is payable to see it up close, on a day when the controversy has settled among visitors, especially among the last ones who entered for free and the first to pay the unprecedented fee.
The most famous fountain in the Italian capital dawned as usual, with tourists taking advantage of the low traffic in the early hours of the day to contemplate it calmly and throw a coin at the statue symbolizing Ocean driving a shell-shaped chariot.
There is now an entrance fee to the Trevi Fountain
In the midst of the daily noise of water falling into the basin of the fountain, the sound of a worker has burst in preparing the fenced circuit that, from now on, tourists will have to cross to pay two euros.
And how much does the City Council expect to collect? According to “conservative” figures from Rome’s Councillor for Tourism, Alessandro Onorato, six million euros a year.
The organization has hardly changed with respect to the previous system, when a line was formed to control tourists, although access was free of charge.
The novelty consists of the incorporation of dataphones, the collection of cash and a sign that leaves no room for doubt, with the ‘2€’ clearly visible.
Divided opinions
The perfect photo is no longer free 📸, #Rome started charging to visit the Trevi Fountain, a measure to curb mass tourism pic.twitter.com/a2yznLJRIB
– Cultura Colectiva (@CulturaColectiv) February 4, 2026
The new format has not left anyone indifferent and has generated mixed opinions.
“I think it’s because of the money. The Italians want more money,” Ravital, an Israeli tourist, assures EFE.
However, Anna from Portugal disagrees: “I think it’s a good idea to organize it this way, to be able to walk and enjoy it”.
Among the first to pay, mainly tourists, were Fernando, Marina and Juanmi, three locals who agree that the measure will make visiting the monument less overwhelming.
Marina, in a joking tone, regrets having been one of the first “suckers” to pay two euros, when a few minutes before it was free.
However, they also show discrepancies among themselves.
While the young woman believes that it should not be charged, her friend Fernando contradicts her: “I think it should. Many times tourism is so massive that it is overwhelming”.
In this sense, Councilman Onorato defended during a press conference in front of the fountain that paying is “a contribution to beauty and hospitality”.
“If the Trevi Fountain were in New York they would have asked for at least 100 dollars, not two euros. But for this there will also be time to show how to establish an intelligent balance between living a place, living it well, guaranteeing a service and receiving more than just an entrance fee,” he stressed.
Although in smaller numbers, some Italians also approached the fountain this morning, with divided opinions.
Francesco considers it a “wrong decision by the City Council”: “To see these works up close you shouldn’t have to pay, in my opinion, especially if they are public”.
30,000 people per day in 2025
Everyone knows the Trevi Fountain (that’s why there are always so many people 😅), one of the symbols of Rome. What is not so well known is who commissioned the construction, which has not yet completed 300 years of history.
(continues) pic.twitter.com/2uf3JUBvx6– Inma (@isl1965) February 6, 2026
Now the focus is on whether, in addition to raising revenue, this measure will help control the influx of visitors to a monument that, in 2025 alone, received nine million visitors, some 30,000 people a day.
In recent years, other monuments, such as the iconic Pantheon of Agrippa, have become fee-paying, and five more museums managed by the City Council will begin charging admission starting February 2.
The purchase process, according to this agency, is simple and can be done either online or directly on site.
Paying the new fee at the Trevi Fountain allows access to the edge of the famous monument, where tourists traditionally perform the ritual of throwing coins into the water.
However, those who do not wish to pay can access this area free of charge outside the established hours, i.e. before 9:00 a.m. (except Mondays and Fridays when payment begins at 11:30 a.m.) or after 10:00 p.m.
Filed under: Entrance fee to the Trevi Fountain
With information from EFE
