A city becomes a museum: Venice begins charging tourists €5 entry

The idea is anything but original.

How many times over the last hundred years has a visitor to one of the many canals in Venice come to the realization that this entire city is basically one big museum?

Now this city has officially reached that state, it would seem.

Tourists wishing to visit the Italian city of Venice now have to pay an entry fee for the first time, as a trial aiming to limit numbers of day trippers at peak times started on Thursday.

Day visitors will have to pay a €5 ($5.30) access fee between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. unless exempt.