Do you have to pay to see the Trevi Fountain, and how does the €2 ticket work?

What the €2 ticket covers, and what stays free

The fountain sits in a small square, Piazza di Trevi, and the basin is below street level. You get down to it by a few steps. The €2 (≈ $2.2) ticket covers this inner area next to the water: the stone ledge, the steps and the spot where people turn their backs to the fountain to throw a coin.

Free, as before: the view from the piazza and the surrounding streets, at any hour. That includes after 22:00, when the paid area closes but the fountain is still lit. If you only want a photo from the square, you don't need a ticket.

Paid: standing at the edge of the basin. That is where the coin toss happens and where the closest photos are taken. The coin toss is allowed as before; the official rules exempt it from the ban on throwing objects into the water.

The fee applies to everyone who is not a resident of Rome or its Metropolitan City, whatever their nationality. The city introduced it to limit crowding at the basin.

Opening hours of the paid area

Opening hours of the paid area, from the official site:

• Monday and Friday: 11:30 to 22:00

• Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday: 9:00 to 22:00

• Last entry: 21:00 every day

The city also lists one-off changes for maintenance and public order. For late 2026: entry from 14:00 on 9 and 23 November and on 7 and 21 December; from 11:30 on 24 and 29 December; and from 9:00 on 25 and 28 December. Check the official page before you go, because more dates are added through the year.

Best times: the first hour after opening (9:00 on most days) and the last hour before 21:00 have the shortest queues. Midday and sunset in summer are the busiest. If you can't get in, the view from the piazza is the same fountain, just from further back.

Who gets in free

The official list of exemptions:

• Residents of Rome and the Metropolitan City of Rome, with an ID card

• Children under 6

• People with disabilities and one companion

• Tour guides with a valid badge

• Holders of a valid Roma MIC Card (the card is for Rome residents; tourists can't use it)

You have to show proof at the ticket office, such as a passport for a child's age or ID for residency. Without it, you pay. Some news reports gave different age limits for children before the scheme started. The official rule is under 6, so a 6-year-old needs a €2 (≈ $2.2) ticket.

How to buy a Trevi Fountain ticket

There are three ways to buy, and the price is the same for each:

• Online on the official ticketing site linked from the city's Fontana di Trevi page (fontanaditrevi.roma.it). Use only the link from the official page. Sites selling "Trevi Fountain tours" or "skip-the-line" tickets for much more than €2 (≈ $2.2) are tour operators, not the city.

• In person, cash or card, at Rome's Musei Civici ticket offices, the Tourist Infopoints and partner outlets.

• At the entrance, card only, at the ticket office on Via della Stamperia, at the side of the fountain. There's no cash at this desk.

Tickets are open-dated: there's no date or time slot, so you can buy one in the morning and use it in the evening, or buy several days ahead. They can't be refunded or changed. At the fountain there are two queues: one for people who already have a ticket or are exempt, and one for people buying. On a busy evening the buying queue is the longer one, so buy online first.

Rules at the fountain, and the fines

The rules at the basin were already in force and were not changed by the ticket. The city lists these fines:

• Sitting on the edge of the basin, eating, drinking, smoking, climbing, or letting a dog drink: administrative fine of €40 to €240 (≈ $45–267)

• Bathing or wading in the fountain, or drawing water: fine of €450 (≈ $501)

• Damaging the fountain or its surroundings: a criminal offence, punishable by up to a year in prison or a fine of at least €2,065 (≈ $2,301)

Dogs must be leashed and muzzled, or carried. Municipal police patrol the square. A gelato on the steps, which used to be common, now risks a fine. Eat it in a side street first.

Fitting it into a Rome day

The fountain is about a 10-minute walk from the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps, so you'll probably pass it several times during a stay in central Rome. Since the free view is always available, buy a €2 (≈ $2.2) ticket only for the visit when you want to throw your coin. Late evening, after the day-trip groups leave, is the best time for that.

There's no dress code at the fountain, but many churches nearby require covered shoulders and knees; see what to wear in Italy. If you stop for a drink or meal in the streets around Trevi, read the coperto and tipping guide first. Rome during Holy Week is its own planning challenge; see our Easter 2027 Rome and Vatican guide.

Rome isn't on our own route. Our Italy time in July 2023 was 2 days in Verona, 4 in Bologna and 3 in Venice, covered in the Italy itinerary and our Italy guide. Venice has a different kind of charge, a day-tripper access fee with QR codes; see the Venice access fee guide.

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