Colorful buildings along a Venice canal, reflecting vibrant Italian architecture.

Healthcare in Venice

In Venice the ambulance is a boat, and it can only reach the nearest canal. The crew cover the rest on foot. Dial 118, not 112, which still routes via the Carabinieri here.

Healthcare in Venice

Italy's public health service (SSN) runs a fixed co-pay, called a ticket, for specialist visits, tests and prescriptions. For residents and EHIC or GHIC holders, urgent emergency care and hospital admission cost nothing. Your card gives you state care on the same terms as locals, ticket included.

Ospedale Civile Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Castello is the emergency hospital for the historic centre. Its emergency entrance faces the lagoon at Fondamente Nove, beside the ambulance pier and the Ospedale vaporetto stop. Ospedale dell'Angelo in Mestre is the mainland hospital, and San Raffaele Arcangelo in Cannaregio is for rehabilitation, with no ER.

Private blood-draw centres in Mestre take walk-ins for early-morning draws. They sell fixed-price check-up packages without a prescription.

Getting seen as a foreigner in Venice

Call 116 117 for anything urgent that is not an emergency. The 24/7 line includes the out-of-hours GP service, the guardia medica, and serves visitors in the area. It triages you to a doctor instead of sending you to the ER.

Plan your ride home before a night-time discharge. Boats linking the main hospital with the Lido, Giudecca and Pellestrina stop from about 23:30 to 06:30. They also halt in fog and during strikes.

Expect the ambulance crew to reach you on foot. Narrow canals keep the boats away from many doors, so crews stretcher patients through the alleys. In February 2023, low tide forced them to do this across the city.

What healthcare costs in Venice

Public care runs on fixed national tickets, so state prices are predictable. Few private providers in Venice publish prices. Where no city figure exists, each price carries a Veneto or North Italy label instead.

Blood check-up, independent lab (Mestre)$33
Walk-in, no prescription
Lab test packages (Mestre)$29–63
Kidney, thyroid, diabetes, cardiology
ER visit, urgent or admittedFree
SSN and EHIC/GHIC
ER visit, non-urgent (codice bianco)$29 + tests
Older Veneto regional table
SSN ticket, specialist or testsUp to $42
Per prescription, national cap
SSN first specialist visit$29
2025 national tariff
Private GP-type visit$58
Veneto average
Private X-ray$23–81
Veneto price, by area
Dental cleaning$97
North Italy average

Only the lab prices come from Mestre; other private figures are Veneto or North Italy averages.

Pharmacies

Pharmacies show a green cross. The provincial pharmacists' order sets a duty rota that changes, and every pharmacy posts the current one on its door. Parafarmacie sell over-the-counter products only and run no duty service. An EU prescription is valid in Italian pharmacies if it is on paper and names the generic medicine. E-prescriptions usually do not work across borders. A medicine may sell under another name in Italy, or may not be authorised here.

Health tips

Common visitor health risks in Venice

Wet bridges, slow rescue

Stepped bridges and wet stone invite falls. Help comes by boat, then on foot, so allow for delay.

West Nile mosquitoes

The Veneto had 33 severe West Nile cases in 2025. Use repellent at dusk in the warm months.

Heat in crowded alleys

Packed bridges and alleys hold the heat. Carry water and rest in shade at midday.

Fountain refills, mains water

Public fountains run on mains water. Some are shut during droughts, so carry a full bottle.

Emergency

Emergency number: 118

118 reaches the ambulance service directly. 112 routes via the Carabinieri until about 2028.

Italian first, English varies

Expect Italian on 118 and in clinics. English depends on who answers; no official source confirms English-speaking staff.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Lido have its own hospital?

No. The Lido hospital closed in 2003, and the island now has only a minor-emergency point. For anything serious, call 118.

What does a non-urgent ER visit cost in Venice?

For residents and EHIC or GHIC holders, urgent cases and admissions pay nothing. A non-urgent white code costs €25 plus a specialist ticket for any tests, according to an older Veneto table. Children under 14 are exempt from the €25 fee.

Is there a tourist doctor service in Venice?

No. The €25 tourist-visit fee that appears online belongs to Comacchio, a resort in Emilia-Romagna. In Venice, call 116 117 for out-of-hours GP care.

Sources

  1. [1] Padova24ore, NUE 112 in Veneto
  2. [2] Regione Veneto, 116117 launch at ULSS 3 Serenissima
  3. [3] AULSS 3 Serenissima, Numero 116117
  4. [4] Europe for Visitors, Venice ambulances and hospital emergency room
  5. [5] Il Post, Venezia e la bassa marea
  6. [6] Comune di Venezia, Council answer on night boats from the Ospedale Civile
  7. [7] Comune di Venezia, Council question on the Ospedale al Mare
  8. [8] VisitLido, ULSS 3 Serenissima Lido health district
  9. [9] QSalute, Ospedale San Raffaele Arcangelo
  10. [10] Comacchio, Guardia medica turistica 2026
  11. [11] GOV.UK, Healthcare in Italy
  12. [12] Quotidiano Sanità, Ticket pronto soccorso regione per regione
  13. [13] Money.it, Ticket pronto soccorso, quanto e quando si paga
  14. [14] Quotidiano Sanità, Ticket specialistica ambulatoriale by region
  15. [15] Altroconsumo, Nuovi ticket sanitari
  16. [16] QuiFinanza, Family Doc, medico di famiglia a pagamento
  17. [17] Istituto Piave, Punto prelievi
  18. [18] Cup24, Radiografia a Solesino
  19. [19] Money.it, Pulizia e sbiancamento denti, quanto costano
  20. [20] Your Europe, Prescriptions abroad
  21. [21] Torrinomedica, Farmacie a Venezia
  22. [22] Torrinomedica, Parafarmacie a Venezia
  23. [23] ISS EpiCentro, West Nile bulletin 2025 no. 13
  24. [24] Veritas, Water brochure
  25. [25] MeteoWeb, Venice fountains closed in the 2022 drought
  26. [26] Banca d'Italia, ECB reference rates 16 September 2026

More cities in Italy

Health guides for Italy

Country guide