A tourist couple was kicked out of Venice after attempting to illegally swim in the city's famous canals last week, according to city officials.

The travelers, a 35-year-old British citizen and 25-year-old Romanian citizen, were "caught diving into the waters of the Grand Canal and the Rio di San Vidal" near the British Consulate, the city said in a news announcement.

Shortly after the tourists jumped into the canal, gondoliers at the nearby San Vidal station notified the local police, who arrived at the scene along with a service boat to remove them.

Bathing in the canals is prohibited "to preserve urban cleanliness and landscape, and also for reasons of safety and public hygiene," according to city regulations. Offenders are also banned from the area where they broke the law.

Residing in Britain, the couple was fined a total of €450 each (about $529) and ordered to leave the historic center for 48 hours. Their Venetian vacation ended immediately, the announcement continued.

The Venice City Police did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.

"I thank the gondoliers for their cooperation and the timely reporting, which allowed our local police to intervene immediately," said Venice's Security Councilor Elisabetta Pesce in a statement. "The city administration is committed to firmly combating disrespectful and uncivilized behavior, because protecting Venice means defending the dignity of a unique city and ensuring the dignity of both residents and visitors."

This isn't the first time a traveler has tried to swim in Venice's canals. In 2023, police searched for a man after a video on social media showed him jumping off a building's rooftop into the water.

Since the start of 2025, the lagoon city said it has issued over a thousand eviction orders to visitors violating the city's regulations. Venice City Police Deputy Commander Gianni Franzoi told CNN that unruly visitors are a result of the city's struggle with overtourism, with an increase in incidents.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Floating City has been in a years-long battle against overtourism, including becoming the first city to introduce a day tripper fee and limiting tourist groups in 2024. Earlier this year, residents fought against private developers so that the island of Poveglia would continue to be open to all visitors.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tourists banned from Venice after illegally diving into canal

Reporting by Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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