By air to Marco Polo airport
All major airlines fly into Marco Polo Airport (airport code: VCE) - www.veniceairport.it. The airport has a new passenger terminal just North of the city on the Venetian lagoon. When you leave the Customs hall, turn right for the money-exchange window if you need to buy euro, or use the Bancomat (ATM), where you're likely to get a better exchange rate.
Travel from Marco Polo to Venice. The water bus (vaporetto ferries ) do not serve Marco Polo airport. You have the following alternatives -
Alilaguna Ferry to Venice - If you need to go to Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square), you can purchase a Venice airport ferry ticket at the Alilaguna booth in the Arrivals area ( www.alilaguna.it). Alilaguna fares for the normal slow ferries are -
Murano - 6 euros or 3 euros with a Venice Card
Fondamenta Nove/Lido/San Marco/Zattere -12 euros or 6 euros with a Venice Card
Stazione Marittima - 15 euros or 7.50 euros with a Venice Card
or for E 25.00 there is a 'Gold' service that takes 40 mins.
Note that Alilaguna is a private company, so ACTV passes cannot be used on Alilaguna boats or vice versa.
Note that there is quite a walk - a little under 500 yards - (with baggage!) from the Arrivals Hall exit outside to your left through the airport grounds to the boat departure point. Yes they do provide, for most of the time, a long shelter covering but you occasionally end up crossing a road. At busy times there are porters who for a fee will load your baggage on a trolley and push it for you. Its certainly doable independently just be prepared for the hike! If you are disabled, or have heavy luggage you can take a taxi. Sadly the shuttle bus seems to have been discontinued.
Private Water Taxi to Venice - If you're loaded with money and luggage, or if you're traveling in a group, you may want to hire a private water taxi directly to your hotel. These can be booked on arrival at the Consorzio Motoscafi Venezia desk in the Arrivals Hall at Marco Polo. The hire charge includes up to 4 passengers and all their luggage. Extra passengers up to the limit of the water taxi (12 or 16) carry a very small surcharge - the official rate is 1.60 euro. Official water taxi fares are posted on the Venice City Hall website at http://english.comune.venezia.it/news
If the Consorzio Motoscafi Venezia desk is closed you can walk to the landing stage and hire a private water taxi there. Beware. although all water taxis are metered, many drivers will pretend not to have a meter. and may ask extorionate prices. You should not have to pay more than 80 - 110 euro. Be guided accordingly.
Land route to Venice - You can use ACTV buses or ATVO coaches to Piazzale Roma, the end of the road in historic Venice, or to Mestre if your hotel is on the mainland. Fare information and schedules on www.actv.it and www.atvo.it, respectively. If you plan ahead, reserve the Venice Card that gives you unlimited public transportation and additional benefits for 1, 3, or 7 days. Otherwise, if you plan on using Venice local transportation (including both ACTV water buses and land buses) extensively, consider buying an ACTV Travel Card on arrival or at the Ticket Kiosk on any water bus landing stage. ACTV Travel cards can be purchased at Marco Polo airport or at the Ticket Kiosk on any landing stage. They are valid from the time they are first date/time stamped NOT from when purchased. They cost -
- € 14 for a 12-HOUR TRAVELCARD
- € 16 for a 24-HOUR TRAVELCARD
- € 21 for a 36-HOUR TRAVELCARD
- € 26 for a 48-HOUR TRAVELCARD
- € 31 for a 72-HOUR TRAVELCARD
- Individual ACTV tickets are valid for 60 minutes from when stamped for travel in one direction only. They are not return tickets. Single tickets in waterbuses cost 6.50 euro.
By air to Treviso airport
Note that many low-cost airlines (such as Ryanair) use the Treviso airport, about 30 km North of Venice - www.trevisoairport.it. There is a regular ATVO coach service linking this airport with Mestre and Venice (Piazzale Roma). - see www.atvo.it for timetables. The journey from Treviso airport to Piazzale Roma takes around 40 minutes.Tickets cost 6 euros or 10 euros for a return ticket.
An ACTT bus - scheduled service No 6 - takes about 20 minutes to travel from Treviso airport to Treviso station and runs every half hour. There isa good train service to Mestre and to Santa Lucia station In Venice. See www.trenitalia.it for timetables.
Remember that on Sundays and holidays and nights all transportation operates on a different time schedule. This is especially important when taking very early morning flights out of Marco Polo Venice Airport . The Vaporetto ( 6.50 euro per person ) in Venice to Piazzale Roma operates a slightly reduced night schedule from midnight to 5 a.m.but when you get to the bus terminal the ATVO coach only start after 5 AM though the slower ACTV No 5 bus starts at 4.40 a.m., so then you may be forced to take a taxi to the airport at an additional cost in order to arrive on time for your flight . Alternatively, you may just want to pay the 100 - 120 euros for an early morning water taxi to the airport and walk with your bags to the terminal from the dock . You may find that during your stay you will mostly walk and never use the Vaporetto except to arrive and depart .
Vaporetto tickets and travel cards, for 12 to 72 hours, are also available at the ATVO ticket office, and if you buy them here it saves queuing at the ticket office in Piazzale Roma on arrival.
By Train
Trains arrive in Venice at Santa Lucia station. A few stop short at Mestre station on the mainland but for a 1 euro ticket you can take one of the very frequent trains across the causeway over the lagoon into Santa Lucia station. There is a manned left luggage office in the station, to the left of the exit.
Immediately outside the station is the Ferrovia landing stage where several water bus lines call. These will carry visitors all round Venice and on the No 1 or 51/52 water buses also to the Lido. Tickets, including period passes valid for all ACTV water and land buses, can be bought at the Ticket kiosks.
Private water taxis, which are expensive but have the advantage of taking visitors directly to their Hotel, or to the canalside nearest to the Hotel, are available from the private taxi jetty to the left of the Scalzi Bridge. Water taxi drivers do not expect a tip in addition to the hiring charge.
By Cruise ShipAlmost all cruise liners dock in Stazione Marittima. Some cruise lines provide transport from there to Piazzale Roma where water buses or private taxis will carry visitors all over Venice. Otherwise land taxis can be hired to drive as far as Piazzale Roma, which is as far a wheeled traffic can go into Venice. If luggage is light then it is a walk of 500+ yards from Stazione Marittima to Piazzale Roma.
