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San Marco Square - Photo © James Lawson
Venice: Getting in and around
Because Venice is on a lagoon, the water plays a crucial role in
transportation. The most popular way to approach Venice is by boat or train.
Getting in By plane
The closest airport is Marco Polo (ICAO: LIPZ), on the mainland near Mestre (a more
typical Italian city, without Venice's unique structure).
There is another
airport in Treviso, very small and 40 km (25 mi) from Venice.
Both airports have bus connections with Venice (Piazzale Roma), Mestre,
Padua and other towns.
Marco Polo airport runs a shuttle bus to the
Alilaguna water-bus jetty where €10 gets you a leisurely 1-hour boat trip to
San Marco via Murano, Lido and the Arsenale.
Or take the cheaper boat (€6)
to Fondamente Nuove which takes only half an hour. Alternatively you can
travel in style (and much faster) by hiring one of the speedy water-taxis
for about €80.
Getting in By train
Trains from the mainland run through Mestre and to
the Santa Lucia train station on the west side of Venice (make sure you
don't get confused with Venezia Mestre which is the last stop on the
mainland!). From here, water buses (vaporetti) or water taxis can take you
to hotels or other locations on the islands.
Getting in By car
Cars can arrive in Venice, but are left on the parking at the entrance to
the city (Piazzale Roma or Tronchetto - Europe's largest car park.) Car
parking is expensive here and the tailbacks can be quite large, an
alternative is to use the car parks on the mainland (terra ferma) and catch
a vaporetto or bus into Venice. A good idea is to park near the Mestre railway
station and catch a train to Venezia S.Lucia; there are many trains, it is
very near (8-10 minutes) and quite cheap. Besides, Venezia S.Lucia is a good
starting point to visit Venezia.
Getting in By rental car
Most of the major rental car companies have outlets at Piazzale Roma, at
the edge of the city. These are on the ground floor of one of the major
parking stations. When you are dropping off your car, you need to find
street parking and then walk to the hire car outlet and hand in the keys. Do
not park in the parking station! There is a vaporetto stop across the road
from the parking station.
Getting in By bus
The Piazzale Roma bus station is well served by vaporetti and
water-taxis.
Getting in By boat
Ships arrive at the Stazione Marittima which is at the west end of
the main islands, it is served by vaporetti and water taxis.
Vaporetto stop - Photo © Toni Blay
Getting around
Venice is a very walkable city, and the absence of cars makes it - mostly
- a pleasant experience. The Rialtine islands - the 'main' part of Venice -
are small enough to walk from one end to the other in about an hour.
If you want to get around a bit more quickly, there are numerous
vaporetti (water buses) and water taxis.
The vaporetti are generally the
best way to get around, even if the service route map changes frequently. If
you are going to be in Venice for a few days visiting, it is a lot cheaper
to get the vaporetti than to get private water taxis. If you want to have a
romantic ride along the canals take a gondola ride.
ACTV runs the vaporetti and other public transport services both in the
lagoon and on the terra firma. 1 day, 3 day and 7 day Venice Cards are
available, in two variations (Blue and Orange). The basic Blue cards provide
unlimited travel on the ACTV travel services (vaporetti, motoscafi and
buses) and free use of the AMAV staffed toilets. The Orange card also
provides free entrance to some of the museums (those covered by the Museum
Card). Note that neither card includes the Alilaguna water-bus which serves
Marco Polo airport unless you pay a surcharge.
Travel cards are extremely
useful since the basic fare for one vaporetto journey is typically €5.00
whereas 1 day Blue cards cost €14, 3 day costs €29 and 7 day €51 (prices
correct December 2004). There are cheaper 1 and 3 day ACTV travel tickets
available (€12 and €25) but these are pure travel cards and offer no
discounts or other goodies (like a free map and case) which come with the
Venice Cards. Discounts on many of these cards are available for the under
€30 or by buying online, it pays to look around.
Otherwise, take a walk! The city is not that big, and you can walk from
one end to the other in a few hours, and along the way discover the
marvelous art and architecture around every corner.
Text content is available from Wikitravel under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0.
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