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Venice > Local transportation > Vaporetto tickets

Buying Vaporetto Tickets

How (and where) to buy tickets and passes for ACTV public water buses in Venice, Italy.

ACTV ticket machine, Venice, Italy.

ABOVE: ACTV workers service a ticket machine at Fondamente Nove.

Also see:

Venice's vaporetti or water buses are operated by ACTV, the local transit authority. To ride them, you'll need a single-fare ticket, an ACTV all-day or multi-day ticket, a VeneziaUnica tourist pass, or--for extended stays--the VeneziaUnica stored-value pass for frequent users.

Most visitors buy ACTV single-fare tickets  or multi-day passes. (The latter offer better value than the standard ticket, if you plan  your boat trips to maximize your savings during the 24-hour to 7-day validity of your travel card.)


ACTV vaporetto tickets.

ABOVE: Single-journey vaporetto tickets have magnetic stripes. To validate a ticket, hold it against the vaporetto station's ticket reader until you hear a "beep" and see a light flash green.


Here are several ways to buy tickets and passes:

ACTV or Hellovenezia ticket outlets

Fermata ACTV - S Zaccaria

You'll find a biglietteria or "ticket point" at most larger vaporetto stations, such as Piazzale Roma, Ferrovia (along the water by the railroad station), Rialto, San Marco Vallaresso, and Zaccaria (on the waterfront above the Piazza San Marco and the Doge's Palace).

ACTV ticket vending machines

ACTV ticket machine sign

Touch-screen machines are available in many ACTV stations, either to replace manned booths or to provide backup at busy times or after hours.

For illustrated step-by-step instructions on how to use the machines, see our ACTV Ticket Machines article.

Also see our Directory of ACTV and Alilaguna Waterbus Stops for information about stops that have ticket booths and/or ticket machines.

Tobacconists and newsstands

Tobacco shops, called tabaccherie, are small stores that sell lottery tickets, phone cards, candy, small toys, and other items--including ACTV tickets. Waterbus tickets and passes are also available at many newsstands.

Chat & Go (WhatsApp)

ACTV 'Easy Chat and Go' sign.

If you're a WhatsApp user, you can scan a QR code at any ACTV stop or add a number to your contacts list to purchase electronic tickets via WhatsApp. See the official Chat & Go page for details.

AVM Venezia app

This official app lets you buy and validate tickets with your Android or iOS smartphone. But read our AVM Venezia app article before taking the plunge.

  • Tip: The old cardboard ACTV tickets have been replaced by rechargeable tickets or biglietti ricaricabili. If you pay for two or three tickets at a newsstand or ACTV ticket counter and you're handed only one biglietto, don't worry--several fares are stored on the ticket, and you can present it for recharging when you want to buy more fares.

For more information about riding Venice's water buses, please see:

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About the author:

Durant Imboden photo.Durant Imboden has written about Venice, Italy since 1996. He covered Venice and European travel at About.com for 4-1/2 years before launching Europe for Visitors (including Venice for Visitors) with Cheryl Imboden in 2001.

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