Venice Marco Polo Airport

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ABOVE: A large screen behind the information desk in the departures terminal tells where to check in for your flight.

Leaving at dawn? See:

Early-Morning Flights from Venice
Read our advice on where to spend your last night and how to reach the airport in the morning.

Departure tips

If you take the water bus or a water taxi to the airport, leave the pier and follow the covered walkway to the terminal building. (Free luggage carts are near the boats.) Allow time for walking--the terminal is 7-10 minutes away on foot from the Alilaguna airport boat and water taxi piers.

Inside the departures lobby, you'll find limited seating and long rows of check-in desks to the left and right of the information counter and security gates. Each counter is assigned to a specific flight (shown on an electronic sign above the counter). If you don't see a counter for your flight, don't panic--it simply hasn't opened yet.

Warning: Like most airport terminals, Marco Polo was designed in an era of less intensive security procedures, and both ticketing and security lines can be horrendously slow during busy periods. On one recent Monday in late October, it took us an hour just to check in. We suggest arriving at least two hours before your flight--or even earlier, if you're departing on a weekend or during high season.

Once you get through security, Marco Polo's departures area is quite nice. You'll find bars and cafés, a gelateria, a good assortment of shops, and plenty of seating in an airy, modern, well-lit terminal.

Baggage storage

Look for the deposito bagagli, or left-luggage office, in the arrivals hall. To check hours and prices ahead of time, phone the Cooperativa Trasbagagli at 0412605043 or e-mail info@trasbagagli.it.

Airport Web site

Aeroporto di Venezia Marco Polo
Click the Union Jack for English-language information at the Venice airport's official Web site. If you have questions, see the airport's "Contact us" page.

More about Venice transportation:

Venice Airport Boat
Henry James said Venice was best approached by sea. You can follow his advice for 13 euros.

Venice Airport Buses
Here's how to take the orange ACTV (cheap) or blue ATVO bus (less cheap) to the Piazzale Roma.

Vaporetto Routes
Venice's waterbus system is more Byzantine than St. Mark's Cathedral. This article and route table will make the vaporetti less confusing when you reach the Piazzale Roma or St. Mark's Square.

Ryanair Airport Bus (Treviso-Venice)
If you're flying Ryanair from London, Brussels, Frankfurt/Hahn, or Girona, you'll be arriving at Treviso Airport. Special buses serve passengers on arriving or departing Ryanair flights.

Transavia Airport Bus (Treviso-Venice)
If you're arriving at Treviso Airport from Amsterdam on the airline formerly known as Basiq-Air, here's how to reach Venice.

Back to: Venice Marco Polo Airport