If you've read our Venice Vaporetto and Bus Fares article, you know that single waterbus fares for tourists are outrageous: They're nearly six times the fares paid by local residents and long-term sojourners.

Fortunately, the ACTV--Venice's local transit authority--offers Tourist Travel Cards that can reduce the financial pain of riding the city's vaporetti and motoscafi. These electronic cards allow unlimited travel on ACTV water and land buses for 12 hours, 24 hours, 36 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, or 7 days, depending on which version you buy.

(Also, a 3-day "Young Person's Travel Card" for tourists between the ages of 14 and 29 is available in combination with the Rolling Venice Card. It's a good value, especially if you're staying at the Venice Hostel on Giudecca.)

ACTV Tourist Travel Card ACTV tourist ticket

ABOVE: The front and back of an ACTV Tourist Travel Card.

Here's our advice on using ACTV's Tourist Travel Cards:

Don't buy more time than you need. Venice is compact and pedestrian-friendly, so you shouldn't need to ride the vaporetto very often unless you're visiting outlying islands (such as the Lido, Murano, Burano, and Torcello) or have limited mobility.
Consolidate your excursions. For example, if you're planning to visit Murano's glass factories and take a ride up the Grand Canal, buy a 12-hour Tourist Travel Card and make both trips in the same day.
Follow the card's instructions. When you're riding a water bus, hold the card close to the iMob electronic cardreader at the entrance to the vaporetto platform until you hear a beep. On land buses, the iMob device is usually inside the bus.
Be aware of the card's limitations. ACTV Tourist Travel Cards are not valid on ATVO airport buses or Alilaguna airport boats.

Other tips:

The clock doesn't start ticking on your Tourist Travel Card until you scan it the first time, so you can buy the card before you plan to use it.
You can check how much time is left on your card by holding it up to the iMob reader and pressing the "?" button.)

For current ACTV Tourist Travel Card prices, see our Venice Water and Bus Fare Tables.

Other tips:

The imob or CartaVenezia fare discount card can be a great bargain if you're staying in Venice for a while or plan to visit the city again in the next several years. (It used to be for residents only but is now available to visitors.)
The city of Venice offers a product called "Venice Connected" (formerly the Venice Card) that combines unlimited public transportation with an a la carte menu of options such as public toilets and museum admissions. See our Venice Connected article for details.

Also see:

Vaporetto Water Buses - Basic Information

Venice Vaporetto and Bus Fares

Venice Vaporetto Routes

Venice Transportation Index

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Hotel Advice:

Location can be important in a car-free city with 400+ bridges, especially when you're walking with luggage. Before you book, see:

Hotel Recomendations by Area
Find hotels that are handy to the airport, railroad station, cruise port, or Piazza San Marco, and in Mestre.

Aerial Venice Hotels
Read our tips on choosing the right sestiere or district. Then view individual hotels and their surroundings in large satellite photos and aerial close-ups.

MSC cruise ship in Venice

Venice for Cruisers:

Venice canal reflections

From our Venice Travel Blog:

A water taxi ride to Venice Airport
A warning about water taxis
Venice Railroad Station: a vaporetto view
Long lines at Venice Airport
Free boat trips to Murano
Need to pee? Prepare to pay
Crime in Venice
The perils of overpacking
Venetian daily life

Maggie in Venice

From Maggie in Venice:

A dog's life in Venice
A Beagle boards a water bus
Maggie in Venice video clips