Venice Airport Boat

Alilaguna Water Bus

ABOVE: An Alilaguna airport boat approaches San Marco.

Henry James wrote that Venice was best approached by sea. That's still a good rule to follow, even in the airline era--and thanks to the Alilaguna motoscafi from Venice's Marco Polo International Airport, you can heed the novelist's advice for the cost of a local boat ticket.

Alilaguna routes

During the daytime, anywhere from two to five Alilaguna lines may be in operation, depending on the season and Alilaguna's current scheduling whims.

The two main year-round lines are:

Linea Blu or Blue Line (Airport-San Marco Giardinetti), with intermediate stops at Murano Colonna, Fondamenta Nove, the Lido, and San Zaccaria. (Note: A few boats don't stop at San Zaccaria.)

Linea Rossa or Red Line (Airport-Zattere), with intermediate stops at San Marco Giardinetti, Arsenale, Lido, and Murano Museo.

The lines that may or may not be running during your visit include:

Linea Oro or Gold Line (Airport-San Marco Giardinetti), with an intermediate stop at San Zaccaria.

Linea M or M Line (San Marco Giardinetti-Stazione Marittima), for cruise passengers arriving at San Marco Giardinetti from the airport. This boat runs only during the cruise season, and service is sporadic, so check the current Aliliguna timetable just before your arrival in Venice if you need to reach a cruise ship. (See timetable link on page 3).

Linea Arancio or Orange Line (Airport-San Angelo) with intermediate stops at Murano Colonna, Madonna Dell'Orto, Guglie, and Rialto.

• Tip: If all of the above seems confusing, just go to the Alilaguna ticket booth, show the location of your hotel on a map, and let the ticket clerk decide which boat you need to catch.

Fares

Basic adult fares range from 6 to 13 euros, depending on distance, with a top fare of 25 euros for the express Linea Oro boat between the airport and San Marco Giardinetti. You'll pay an extra euro if you buy your ticket on board.

Please note:

• Some versions of the Venice Connected pass (formerly the Venice Card) include Alilaguna airport transportation, but the pricing scheme is so frustrating that you may prefer to simply buy a boat ticket.

• Alilaguna is a separate company from ACTV, the transit authority that runs Venice's public water and land buses. ACTV's Tourist Travel Cards do not cover transportation on Alilaguna airport boats.

For up-to-date airport-boat timetables, fares, and a route map, click the Alilaguna link on page 3 of this article.

• Note: If Alilaguna doesn't stop near your hotel and you don't mind spending double the price of an Alilaguna ticket, a shared transfer by water taxi may be worth considering. See VeniceLink's Airport Link page for details.

Next page: Buying tickets, boarding, luggage

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