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.

ABOVE: An Alilaguna airport boat approaches San Marco.

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 main routes are:

Linea Blu or Blue Line (Airport-San Marco-Stazione Marittima), with intermediate stops at Murano Colonna, Fondamenta Nove, Ospedale, Bacini, Lido, Arsenale, San Zaccaria, San Marco, Zattere, and Giudecca (Hilton Molino Stucky) before reaching the Marittima cruise terminal.

Linea Arancio or Orange Line (Airport-San Marco) with intermediate stops at Fondamenta Nove, Madonna Dell-Orto, Guglie, San Stae, Rialto, and Sant'Angelo.

Linea Rossa or Red Line (Airport-Lido), with stops at Murano Museo and the main Lido station (S.M.E.) on its way to Lido Casino.

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

Adult one-way fares range from 8 to 15 euros, depending on distance, with a reduction for roundtrips on some routes. "Time tickets" (24 or 72 hours) are also available.

You'll pay an extra euro if you buy your ticket on board, and you can save a euro or two by booking online.

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

In this article:

Venice airport boat (Alilaguna)

Buying tickets, boarding the boat, and luggage