Travel Articles - Venice
Transportation and Parking

Also see the 24 pages of links in my Venice Travel Planner.

General Information

Arriving in Venice
Tips on reaching the city center from Marco Polo airport, the railroad station, and mainland highways.

Piazzale Roma
Venice's car and bus gateway is depressingly ugly, so read my instructions on where to park (if necessary) and how to find a vaporetto or water taxi.

Venice Card
Enjoy unlimited travel on public transportation (including airport boats) plus other benefits such as free use of public toilets, local discounts, and admission to leading museums.

Air Travel/Airport Transportation

Venice Marco Polo Airport
VCE has a new terminal and flights to cities on four continents. Best of all, it's just 6 km (4 miles) from Venice's historic center by boat, taxi, or bus.

Venice Airport Transportation
This article links to several of the articles below and contains other tips for travelers who are arriving at Venice Marco Polo or Treviso Airport.

Alilaguna Airport Boat
Henry James said Venice was best approached by sea. You can follow his advice for the price of a local boat ticket. Also see my article on Water Taxis and my illustrated step-by-step directions to the airport's boat piers.

Venice Airport Buses
Here's how to take the orange ACTV or blue ATVO bus from Venice's Marco Polo International Airport to the Piazzale Roma.

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.

Venice Airport Hotels
Got an early flight or heaps of luggage? Whether you're going to Marco Polo or Treviso airport, pick a hotel that's convenient to transportation.

US Airways Philadelphia-Venice Flights
Daily nonstop flights now connect Philadelphia and Venice's Marco Polo Airport from May through October. (Delta has transatlantic nonstops between JFK and VCE.)

Boat Transportation

Venice Local Transportation
When you hail a taxi, don't step off the curb--and if you chase after a departing bus, make sure you're wearing a lifejacket.

Vaporetto Routes
Venice's waterbus system is more Byzantine than St. Mark's Cathedral. This article and route table will make the vaporetti and motoscafi network less confusing.

Venice Vaporetto and Bus Fares
You'll pay a little more this summer than in past years, and tourist tickets have been supplemented by 1, 3, and 7-day Venice Cards that include airport boat transportation and other perks.

Vaporetto Sights & Sounds
Photos and descriptions of Venice's water buses, plus a sound recording of a vaporetto's arrival and departure.

Traghetto
Unless you're near a bridge, the quickest (and cheapest) way across the Grand Canal is by rowboat. You'll ride in a secondhand gondola for the price of a candy bar.

Water Taxis
Having a chauffeured boat at your disposal is a memorable experience, but the fare can be prohibitive unless you're traveling with family or friends. (Also see my illustrated step-by-step directions to the boat piers at Venice's Marco Polo Airport.)

Gallivanting by Gondola
The price isn't outrageous if you split it among six people. And besides, a gondola ride is no more expensive than a bungee jump back home.

Venice Gondola Serenade Tour
It sounded like kitsch, but floating down a canal with a baritone and a guitarist in the next gondola turned out to be fun--and maybe even a little magical.

Venice Islands Tour
Plan your own day trip to San Michele, Murano, Burano, Mazzorbo, Torcello, and the Lido di Venezia. My 10-page illustrated guide tells how to reach the islands by public transportation or on an escorted tour.

Venice to Chioggia
Chioggia, a busy fishing port at the southern tip of the Venetian lagoon, is an hour and a half from Venice by bus and ferry.

Bridges

Ponte di Calatrava
For the first time in history, a fourth bridge is spanning the Grand Canal.

Cruising

Venice Cruises
This page tells how to reach your cruise ship from the airport and includes links to other articles of interest to cruise passengers.

Venice Cruise Terminal
The Terminal Venezia Passeggeri handles nearly 500 ships and 700,000 cruise passengers per year. Here's what you need to know when departing or arriving by ship.

Venice Cruise Terminal Hotels
My four-page article describes hotels near the Piazzale Roma (for Marittima), San Basilio, and the shuttle pier at San Marco-Vallaresso.

Venice Barge Cruises
Go Barging's La Dolce Vita offers 7-day, 6-night cruises by luxury hotel barge on the Venetian Lagoon and the Brenta Canal.

Venice River Cruises
Uniworld has two ships that cruise in the Venetian Lagoon and the Po River: The classic Venezia and a newer luxury vessel, the River Cloud II.

Parking/Car Ferries

Venice-Lido car ferry
If you're driving to Venice and staying on the Lido, you can reach the island by boat--and take your car with you.

Tronchetto Parking Garage
This is the handiest place to leave your car or camper during a Venice stay, unless you're willing to park on the mainland.

Rail Travel

Venice Santa Lucia Railroad Station
Make sure you get off at the right station, or you'll be stuck in an industrial suburb.

Venice Railroad Station Hotels
If you're in Venice for only a few days, stay at a hotel that you can reach easily on foot from the station--even with heavy luggage.

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