Satellite Map:
Marittima and San Basilio Cruise Terminals

From: Venice for Cruisers

In the map below, you'll see the following landmarks:

• At the top of the photo, the Ponte della Libertà--a road causeway and railroad bridge--connects Venice's historic center with Mestre on the Italian mainland (just under 4 km or 2.5 miles away).

• To the right of the railroad bridge is Santa Lucia Railway Station ("Ferrovia" to the locals).

• The L-shaped grey object toward the left side of the photo is Tronchetto, an island with public parking lots and garages.

• To the right of Tronchetto, in an inverted U below the red marker, is the Stazione Marittima basin, which is surrounded by about half a dozen cruise terminals. Large ships from MSC, Costa, Royal Caribbean, Holland America Line, etc. moor here. Depending on how crowded the port is, small to mid-size ships may also use the Stazione Marittima basin.

• Just around the corner from the opening of the "U," in the entrance to the Giudecca Canal (labeled "Tronchetto-Lido di Venezia"), are the San Basilio cruise terminal and its neighboring Santa Marta pier. This is where you'll normally find small ships from Silversea, Seabourn, Compagnie du Ponant, CroisiEurope. Sometimes, San Basilio/Santa Marta is also used by mid-size ships from cruise lines such as Regent Seven Seas, Oceania, and Azamara.

Now that you've seen the cruise terminals, we suggest zooming out several steps for an overview of the Venetian Lagoon.

• Look for the Giudecca Canal (unlabeled at this zoom setting) between the island of La Guidcecca and Venice's historic center.

• Departing cruise ships travel up the Giudecca Canal, continue through St. Mark's Basin (below the word "Venice" on the map), and follow a dredged deepwater channel to an opening above the Lido di Venezia that connects the Venetian Lagoon with the Adriatic Sea.

• The mainland suburbs of Mestre and Marghera are the left side of the zoomed-out map. At the top, you'll see Venice Marco Polo Airport, which is about 6 km or 4 miles from Venice's city center.