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Venice > Transportation > Marco Polo Airport > Boat piers

How to reach the Alilaguna waterbus and water-taxi piers at Venice Marco Polo Airport

It's only a few minutes from the arrivals hall to the boats via moving sidewalks, escalators, and elevators.

Alilaguna airport boat at Venice Marco Polo Airport

ABOVE: An Alilaguna water bus loads passengers at Venice Marco Polo International Airport.


Step-by-step directions:

Public transportation ticket office in Venice Marco Polo Airport

1. Buy your Alilaguna waterbus ticket at the "Public Transportation Tickets" window inside the terminal, near the exit from baggage claim and customs.

Alternatively, you can buy your ticket at an office or from a machine by the piers.

If you need a water taxi, look for the counters labeled "Speed Boat to Venice."

See our Venice airport boats article for more information on Alilaguna, or--if you're planning to use a water taxi--read our article about Venice water taxis.


Sign in Venice Marco Polo Airport for water taxis and Alilaguna airport boats

Water transport sign at VCE

2. Look for a blue sign in the airport's lower lobby that directs you to "Trasporti via acqua / Water transport" and take the escalator upstairs.


Venice Marco Polo Airport - entrance to moving walkway to Alilaguna airport boats and water taxis 

3. Upstairs, on the departures level, follow the signs to a large blue archway labeled "Trasporti via aqua / Water transport." Continue straight ahead to the moving sidewalk that will take you to the piers.


Moving sidewalk at Venice Marco Polo Airport

Escalator at Venice Marco Polo Airport

4. Follow the moving walkway toward the Alilaguna airport-boat and water-taxi piers.

 The signs claim that you can reach the boat in four minutes, but we'd allow a few minutes more.


Escalator to Venice Marco Polo Airport boat piers

Elevators at Venice Marco Polo Airport

5. During your trip by moving sidewalk, you'll need to descend an escalator to the boat piers. (Elevators are available for passengers with wheelchairs, strollers, or bulky luggage.)


Alilaguna ticket office at Venice Marco Polo Airport

6. As you leave the escalator or elevator, you'll enter a large covered lobby by the piers. Here, you'll find another ticket office where you can buy Alilaguna waterbus tickets or arrange private transportation by water taxi. (You can also buy Alilaguna tickets from a vending machine.)


Alilaguna Linea Blu and Linea Rossa signs

Alilaguna Linea Arancio Sign

7. Follow the Alilaguna Linea Blu (Blue Line), Linea Rossa (Red Line), or Linea Arancio (Orange Line) sign to your boat's pier. See the timetables near the ticket office if you aren't sure which waterbus to board.


Waiting for Alilaguna airport boat

8. Wait inside the building, near the pier entrance, until it's time to board. (Depending on the line and time of year, Alilaguna water buses usually depart at 30- to 60-minute intervals.)


Alilaguna Linea Blu boat at Venice Marco Polo Airport

9. In theory, you're supposed to validate your ticket upon boarding. More commonly, the boatman will take your ticket from you, tear it, and hand it back.

The boatman may ask your destination (e.g., "San Marco" or "Rialto"), and if he doesn't, it's a good idea to tell him unless you're getting off at a major stop.


Water taxis:

Water taxi at Venice Marco Polo Airport

Water taxis arrive and depart at numbered piers along the hallway. (The pier in this photo is No. 11.)

When you book a water taxi at a "Speedboats" counter inside the airport, the agent will give you a voucher and tell you the number of the pier where your boat will be waiting.


Also see:
Venice Airport Boats
Venice Water Taxis
Venice Airport Buses
Venice Land Taxis
Venice Marco Polo Airport

About the author:

Durant Imboden photo.Durant Imboden has written about Venice, Italy since 1996. He covered Venice and European travel at About.com for 4-1/2 years before launching Europe for Visitors (including Venice for Visitors) with Cheryl Imboden in 2001.

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