Venice ACTV vaporetto water buses

by Durant Imboden

Updated November 10, 2024

In Venice's centro storico or historic center, which is made up of more than 100 islands, water buses are the equivalent of buses and subways on dry land.

ACTV, the public-transportation authority in Venice, operates vaporetti and other water buses around the clock, with a fleet of 150 boats and routes that extend into the far corners of the Venetian Lagoon.

Venice is a small city, and you can walk nearly to nearly any street, square, monument, or hotel within the historic center in 30 minutes or less. Still, there are times when you'll want to take a water bus, such as:

If you're staying outside the center on an island such as the Lido di Venezia or La Giudecca (site of the Venice Hostel);
When you want to visit the islands of the Lagoon, including the glassmaking island of Murano;
When you want to spend 45 minutes or so cruising up or down the Grand Canal on the No. 1 vaporetto line;
When you're tired after a day's sightseeing and you're willing to pay a premium for a ride back to the neighborhood where you're staying.

In this article, we'll describe the different types of vaporetti, motoscafi, and motonavi in Venice's ACTV fleet.

We'll also tell you how to board and use the boats, how to avoid crowds during high season and holiday weekends, and what you need to know before boarding a water bus with luggage.

For even more information (including routes, fares, and tourist passes), please click the links in the "Also see" menu below.

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ACTV boat types: vaporetto, motoscafo, motonave

No 1 vaporetto passenger compartment

ABOVE: The passenger cabin of a No. 1 vaporetto on the Grand Canal.

Venice's ACTV transit authority has four main categories of passenger boats. You'll encounter the first two types, vaporetti and motoscafi, on rides within the city center:

Vaporetto

No 1 vaporetto under Rialto Bridge

The word "vaporetto" is often used to mean any kind of ACTV water bus, but officially, the term refers to flat-decked, single-level vessels such as the boats on Line 1 (Grand Canal to Lido) and Line 2 (Grand Canal and Giudecca Canal).

These vaporetti are fully accessible by wheelchairs, strollers, baby buggies, and wheeled luggage, and there are no steps between the entrance and the passenger cabin.

The boats also have large open spaces in the center, by the boarding area, where passengers can stand and enjoy the fresh air. A small open seating area is in the stern, behind the cabin.

On older vaporetti, seating is also available in the bow. (Bow seats have been eliminated on newer boats, since clueless passengers often stand up and and block the captains' view.)

The average capacity of a vaporetto is 230 passengers. Some readers have asked if these standard vaporetti have toilets. The answer is "No."

Motoscafo

ACTV motoscafo

Motoscafi are more streamlined and protected from the elements than vaporetti are, with fore and aft passenger cabins that are recessed in the hull.

They're used on routes such as the 4.1/4.2 and 5.1/5.2, which travel outside the sheltered waters of the Grand Canal, Giudecca Canal, and St. Mark's Basin.

In recent years, motoscafi have been redesigned with space for wheelchairs on the entrance decks. Steps lead down to the passenger cabins, where views are limited by the high, narrow windows.

The average capacity of a motoscafo is 160 passengers.

Motoscafi do not have toilets.

Motonave (single deck)

ACTV Linea LN motonave

On a handful of lines such as the Linea 12 route to Murano, Burano, and more distant points in the Venetian Lagoon, ACTV runs single-deck motonavi (motorships) that look like wide-bodied vaporetti.

The wheelchair-accessible boats have large twin-aisle cabins, a few open-air seats in the stern, and capacities of up to 600 passengers. Unlike conventional water buses, these larger boats have toilets, although the toilets weren't working the last time we checked because they didn't comply with new environmental regulations.

Alilaguna, a company that runs a scheduled airport-boat service between Marco Polo Airport and Venice, uses similar motonavi on some of its busier routes.

Motonave (double deck)

ACTV double-deck motonave

Double-decked motonavi operate between Venice S. Zaccaria Pietà (near the Piazza San Marco), the Lido, and commuter suburbs in the northern reaches of the Venetian Lagoon. The wheelchair-accessible ships can carry up to 1,200 passengers.

Note: All of the passenger boats shown above are operated by ACTV, and all use the same fares and tickets. (Different fares apply to ACTV car ferries.) The boats have Turkish-style squat toilets that have been shut down for pollution reasons until further notice.

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Traveling by water bus

Beagle on an ACTV vaporetto

ABOVE: A beagle enjoys the view from a No. 2 vaporetto.

Riding a vaporetto, motoscafo, or motonave in Venice isn't any more complicated than riding a subway or city bus. (Unfortunately, it's quite a bit more expensive, as you'll see when you read our Vaporetto Fares article.)

Here's what you need to know before traveling on a public water bus:

1. Look for an ACTV stop.

San Marco ACTV stop

ACTV waterbus stops are shown on most Venice maps, and you'll often see signs pointing to vaporetto stops when you're walking around the city. The stops are easy to recognize by their yellow-and-white floating platforms.

Note: Be sure that you're at a stop for the line that you want to take. At larger stops, which have multiple platforms, look for signs that indicate boat numbers and direction of travel (e.g., No. 1 toward San Marco or Piazzale Roma).

2. Buy a ticket or pass.

ACTV biglietteria at San Marco Vallaresso

You can buy waterbus tickets or an 24-hour to 7-day ACTV Tourist Pass from any ACTV/Hellovenezia biglietteria (ticket booth) or from the ACTV ticket machines at larger boat stops. Alternatively, you can use the new "Tappy" electronic ticket readers to pay fares on the spot by scanning your credit or debit card.

ACTV ticket machine

Another (and more expensive) option is to buy a Venezia Unica city pass (tourist version), which offers additional services such as city museums and public toilets.

If you plan to be in Venice for more than a few weeks during the next five years and expect to use public transportation often, the Venezia Unica city pass (long-term version)--which allows you travel at cheap resident fares--may be worth the hefty upfront fee.

3. Validate your ticket.

At every ACTV stop, you'll see an electronic ticket reader near the entrance to the floating boat platform. Hold your ticket or pass against the ticket reader and wait approximately 1.5 seconds for a green light to flash. This is important, since travel without a validated ticket can lead to a 60-euro fine.

At an increasing number of boat stops, you'll also encounter gates or turnstiles that are locked until you've swiped your ticket.

If you don't have a ticket and there's no booth or machine at the ACTV stop, read this and proceed at your own risk.

Tip: Look for a boat timetable near the ticket reader.

4. Cross the walkway to the platform.

Walkway to ACTV floating platform

Be sure to enter the waiting area (not the exit, which is usually marked with a red-and-white "no entry" symbol).

Note: ACTV platforms float up and down with the tides, which means the platform and the boat are on the same level. This makes water buses easier to board than water taxis, especially if you're traveling with a wheelchair, stroller, or wheeled suitcase.

5. Wait for the water bus.

ACTV waiting area

When the water bus arrives, stay behind the yellow line until disembarking passengers are off the boat and the sailor indicates that you can board.

(At major stops, Venetians are given priority over visitors, despite paying only a sixth of the normal tourist fare.)

Note: You won't need to show your validated ticket or pass unless an inspector asks to see it.

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