Venice
> Transportation > Alilaguna airport boats
Venice's Alilaguna Airport Boats
Alilaguna water buses run from
Marco Polo Airport to Venice's historic center, the island of Murano, the Lido
di Venezia, and Giudecca.
ABOVE: An Alilaguna Orange Line airport boat
exits the Grand Canal near the Piazza San Marco. In the background, a Blue Line
boat is at the San Marco Giardinetti waterbus station.
By
Durant Imboden
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.
Alilaguna routes
During the daytime, two or three Alilaguna lines
may be in operation, depending on the season and Alilaguna's current scheduling
whims. The main routes are shown below. (Click the links for station
descriptions, photos, and local hotel information.)
-
Linea Blu or Blue Line,
with stops at
Murano Colonna,
Fondamente Nove,
Ospedale,
Bacini,
Certosa,
Lido S.M.E.,
Arsenale,
San Zaccaria,
San Marco Giardinetti,
Zattere, and
Giudecca
Stucky.
-
Linea Arancio or Orange Line,
with
stops at Fondamente Nove (night only),
Madonna Dell'Orto,
Guglie, San Stae,
Rialto, Sant'Angelo,
Ca' Rezzonico, and
the end station of
Santa Maria del Giglio. (This is
the line to use if you're staying along the Grand Canal.)
-
Linea Rossa or Red Line,
a seasonal route with
that connects the airport with the glassmaking island of
Murano,
Venice's Lido beach
resort, and the Piazza San Marco
district in central Venice.
-
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.
The fare includes transportation of one suitcase and
one piece of hand luggage. Extra bags cost 3 euros each.
If you have a VeneziaUnica
stored-value card for residents and long-term visitors,
show it when buying your ticket to receive a discount.
ABOVE: One of Alilaguna's newer flat-bottomed
airport boats travels along the Giudecca Canal in Venice.
Please note:
-
Some versions of the
VeneziaUnica tourist pass (formerly
VeniceConnected) include Alilaguna airport
transportation, but you may find it simpler just to buy a boat ticket.
-
Alilaguna is a separate company from ACTV, the transit
authority that runs Venice's public water and land buses.
ACTV one- to seven-day travel
tickets do
not cover transportation on Alilaguna airport boats.
For up-to-date airport-boat timetables, fares, and a route map,
click the Alilaguna link below.
ABOVE: Passengers board an Alilaguna water bus at
Venice Marco Polo International Airport.
Buying Alilaguna tickets and boarding boats
Click the Alilaguna link below for
current timetables. (Most routes operate at one-hour intervals, but you
can kill time in the café by the pier if you've
got a long wait for the next boat.)
 Normally,
you buy your tickets at the Alilaguna booth by the pier. (The
public-transportation counter in the arrivals terminal also sells Alilaguna
tickets.) If the ticket booth is closed, or if there's a line, use the 24/7
ticket machines. -
Remember to validate your ticket before boarding the boat if the boatman
doesn't punch it and an electronic
ticket reader is available (as it will be at Venice Marco Polo Airport). If
the waterbus stop doesn't have a ticket reader, the Alilaguna boatman will
check your ticket.
A note about luggage
When you board the boat, the conductor may ask your destination
and stow youe suitcase for you. At the end of the ride, grab your bag and take
it ashore. (In some cases, the crew may transfer luggage to the pier.)
Alilaguna and ACTV boat schedules
Alilaguna
Check the airport boat's site for current timetables, fares, a route
map, and other
information. (Please note that Alilaguna also operates a variety of non-airport
boats, so just focus your attention on the Blue, Orange, and Red lines.)
ACTV
Venice's public transportation system offers route maps, timetables, and
other water and land bus information online. (Please note that ACTV is a
separate operation from Alilaguna, with its own tickets and fares.)
ABOVE: An Alilaguna Linea Blu airport boat arrives at
the Bacini waterbus stop.
Related articles:
Directory of ACTV and
Alilaguna Stops
Our guide has dedicated pages with maps, photos, and
other information for 76 waterbus stations in Venice and the Venetian
Lagoon--including the Alilaguna
and water-taxi piers at Marco Polo Airport.
Hotels near
Alilaguna Stops
With this page from our Venice Hotel Directions
guide, you can find hotels (with maps and walking directions) for any
Alilaguna airport-boat route and stop.
Venice Marco Polo
Airport
VCE has a large, modern terminal building and flights to cities on four continents. Best of all,
it's just 6 km (4 km) from Venice's historic center by boat, taxi, or bus.
How to Reach
the Alilaguna Waterbus and Water-Taxi Piers
Our step-by-step directions
for arriving airline passengers
include photos and useful tips.
Venice Airport Buses
If you decide against the boat, here's how to take the ACTV city bus or ATVO
airport bus to the Piazzale Roma.
Arriving in Venice
Tips on reaching the city center from the railroad station and mainland highways,
together with abridged information on the airport boat.
About the author:
 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.
PC Magazine has called this "the premier visitors'
site for Venice, Italy." Over the years, it has helped more than 30 million
travelers. For more information, see About our site,
our Europe for Visitors
press clippings,
and
our reader testimonials.
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