Venice Public-Transport

Venice Public-Transport information

Water Buses (Vaporetto)

The waterbus is equivalent to its land based brethren. The service is surprisingly punctual and regular and runs from the early morning until about midnight, when a "nightbus" plies just one of the major routes. Destinations are posted on the front of each boat but all of the vaporetti run to a seemingly arbitrary series of rules that means stops are sometimes missed out or the boat stops short of its terminus. Ask if in doubt. Generally speaking you should buy your ticket before you travel from a Vaporetto kiosk, machine or at a tobacconists (tabacchi). Tickets should be validated in the machine at the entrance to the jetty before you board. Otherwise you have to buy your ticket from the driver when you board, and stump up a surcharge for the privilege. The most useful bus for visitors is the No.1, which runs from Piazza le Roma to Piazza San Marco (St Mark's Square) regularly. Short trips cost EUR3.50. Alilaguna operates a series of lines around the city including direct connections to the airport. Holders of the Venice Card receive disounted travel on the network.

Traghettis

If you merely want to cross the Grand Canal a good option is to use the traghetti - these basic gondola shaped boats ply their trade back and forth across the canal at points between the bridges.

Driving

If you do drive to Venice the route is along the A4 highway and across the Ponte della Libertà over the lagoon to the city. Once in the city you'll have to park up at Piazza le Roma and change to water-based transport.

Rent a Car

For obvious reasons you don't need a car to a great extent in Venice. If you are planning to tour the mainland however there are several car firms that operate out of Venice and its airport. click here to find a great deal on car rentals in Venice.

Taxis

Water taxis operate in exactly the same manner as land-based taxis. You can catch them from dedicated piers located around tourist areas or radio book in advance to be picked up. The Co-operativa San Marco is the governing body that represents all of Venice's water taxis. Call them on Tel: +39 041-522-2303 for any information, or alternatively ask at your hotel. Registered taxis will have a black number on a yellow background emblazoned on the boat. Metered taxis do exist but drivers usually agree a price with their passengers beforehand. Make sure you have at least some idea of how far you're going if you choose this form of transport. Venice's canals are famously disorientating and you can feel you're miles from anywhere only to hop in a taxi and find St Mark's Square just round the corner. Worse still is to spend five minutes in a cab on the canals only to end up on the other side of the square you embarked from - as embarrassing as it is expensive.