The 2023 vaporetto network map for Venice shows all the city’s public ACTV water-bus routes and stops, as well as the Alilaguna lines from Marco Polo Airport, and lines to the Lido and other islands. You can open and save the pdf map to your phone or download and print it. The map is updated frequently, so beware of older versions!
For a precise location of each vaporetto stop, take a look at the street map of Venice. For timetables and passes, see below.
How do I get from Marco Polo airport to my accommodation in Venice?
An easy way to work out the best public transport route from Marco Polo Airport to your hotel or apartment is to use our route finder. Enter your destination in the box and you’ll see details of public transport options by land and water as well as links to privately run airport shuttle buses.
An alternative to land and water buses is a water taxi all the way to – or close to – your destination in the city. Water taxis are expensive unless you’re travelling in a group, but a shared water taxi works out much cheaper. Shared water taxis need to be arranged in advance.
Timetables and further information
Here’s a link to vaporetto timetables. Further information about public transport on water and land in and near Venice is on the websites of actv.it and veneziaunica.it.
Public transport passes
Vaporetto tickets are very expensive for non-residents of Venice (9.50 Euros for a one-way ride in 2023). So a transport pass may save money if you plan to use water-buses a lot.
Advice and reviews
If you have questions about public transport or any aspect of travel to or in Venice, we recommend Tripadvisor’s Venice Travel Forum, which supplies answers from experienced travelers and local residents – usually within hours! It’s well worth consulting their reviews of hotels and restaurants too.
Featured image at top of page by Marc Ryckaert (MJJR) [CC BY 3.0],
I’ve been spending days trying to figure out a step-by-step guide (for me) to get from the airport to St. Marks Square. Here is what I have. Please let me know if you disagree with any of this.
Thank you.
(1) Airport to Piazzale Roma via land bus:
Venice Marco Polo International Airport is on the Italian mainland at Tessera, just north of Venice. Piazzale Roma is the main automotive point of entry into Venice’s historic center. At the airport, purchase your ticket from the blue machines inside the airport near the baggage claim area, or just near there outside of the Arrivals Hall near the pickup point at the end of the walkway. Look for the bus marked “P.le Roma”. *You will need Euro bills to purchase your ticket. *Remember to validate your ticket in the yellow machine near the bus stop. Two different bus routes are available, and both are inexpensive:
-ATVO bus to Piazzale Roma city terminal leaves from the platforms outside the arrival hall. ATVO, a regional bus company, has comfortable coaches with room for your luggage beneath the passenger compartment. Buses run nonstop between the airport and Piazzale Roma. The drive takes approx. 20 min.
***It is also possible to purchase a one way Bus+Vaporetto ticket for the bus to Piazzale Roma and a one way vaporetto trip within a total of 90 minutes at a cost of €12.00.***
-ACTV bus n5 to Piazzale Roma city terminal leaves from the platforms outside the arrival hall. ACTV, the Venice public-transit agency, operates the Linea 5 “Aerobus” to Piazzale Roma, with local stops along the two-lane road from Mestre. The drive takes approx. 25 minutes.
*NOTE* Taking the ATVO bus back to the airport from the Piazzale Roma is somewhat trickier, only because so many buses arrive at any given time and finding the one marked for the airport is not always easy. We had to ask several drivers before we found the ATVO bus (I think it is painted green). (Area Bay D2.) Tickets may be purchased at the ATVO Terminal office across from the Piazzale Roma or from machine outside of the office.
(1-A) Piazzale Roma to San Marco Giardinetti stop via Vaporetti (water bus #1?):
After arriving at the Piazzale Roma, look for the Hellovenezia office, which is a tile-roofed building near the tree-lined side of the square and the modern Calatrava Bridge. It sells tickets for public water buses (vaporetti) and land buses, along with Tourist Travel Cards (12 hours to 7 days) for longer visits.
If the lines at the Hellovenezia office are long, bypass them by purchasing your transit tickets at the newsstand in the middle of the square. This is also a good place to buy tickets for ATVO airport buses.
After you’ve bought your tickets, walk down the steps on either side of the small garden near the ACTV office to reach the landings for water buses and water taxis. (Vaporetti or water buses are far less expensive than water taxis, although the latter may be convenient if your hotel is on a side canal and you can split the fare with other members of a group).
**Once you’ve bought your ticket, don’t forget to validate it in the machines available at each vaporetto station just before you walk the plank toward the canal and the vaporetto.**
(2) Airport to Piazzale Roma via WATER bus (Note that the waterbus services that run to and from the airport are operated by a different company (Alilaguna) than the other public waterbus services in Venice, so separate tickets will be required):
When you’ve claimed your baggage and obtained a free luggage cart, go to the money-exchange window and buy euros. Better yet, use the Bancomat (ATM), where you’re likely to get a better exchange rate.
Next, follow the signs outside the terminal doors to the Alilaguna water bus (perhaps, also in the arrivals area). Purchase a Venice airport boat ticket to the Piazza San Marco Giardinetti. Alilaguna fares for the ‘normal’ ferries, which take about 1 hour 20 minutes to reach San Marco via Murano Colonna and the Lido on the Blu line, or slightly less time on the “Arancio” (Orange) line via the Grand Canal are – Murano – € 7 or – All Venice stops/Lido/Stazione Marittima – € 15.
Turn left on leaving the terminal and walk 10 minutes along the covered walkway to the boat jetty (A direct waterbus from the airport may be more convenient than taking the bus to the bus station and then changing to the local waterbus). Take the water taxi or water bus to San Marco Giardinetti boat platforms (Alilaguna airport boats use this stop). Alilaguna water-bus costs €15 for a leisurely 75 minute boat trip. Take the A (orange) or O (gold) lines to get to the San Marco Giardinetti stop.
• Alilaguna water Bus to Venice city centre (St. Mark’s Square). The boats leave from the pier (darsena). The ride takes approx. 1h.15m.
(2-A) AirportLink:
This is a recently introduced service provided by Alilaguna. It is NOT a private water taxi. It is an exclusive shared boat service from Venice Marco Polo Airport to the major point of interests in Venice centre.
The price is €27 per person. This is a shared launch and not an exclusive water taxi so a minimum of 2 passengers are required and the launch may wait for as much as 40 minutes to fill up. Nevertheless you can enjoy a water transfer across the lagoon to near to your hotel. But the launch may well be making stops at other traveler’s destinations as it is a shared service. It is faster than the normal Alilaguna ferry once you have finally departed at a little more than the Alilaguna public lines’ price. You reach central Venice in just 30 minutes!
Airport Link service is not a private water taxi, so it usually stops nearby to the hotels, one by one, depending on the ultimate destinations of your fellow travellers. If you need to reach the private pier of your hotel without intermediate stops, do consider a transfer by private water taxi.
(3) Walking Around:
Be aware that addresses in Venice are of the form DISTRICT NUMBER (The Venetian word for district is “Sestriere”), not STREET NUMBER. To find a specific place using a map, make sure you know which district it is in. The numbers are assigned at the start of the district and increase as they move farther away from the Grand Canal.
Finding your way back to your hotel is easy. Simply look for the street sighs that say the name of your final destination (They have arrows pointing the way you should follow).
Michel, your research is a good summary of the options for getting from Marco Polo Airport to San Marco. Just a couple of corrections/clarifications:
Your paragraph 1A: –
Vaporetto line 1 currently stops at San Marco Valarresso, which is very close (50 metres) to San Marco Giardinetti. Line 2 goes to the latter. So you could get either 1 or 2. Routes change occasionally so check the map at the stop before you get on.
Another caveat: at Piazzale Roma, make sure you get on the vaporetto going in the right direction i.e. coming from your left and heading right along the canal. Line 2 goes in both directions.
Your paragraph 2 should read “Airport to San Marco via water bus” – The airport waterbuses run by Alilaguna go to San Marco, but NOT via P.Roma.
I can’t see anything else that’s wrong. Prices can change of course.
Enjoy your stay in Venice. There is no place like it on Earth.
Admin,
Thank you so much. I have updated my information on my computer. I was really hoping somebody would correct anything that was incorrect.
Now, I won’t do the wroing thing and end up in some other Country. Hahaa.
Thank you.
Michel
Thank you both Michel and Admin, I am visiting Venice next month and this is truely invaluable!!!
Grazi!!
Hi, we are arriving at the airport, and staying near the Accademia & Salute ferry stops, can you suggest the best line to use?
Thanks
Kevin
Kevin. Personally, I would take a bus from the airport to Piazzale Roma (See Michel’s detailed description above) and then vaporetto line 1 down the Grand Canal, getting off at either of those stops. It’s convenient, quick, cheap, and you get one of the best boat trips on Earth.
How can I get from the port where the cruise ships dock to st. mark’s square where my hotel is going to be at? Are there daily departures to the murano and burano islands within walking distance from st mark’s square?
We will be arriving at Mestre Train Station and staying in Dorsoduro area.
Please advise how to reach our apartment area from the station.
We are out flying from Treviso Airport. Is it possible to take a bus from P. Roma directly to this airport?
Sharon, Beryl and others. This website is not monitored daily. So for a quick answer to your questions, may I recommend that you ask them on the Venice forum at tripadvisor? http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowForum-g187870-i57-Venice_Veneto.html
This will give you a very quick same-day answer in most cases as the forum is very active with many members on the spot in Venice and happy to answer questions. Enjoy your trip.
We will be staying on the Lido. The map appears to show two waterbus lines between Marco Polo airport and Lido, the B and R.
What is the difference and which one is preferable?
Just two different routes. The red goes via Murano island; the blue goes via the main island. Similar journey times. The blue line is twice hourly, red once. So I’d take whichever one is going next.
Michel certainly laid out the technique very well. Staying at hotel Lato Azzurro, Via Forti 13, on Snt Erasmo. What is the best way, lowest price, from the airport and what would be the approximate price? How is the vaporetta price determined when you make a connection between two routes without going ashore? You certainly provide clear answers.
Hi Donald. You can find details of how to reach Lato Azzurro at http://www.latoazzurro.it/eng/how-to-reach-us.html . By public transport, take the Alilaguna blue line from Marco Polo airport to Fondamente Nove in Venice and then the no. 13 vaporetto from there to Capannone on Sant Erasmo island. These lines are separate companies, so you you’ll need a ticket for each one. Total cost about 20 Euros per person. It’ll be a long trip (2 hrs minimum) with a wait of up to 40 mins at Fondamente Nove. No problem if you have plenty of time. Otherwise consider a direct water taxi. Or a shared water taxi – though check first that they are willing to go to Sant Erasmo, which is not one of the main islands, for the same price.
Hi, I am travelling to Italy with my wife and two dogs in Early April, we both have walking difficulties. We will be trying to stay around Fusina. Could you please advise me if dogs are allowed on the Vaporette’s, and do they travel around Venice or do they just have an A to B route.
Many thanks for any information you can supply.
Best regards Bill
Bill. Dogs can travel free on the vaporetti as long as they wear muzzles. There are various vaporetto lines to different parts of the city and the islands – like bus lines in any other city. See the map. Enjoy your trip.
Dear All,
I am travelling to venice on 6 MAY 2015 and I will reach Marco Polo at 10:00 AM. And I have to take the flight from Marco Polo to Lisbon at 5:00 PM on the same day. Kindly suggest me regarding the city trip. Is it possible to take a short city view in between 10 AM and to 5PM. And if yes which will be the best route for me via Vaporette (which line I should take). Mainly I want to cover Grand canal and other stop in between the way of Grand canal. Kindly suggest.
The answer’s Yes. For details, please ask your question on the Travel Forum.