How to Get to Venice from Venice Airport

The Venice taxi is priced the highest in Italy. Motor vehicles are highly controlled to get into the Venetian Lagoon. Transferring from Venice Airport to city is something you need to plan before you leave home.

If you arrive at the wrong place in Venice, you have to carry your suitcase. All the way to your hotel is stoned with narrow pavements. You will go up and down the bridges with heavy luggage. That should not happen on a vacation!

Here is the deal.

In this article, you will find the best areas to stay while you are in Venice. Then learn how to transfer from Venice Airport to central Venice and how Venice transport works. You can save money and time by planning how to transfer Venice Airport to the city by public transportation.

I. Venice Airport Transfer

Once you step into Venice, you are surrounded by the ancient town of six hundred years ago. This is the reason why Venice is special and adored. In fact, Venice receives more than 20 million annual visitors while actual residents are numbered about 56,000.

Venice is located on a lagoon. For transferring from Venice Airport, you can choose either a reasonable bus or arriving in style by a water taxi.

Whichever the way you arrive, the last part of your journey will be only on foot.

Why?

There is a heavy control of motor vehicles in Venice. Any motor vehicles are not allowed to get into more than Piazzale Rome.

Venice is an ancient city. It is not easy to carry a suitcase on a stone-paved narrow path and going ups and downs many bridges. Wheeled suitcase does not move ahead properly on the stoned paves. It should be avoided to walk a long way with a heavy suitcase.

How can you do that?

Keep reading.

Things to Do in Venice

Venice is a small segregated area. You can easily walk along. There is plenty to see and visit!

St. Mark’s Basilica
St. Mark’s Square
Canale Grande
Ponte di Rialto
San Marco Campanile
San Giorgio Maggiore
Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta
Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute
Gallerie dell’Accademia
Doges Palace
Bridge of Sighs
Ride a Vaporetto through the Grand Canal
… and many more!

II. Venice Airport to City Center Venice

(Cost is Euro (EUR) in July 2019)

Venice Marco Polo Airport

Venice Marco Polo Airport (Venice Airport, IATA: VCE) is the international airport of Venice, Italy. The airport is located on mainland Italy and has a 13 km distance from Venitian Lagoon. It takes about less than 30 minutes to get Venice by car (source).

Venice Airport to the City General Tips

• Get cash in advance for public transport. It is available to get it at ATM in the airport. Please note that you are able to get cash only 250 EUR a day in Italy.
• Be aware if you have more than 10,000 EUR cash, it is necessary to declare to a custom. Italy does not want to receive a large amount of cash from overseas.
• Venice received millions of visitors and yet the airport itself does not seem to have enough capacity to welcome them. There are long lines and need much to wait for passport control, immigration and luggage collection. It depends on the situation, but it would be better to be a little patient and make yourself relax.
• Find out more information on Venice Cruise Port

How to get from Venice Airport to Venice

Important !: find out the location of your hotel’s location in the Venitian Lagoon first. This is because the best way to decide the Venice Airport transfer depends on your hotel’s location. In this way, you will make Venice Airport transfer easy and smooth.

Where is the best neighbourhood to stay in Venice?

Venice is spread into six “Sestieri”. The main monuments and sights are located in Cannaregio, Castello, Dorsoduro, San Polo, Santa Croce and San Marco.

Which transportation options are available to Venice from the airport?

• Water Bus (vaporetto) – reasonable price and comfortable, but a long query
• Land Bus – cheapest and comfortable but need to carry a suitcase if your accommodation is away from Piazzale Roma
• Water taxi/boat – expensive but you can save time and energy
• Land taxi – easy and comfortable, the best option if your hotel is in Piazzale Roma

1. Venice Airport Water Bus

Alilaguna Venice

Alilaguna is a company, providing a public water bus (vaporetto) service from the airport dock to Venice, Murano, Burano and Lido. Venice airport transfer with the water bus is easy and convenient.

The Venice airport water bus cost is slightly expensive in comparison to bus service and yet, it is stylish and exciting to arrive in Venice by water.

Single ticket: 15 EUR included one large luggage, one extra luggage costs 3 EUR (Return 27 EUR)
You can make a small amount of discount at Alilaguna water bus and can also purchase any tabacchi in Venice (source).

Operation: every 30 minutes, from early morning to midnight, everyday operation is from April to October.

Travel time: 60-80 minutes, Alilaguna Timetable
Note: operation time changes depends on seasons. Please check out when you actually visit there.

Routes:
Orange (San Marco >> Ponte di Rialto >> F.Te Nove)
Blue (Murano >> Rido >> San Marco)
Red (Giudecca >> San Marco >> Murano)

Alilaguna has several water boat routes. Find out the map:
Alilaguna Water Bus (Vaporetto) Routes from Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) (Route Map)

How can you buy Alilaguna tickets and where is the water bus terminal?

You can purchase a ticket at either online, the airport ticket office or a vending machine at the Venice Airport arrival hall. You can also purchase inside of the water bus but need to add 1 EUR extra.

Follow the signs for “Water Transport”. You can reach the entrance for the Moving Walkway on the first floor of the arrival hall, an elevated pedestrian path. Find with moving floor and that will leads you to the dock.

Important! : Please do not forget to put your water bus tickets onto a machine to validate before you get into a water bus. There is an electric code implemented on the ticket. You need to scan it over a machine. When an officer find if you didn’t. It is not only embarrassing, but you have to pay a heavy fine.

Who would take Alilaguna water bus service?

Pros
If your accommodation is located in the San Marco or Ponte di Rialto areas, the water bus service (vaporetto) is the best. The greatness of the water bus service is that it will stop very close to your accommodation.

If you take a train or a public bus, you need to walk all the way to your hotel with heavy luggage with you from Santa Lucia station or Piazzale Roma.

Cons
Vaporetto is convenient, and yet, for some people, it could be stressful. It is extremely slow and can be noisy whenever it stops and go, not romantic. You also have to carry luggage up and down. In the high season, you may not be able to get in if the boat is full, especially on the return trip to the airport.

2. Bus from Marco Polo Airport to Venice

ATVO Airport Bus

The cheapest way from Marco Polo Airport to Venice is by bus. Find out ATVO airport bus. It is an express bus from Marco Polo airport to Venice city centre.

There are Blue and Orange coloured buses. What you need to catch is the BLUE bus. The orange bus is going to Venice but is not an Airport shuttle bus and hence you cannot put your suitcase into the bus.

Single ticket: 8 EUR (Return 15 EUR)
Travel time: 20 minutes
Operation: every 30 minutes at day time and every 1 or 2 hours at night, from early morning to midnight
Route: Venice Airport to Piazzale Roma.
*ATVO Airport bus timetables & ticketing (here)

How can you buy a ticket? Where you can catch the bus?

You can purchase a bus ticket at either online, the Venice Airport arrival hall or a vending machine nearby an airport bus terminal. The Airport shuttle bus terminal is located just outside the arrival hall. Map

Who would take ATVO bus service?

If your hotel is located nearby Piazzale Roma, catch a ATVO blue bus. It is the cheapest and convenient. Piazzale Roma is the last place any motor vehicles can get into Venice. You can bring your suitcase and can always take a seat and relax.

Note: if your accommodation is not located on Venice Lagoon but in Mestre, inland Italy, there is also an airport shuttle bus service between Venice Marco Polo Airport and Mestre. The service from outside Mestre Railway Station and the airport runs more frequently and takes again around 20 minutes. But you are visiting Venice, one of the most precious cities to visit in the world. Why don’t you stay in the middle of Venice?

3. Venice Airport Water Taxi

Motoscafo (Water Taxi)

The Venice airport water taxi transfer from the airport is called ‘private boat’ or ‘speed boat’. It is the fastest and a stress-free, most comfortable way to transfer from Venice airport if your budget is generous. The Venice airport water taxi will take you to the hotels in Venice, Venice Cruise Port terminal and Lido di Venezia. Venice airport private water taxi can be costly, but you do not need to carry your luggage all the way from the airport.

The water taxi fare can be from 100 EUR to 160 EUR (4 people with luggage) from Marco Polo Airport to Venice City Centre or to the Cruise Port Terminal. Every additional passenger costs 10-20 EUR up to max 10 people.
Travel time: about 30 minutes

Important: there seems to be unlicensed water taxi or water boat services. It is recommended to check your vehicle with the registered company list and so that you can avoid any possible problem. You can find the list from Venice Airport Official Website (source).

Where can you purchase a water taxi ticket?

Tickets can be bought to the left across the hall as you exit from customs at the arrivals hall. Look for the blue ‘Speed boat’ signs.

Who would be taking a water taxi service?

A water taxi can be costly but if you are feeling generous, the water taxi service saves you in many ways. If you travel at unusual hours or with extra luggage then you can minimize walking across bridges. If you are grouped or with family members, you can save money and time. Also, you do not need to wait for a queue like a water bus.

If you are extra sensitive to motion sickness, the water taxi service is not suitable as the boat can be rocky when other boats come across.

4. Taxi

If you are travelling unusual times or need to carry extra luggage, a taxi is the best. Make sure that your hotel’s location. It should be close to Piazzale Rome and which is the last place any motor vehicles can get into Venice.

Price: about 30 to 40 EUR
Travel time: about less than 30 minutes

Taxi in Venice can be the most expensive in Italy. An additional surcharge could be:

• The minimum fare at night time: about 6 EUR
• Surcharge for each additional suitcase (one per passenger included in the price): about 1 EUR
• Surcharge for telephone reservations: about 3 EUR
• Airport Surcharge: 3 EUR

Bonus Tip!: Visiting Information for Venice!

• Travel Visa Information Italian Government Official Site
• Currency: Euro (EUR) Go to a currency converter
• Internet: Free WiFi access in Venice Cruise Terminal Marco Polo Airport
• Venice Weather Information
• Public Holidays in Italy – change a year

Relevant articles on Venice Transfers:

You may be interested in more articles on Venice Airport to City:

Next Reading >> Venice Cruise Port Guide for Transfers

>> More on Venice Cruise Port

Venice Airport to City: Prepare the Transfer before You Leave Home