Venice’s unique infrastructure and layout are major draws for visitors around the world. For exploring a city that has canals instead of roads makes for a memorable experience indeed.
Yet going from canal to canal takes a bit of getting used to – as well as a relaxed attitude, and the knowledge that, save for using your own two feet, transit options around Venice and the islands of the Lagoon don’t come cheap. Our top tips are intended to help you find your way.
Here is everything you need to know about the Venice’s vaporettos, buses, gondolas – and everything in between.
Nothing beats exploring Venice on foot
Walking remains the best way to get around Venice’s six sestieri (neighborhoods). On foot, you’ll quickly discover that Venice is relatively small – the walk from the Santa Lucia railway station to Piazza San Marco takes only 30 minutes, for example. What’s more, the main sights are usually well marked and easy to find. Although we recommend setting out with a good GPS and perhaps a printed map, the unconventional layout of Venice’s streets and alleyways can thwart even those with superior senses of direction. Embrace it: strolls along unfamiliar canals will help you get to know the city – and stumbling into hidden corners and squares is an utter delight.
Oh, and there’s no need to worry about acqua alta, Venice’s famous flooding, as the city deploys walkways on flood-prone days. Still, it’s always wise to have rain boots ready to go if you plan to visit in autumn or winter.
Who needs a bus when you have a vaporetto?
Vaporettos are the workhorses of the Lagoon. Where cities typically have buses that drive along major roads (Venice included, on its mainland part), those in the Serenissima float. The vaporetto service is run by Venice’s municipal public transport system ACTV, and it connects all main points of interest in the six sestieri and other islands of the Lagoon.
The vaporetto system is divided into four main categories, the most relevant to tourists being the “city center lines” 1 and 2, which ply the Grand Canal. Other lines connect the center of Venice with other islands such as Murano, Burano and Torcello, as well as the beaches of the Lido.
For anyone who isn’t a Venice resident, a vaporetto ride isn’t cheap: €9.50 (US$9.83) for a single ticket, valid for 75 minutes. We recommend buying tickets beforehand – and making sure to validate each one at the stop to avoid an additional fee to purchase a ride from the controller on board. You can also buy passes valid for unlimited rides for a single day, two days, three days or seven days for, €25 (US$26), €35 (US$36), €45 (US$47) and €65 (US$67), respectively.
A water taxi is the quickest (and spendiest) option
Just like any other city, Venice has its own taxi service – only here, the taxi fleet consists of speedboats. Water taxis deliver high speed and a dose of glamor – and perhaps a bit of sticker shock. (The fare begins at €15 / US$15.53, and quickly rises from there, with a ride from the mainland-side airport to the city center coming in at around €110 / $114.) Water taxis can transport up to 10 people (a surcharge applies for groups of five or more) – which makes the price a bit less extreme if you are with a group.
A gondola ride is about the experience rather than the journey
Rather than a means of getting from A to B, a slow ride in a gondola is an experience to savor, one enjoyed almost entirely by tourists. Routes and prices vary and are usually agreed to on the spot with each gondoliere; expect to pay about €80 (US$83) for a half-hour tour by day and about €100 ($104) for the same time by night. Sharing a gondola is, of course, always a good solution to lower the prices – though they can’t carry as many people as a water taxi.
A traghetto is a cheap option for crossing the Grand Canal
One of Venice’s great transport secrets is the traghetto, a gondola ferry that traverses the Grand Canal at key points and is a staple of many Venetians’ commutes. The short passage costs just €2 (US$2.07) for tourists; hop aboard at the small docks at Santa Sofia, Riva del Carbon, San Tomà, Santa Maria del Giglio and Punta della Dogana.
Traghetti cross the canal from around 9am to 6pm (times vary slightly from boarding spot to boarding spot), and don’t operate on holidays and during city festivals.
Get around Mestre by bus
Buses (with wheels) do indeed cross the Lagoon to enter Venice proper – only they stop at the Piazzale Roma, effectively the city’s entrance square. This service connects Venice with Mestre – and serves the neighborhoods of the mainland part of Venice’s city limits (which has roads, not canals).
Advance single tickets are €1.50 (US$1.55; €3 / US$3.11 if purchased onboard); a 10-ticket carnet runs €14 (US$14.50). We’d highly recommend purchasing tickets in advance to save money, and always remember to validate your ticket when you board the bus.
Take the tram if you’re staying in Mestre
Venice has only two tram lines: a great option if you’re staying in Mestre rather than on the Lagoon. T2 moves only on the mainland, while the other, like the bus, crosses the viaduct to Piazzale Roma. And just like the bus, a single ticket is €1.50 (€3 onboard) and a 10-ticket carnet €14, and you’ll need to validate tickets upon boarding.
Accessible transportation in Venice
Travelers with access needs might not immediately think of Venice as a very user-friendly destination precisely because of what makes it unique – canals, narrow streets, no buses. And yet while there’s always room for improvement, the Serenissima is quite serious about on dismantling architectural barriers to make the city accessible.
For those who wish to explore the city on their own without public transport, a pool of experts, including people with disabilities who reside in Venice, have put together a collection of barrier-free routes that can be found on the city’s official website.
Vaporettos should all be equipped to allow everyone to board, regardless of mobility needs – although a high tide might make this difficult. Most vaporettos can transport up to four wheelchairs, and tickets cost just €1.50 (a companion travels free of charge).
