… And something about getting there by car or by train.
But first, how do you travel from Marco Polo to the Lagoon City?
As always getting from the Airport to your final destination can be a bit of a hassle, and getting to Venice from Marco Polo is no different. If you’ve never been to Venice Airport, you don’t know your way around, and you could possibly be targeted for some rather dramatic markups.
To that, you will have to add the many possibilities you have in a city like Venice. Because it is a floating city, you have at least two ways to get to Venice… By land and by water.
You get from Venice Airport to Venice historical City by bus, taxi, or by boat. The ride is 15 – 40 minutes. The bus is the cheapest at 10 euros, while a private water taxi costs from 122 euros. The Buses and the Taxis are right outside the front entrance. For the boats, there’s a 5-min indoor walkway. Go left before walking out of the main doors.
If you come by air
Most visitors come by air. If you do you will probably land at Venice Airport Marco Polo. If you fly with RyanAir you will probably land at Treviso Airport Antonio Canova.
Treviso Airport was once the Ryanair airport. The company almost exclusively landed in Treviso. That is no more the case. Some Ryanair flights land in Venice. If you fly with the Irish company you should definitely check exactly where they are taking you.
From the Airport, be it Venice or Treviso, you need to get into the city. From Venice, that’s a short ride, but from Treviso, it’s 40km (25 miles).
From Venice Airport
By Bus
There are two companies running bus service in Venice: ACTV, the local, and ATVO, the regional. Both have buses to Venice. All buses part from right outside the terminal. First, the taxis then further out the buses.
ACTV runs the orange- or white with blue, green, and orange stripes city buses. The number five is mostly, but not always, blue with “Aerobus” written in big letters. From the Airport, you take the ACTV local bus number 5 (every 20 min) to Venice, Piazzale Roma.
If, on the other hand, your final destination is Mestre you need to get on ACTV bus number 15 (every 30 min). It will take you to the train station. The price is 8 euros for any bus leaving the airport. You need to buy the ticket before getting on the bus. Read more about Venetian public transport here.
ATVO (white with “Airport Shuttle” on the side)(..or blue or grey with “ATVO” on the side) runs the ATVO Airport Shuttle and it will take you directly to Piazzale Roma without intermediate stops in 20 minutes. The price is the same, 8 euros. And you still need to buy the ticket before getting on the bus, the same as the orange buses.
At the Airport
Immediately to the left coming out through customs, there is a ticket office for both companies, ATVO, and ACTV. Or you can buy the ticket from machines or even from real people right next to where the buses are.
Straight ahead from the sliding doors after customs, you have more ticket offices of various nature.
Now, if you’re on a really tight budget you could walk to the next bus stop. It’s quite a bit, a little less than a kilometer because you have to get out of the Airport area and down to the main road (You can’t miss it. There’s only one road leading out from the Airport. At the big roundabout, turn left.) and walk 300 meters to Tessera and the first bus stop on your right. From here the price is 1.50 euros, as it’s a normal fare. You still need the ticket before getting on board, so you better buy one at the ticket office before you start walking. The lady/gentleman will try to convince you that the price is 8 euros but you just tell her that you’re going to walk all the way to the bus stop in Tessera. She/he will look at you with a doubtful glare, convinced that you’re lying but still kind of satisfied that they will be able to fine you for 60 euros for not having a valid ticket.
So… if you’re the gambling type you could try to sneak on the bus and ride down to the Tessera bus stop without paying and validate the ticket when you get there. But chances are that the girl/boy at the ticket office will be smiling all day…
How to get to Venice from the airport paying 1:50
From September 2022, the price of the tickets is reduced to 1,50 euros but only for residents, not for tourists. To be regarded as a resident you need a Venezia Unica card. You don’t actually have to live here. The card can be purchased at the ACTV office in front of the exit after customs. Read more about the Venezia Unica card here.
Getting to Venice by Taxi
There’s a taxi station right outside the Airport (Before the buses, when coming out from the terminal building). They are all white and the fare to Venice, Piazzale Roma is 45 euros. They have fixed prices. Link to radiotaxi Venezia.
Getting to Venice by Boat:
Going to Venice by boat is very nice. After all, Venice should be visited from the water. That gives her a completely different touch compared to buses and cars. When you get through the sliding doors after baggage pick-up and customs, you should take the escalator to the second floor. There you turn left and follow the signs all the way down to the end of the arriving hall and the blu passage. Here, a 3-4 minute walk on the travelator will get you directly to the boats and once you get there you have various choices:
1. Water Taxi
The Venice water taxis take up to 10 persons and they bring you directly to your hotel or close. The price is 122 euros for 4 people, more if you’re more or you have more luggage than one bag each. Here’s a link to Motoscafi Venezia.
You can also book a single ride in a shared taxi with, a minimum of 2 paying customers. In this case, you really should book ahead instead of waiting for the taxi to fill up before you can go.
Tip 1
There are a lot of companies online offering taxi solutions to Venice. Some of them will accompany you by car from the airport building to the boat. Then from the arrival point in Venice to your hotel. It’s a luxurious experience but the price can go from 122 to 300 euros so it’s really not worth it.
Tip 2.
Beware of unlicensed taxis. An authorized taxi has a yellow stripe with the license number on a small jack staff on the bow. At the airport, this wouldn’t be a problem. The taxis with a green flag are transporters, I don’t really understand the thing about it, but they don’t drive with fixed tariffs. You would have to agree on the price… So, stick with the yellow ones, and at least they won’t rip you off.
Tip 3. If you book the water taxi through your hotel, be sure to check and double-check the price. Markups can be really huge. Use Motoscafi Venezia again. They still are the most honest bet.
Alilaguna… almost like public transport.
Getting to Venice with Alilaguna, is as close as you get to public transport. With them, you can ride to certain stops in Venice for 15 euros. Tickets are sold all over the airport as well as at a ticket office right next to the boats.
Treviso Airport
If you come with RyanAir you will possibly land in Treviso. They call it Venice-Treviso but it’s really Treviso… Like what RyanAir calls Paris is really Beauvais, 80 kilometers away and Stockholm is really Skavsta more than 100 km away. Well, Treviso is 30 km away so it’s not that bad and you have frequent shuttles going back and forth. You just have to know what you’re talking about.
Not like the girl I met at Piazzale Roma some years ago asking for the airport shuttle. She had some 2 hours to departure and I showed her the bus. Then I got curious and asked her what airport. “Venice,” she said. “But you’re sure it’s Venice airport in Venice?” I asked, feeling like I had just said something awkward. So she pulled out the ticket and in fact, it was Venice-Treviso. And suddenly the two hours weren’t so good anymore. I got her on the right bus but I never knew if she made it.
Anyway, your best bet for getting to Venice is still the ATVO bus company. They will bring you from Treviso to Venice in 45 min. The ticket costs 12 euros single fare and 22 return, and they can be bought at the airport in the arrival hall, machines, and maybe even on the airplane. The only bug is that the departures are not as regular as in Venice. Here’s the timetable for the Treviso Airport shuttle by ATVO.
There is another bus company, Barzi service, but you will end up on Tronchetto which is a parking island a 15-minute walk from Piazzale Roma. And you’ll be walking a lot in Venice so you would want to avoid that.
Getting to Venice by Train
Not much to say about that. You just roll into the train station Santa Lucia, which now has been thoroughly restored with shops and restaurants, and tourist traps of all kinds. Walking out the front doors, and down the stairs, you can turn around and admire the flat façade in a monumental style typical for Italian pre-war architecture.
By Car
If you come here by car there isn’t really any problem. You just drive straight ahead towards Venezia Centro Storico. Coming in from the west, you pay the fee at the toll station at the end of the motorway and take the first exit down to the big roundabout. Here you take the second exit towards Venice. Keeping the central lane first straight on and then slightly to the right, you’ll find yourself on Via della Libertà which will take you straight on 5 km to Ponte della Libertà over the Lagoon to Venice.
Ok, that sounded complicated, but don’t worry. Getting to Venice by car is not a problem. It’s right there, and you really have to close your eyes, not to find it.
The problem with the car is obviously another. In Venice there are no streets, so your only issue here is what to do with the car. Where to park it? So, I’ve put together another article, all about parking possibilities in and around Venice. Check it out here: Parking in Venice.