Venice > Transportation > Public transportation

Venice Public Transportation

ABOVE: Two Line 1 vaporetti pass each other in the Grand Canal (This public waterbus line is the best tour bargain in Venice, if you follow our advice on where to sit and how to avoid crowds.)

By Durant Imboden

For the most part, transportation within Venice consists of a sturdy pair of sneakers or Birkenstocks. Walking distances are short, although they'll often seem much longer since you're bound to get lost whenever you venture off the well-marked central pedestrian routes.

Still, there are times when you'll want to take to the water, so here's how to cruise the canali without bruising your pocketbook:

Water bus

The public boats called vaporetti and motoscafi run almost constantly during the day and evening, and you'll seldom have to wait more than a few minutes for one to come along. (See our Venice Vaporetto Water Buses article for an introduction to the city's aquatic transit system.)

The water bus that you're likely to use most often is the No. 1, the local that stops 13 times between the Piazzale Roma and the Piazza San Marco. (For details on boat routes, see our easy-to-print vaporetto routes article and the ACTV Web site.)

The standard waterbus fare is a painfully steep 9,50 euro. However, if you plan on traveling extensively by public transportation, you can save money with 24- to 72-hour tourist travel pass from ACTV, the Venice transit authority.

There's also a "tourist" version of Venezia Unica, another local transportation and discount pass, for visitors who can tolerate its Byzantine pricing scheme.

Another option is the "frequent users" version of the Venezia Unica pass for residents, students, and visitors who are planning to stay a while. This card offers big discounts on public-transportation fares, and it can be a good value if you're staying in Venice for several weeks or longer and expect to use public transportation frequently, or if you plan to return to Venice soon.

For help in choosing a discount card, see "Which Venice transportation pass do I need?"

• Tip: Smaller vaporetto stops may not have ticket booths or vending machines. In such cases, buy your ticket at the nearest tobacco shop (marked with a "T" sign) or newsstand. Traveling without a ticket can result in a stiff fine.

Private boat transportation

In addition to public transportation, Venice offers several private options for traveling within the the city by boat:

Water taxi

The sleek, stylish water taxis of Venice are priced for the limousine crowd, with extra fees for radio-dispatched service, trips after 10 p.m., and Sunday travel.

Aquatic cabs don't have meters, so know what you're paying before the skipper casts off.

Please note:

• Water taxis don't go everywhere in the city (many canals are impassable to water taxis), so if you rely on a water taxi to reach your hotel, you may need to haul your luggage through the streets and over bridges.

• Climbing in and out of water taxis can be tricky if the tide is unusually low or there's a gap between the boat and the pier.

Gondola

The gondolas of Venice are beautiful but expensive. Gondoliers sometimes demand more money for less than the officially allotted time, so read our Gondolas article before you're taken for a ride.

Traghetto

With only a handful of bridges crossing the Grand Canal's four-kilometer length, Venetians rely on widebody gondola ferries called traghetti at strategic points along the canal.

Follow the "Traghetto" signs down to the water, where you'll pay a couple of euros to reach the other side. See our Traghetto article for more information.

For more detailed information on reaching and getting around the the historic center and the Venetian Lagoon, see Arriving in Venice and our Local Transportation Index.

About the author:

Durant Imboden has written about Venice, Italy since 1996. He covered Venice and European travel at About.com for 4-1/2 years before launching Europe for Visitors (including Venice for Visitors) with Cheryl Imboden in 2001.

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