Venice > Transportation & Parking > San Giuliano > Boat to Venice

Marive Transport boat from San Giuliano Parking to Venice

From Parcheggi San Giuliano in Mestre, the easiest way to reach central Venice is to take the Marive Transport water bus.

ABOVE: A Marive Transport boat from San Giuliano arrives at Fondamente Nove in central Venice.

By Durant Imboden

For motorists visiting Venice, the parking lots at San Giuliano in Venice's mainland district of Mestre are a popular alternative to the garages at Tronchetto and Piazzale Roma on the edge of the historic center. However, getting from San Giuliano to the city by public transportation isn't always convenient for tourists who aren't familiar with Venice's transit system.

Fortunately, there's a convenient alternative to public buses and trams: the Marive Transport water bus, which runs hourly from San Giuliano to Venice's historic center from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. (The return trip runs from 9:30 to 6:30 p.m.) Travel time is about 20 minutes.

The boat leaves from the San Giuliano Park in Mestre (next to the Porta Gialla or yellow parking lot) to Fondamente Nove in central Venice. From Fondamente Nove, a short walk down the Calle Lunga  Santa Caterina will bring you to the Strada Nova, which is on the main pedestrian route to the Rialto Bridge and the Piazza San Marco.

The boat ride isn't cheap, but you can save a little money with Marive's all-inclusive parking and ferry package. On balance, we think you're better off using the boat than public transportation (assuming that the ferry timetable fits your schedule), because you'll spend less time getting to and from Venice.

For more information, see the Marive Transport Web site and download the PDF boat timetable (which includes a detailed map of the boat's route and the parking area at San Giuliano). You can order tickets onlline.

Note: Alilaguna, which operates water buses between Venice Marco Polo Airport and central Venice, also sells tickets for the Marive boat online. See Alilaguna's Linea Rosa ("Pink Line") page for a simplified map, a timetable, and ticket purchases.

Hotels near the Fondamente Nove boat stop:

We think it's best to stay in Venice's historic center if you possibly can. You'll have a better experience overall, and you'll be able to enjoy a quieter Venice in the evenings after tour groups and other daytrippers have gone back to the mainland.

Our recommendation: Stay at a hotel within easy walking distance of the Marive Transport boat at Fondamente Nove. This way, you won't need to haul luggage over a slew of bridges.

For recommendations, click the link below to see Fondamente Nove listings from our Venice Hotel Directions guide. (The directions for each hotel are from the Alilaguna airport boat stop at Fondamente Nove platform "A," which is a short walk along the waterfront from the Marive boat's pier.)

• Hotels convenient to Fondamente Nove

More parking information:

• San Giuliano Parking

• Parking in Venice

• Venice and mainland hotels with parking

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.

PC Magazine has called this "the premier visitors' site for Venice, Italy." Over the years, it has helped more than 30 million travelers. For more information, see About our site, our Europe for Visitors press clippings, and our reader testimonials.