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Paris Toolkit Venice local transport services
Local buses, water buses (Vaporetto) & airport transfer services
At the western end of Venice at the end of the causeway from the mainland is the arrival point for most visitors.
Santa Lucia Railway Station is the terminus for all trains and next to it Piazzale Roma is the bus station for local and airport buses.
The car parks are located here and for those arriving by cruise ship the Piazzale Rome is also where the shuttle will deposit you.
The road and railways end as soon as you arrive in Venice at Santa Lucia Railway Station /Piazzale Roma.
From now on you walk or take water transport.
Water bus/Vaporetto routes
The water bus (Vaporetto) service is the transport of choice to get around Venice once you have arrived. We have a dedicated page dedicated to understanding the water bus service and costs.
Airport bus & boat transfers to/from Venice & Treviso airports
There are dedicated airport bus services from both Venice Marco Polo and Treviso Airports to Piazzale Roma, the bus station on Venice and Mestre the town on the mainland where the causeway across to Venice begins.
Mestre is a value for money alternative to the expensive hotels on Venice itself.
From Venice Marco Polo airport there is a regular water bus service to Venice. Unlike the airport bus, the water service serves points all around Venice, potentially much closer to your hotel on Venice than at the bus station.
Local bus services from Venice
Accommodation in Venice itself can be very expensive and with its maze of narrow alleys and ancient bridges a nightmare to transport your luggage.
A lot of people therefore stay in Mestre the large town on the mainland where the causeway across to Venice starts from.
Here hotels are much better value and transfers with luggage not the potentially stressful experience on Venice. We have a dedicated page of hotels in Mestre.
The great news for those staying in Mestre is that the bus service is co-ordinated by the same transport authority that manages water transport in Venice and the popular Travelcard ticket used by visitors to ride water transport in Venice also covers the buses over to Mestre - for no extra charge.
Tickets & fares for Venice transport 2024
Tourist Travelcards
The most economical solution for people who want to get around Venice and its surroundings on ACTV’s land and water public transport services. As well as the water Vaporetto services these tickets are also valid on the bus services in the local area which comes in very handy if you have saved money and chose your hotel in or around Mestre on the mainland.
These cards are not valid for the water bus services that connect Venice and Venice Marco Polo Airport. However you can pay a supplement which will then cover the airport bus between Venice Airport and Piazzale Roma Bus Station in Venice.
You can buy tickets for 1, 2, 3 or 7 day durations. The tickets become valid on your first journey where you have to stamp your ticket in the machines provided just like most other Italian city public transport systems. If caught on board with an unstamped ticket don't expect to be treated with any leniency just because you are a visitor.
Venice ATCV travel passes - prices last checked 2024
1 Day Travelcard - €25
2 Day Travelcard - €35
3 Day Travelcard - €45
7 Day Travelcard - €65
Optional €7 supplement to include one-way journey on Venice Airport bus. €13 return.
Single tickets & buying Travelcards
1 Single Ticket On Venice Water Services (not airport) - €9:50- allows up to 75 minutes on water network from validation of ticket.
There are ticket machines at the major gateways to Venice including Santa Lucia Railway Station and Piazzale Roma bus station and car parks as well as Venice Marco Polo Airport.
Many hotels sell the tickets or if not should be able to tell you of a local outlet where you can.
You can also purchase on-line.
Venezia Unica City Pass tickets including Travelcards - buy online
The Venezia Unica City Pass you can buy from the official Venice tourism web site for Venice. As well as purchasing the Travelcards above there is scope to purchase tickets to museums, parking etc.
Venice local train services
Venice Santa Lucia Railway Station has local, regional and long distance train services. Nearly all trains out of Santa Lucia Station including the high speed trains to Milan, Florence and Rome stop at Mestre too, a 5-10 minute journey across the causeway from Venice.
Within day trip range of Venice and Mestre Stations are:
Florence (Firenze) - 2 hours
Verona - 1 hour 15 mins
Padova - 15 mins
The TrenItalia website has English language pages and timetables and on-line advance e-ticketing where you can also reserve seat numbers. On some shorter urban journeys it is not possible to buy tickets on-line.
Trenitalia Rome
• Cheapest advance purchase fares • Pay by credit card • Instant confirmations • Timetables
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