Vaporetto in Venice – what does it mean for the city? Full description, lines and routes, ticket and passes 2024, timetable. Vaporetto to San Marco and Murano, Burano, Lido from Piazzale Roma or Santa Lucia train station, Tronchetto ferry terminal, the airport – in the overview of good Time for Trip.
There is an opinion that Venice is a small city, which should be traveled exclusively on foot. And on the Internet you can even find reviews with specific numbers advocating this course of action.
It seems that from the train station to the Rialto Bridge – one of the main attraction of Venice – you will have to walk no more than 20 minutes on foot. And from there – 10 more – to Piazza San Marco and the Doge’s Palace.
In theory it looks acceptable, but in reality everything is more tiring. And therefore, if you did not initially set your sights on a walking tour of “La Serenissima”, we recommend not give up the opportunity to save strength.
You will need them for long strolls and patiently waiting in line for the gondola. As well as visiting the top places in Venice. Which are sometimes located far away from each other .
So we advise you to save time and energy by using a convenient, albeit expensive transport Venice – a water bus. Which today has actually turned into a symbol of the city and even its real attraction!
What is the Vaporetto
In short – this is the public transport of Venice. A natural substitute for buses and trolleybuses, trams and metro in local realities.
Visually a vaporetto looks like an ordinary rather large passenger boat. On the nose of which the route number is written, and on the sides there is the name of the operating campaign – ACTV. So you can often here something like “actv water buses” or “actv fares” instead of vaporetto itself.
Seating on board is available, but you will have to stand more often – there is a lot of people. And try to be out of a glassed-in saloon – on an open deck. The panoramas that will pass by are worth it.
- If you intend to take a gondola ride down the Grand Canal, just skip this tip
The board of the water bus, which should be choose, is determined in advance, referring to the tourist map. You can buy it, for example, right at the station – for only 3 €. See here – how to get to Venice from Mestre or elsewhere.
For reference:
Ca Pesaro is located on the right side of the Grand Canal when driving from the station
Ca d’Oro – on the left
Nuances
Stops of vaporetto look like kiosks. Inside there is a small waiting room, cash desks, the timetable is posted on the walls. Passengers get inside through the turnstile by attaching a travel card or ticket to a reader, the so-called validator.
Pay attention to the route numbers (posted in a prominent place) that serve these kiosks.
There are five or six of them in the front of the Santa Lucia train station. And it’s easy to get confused!
A distinctive feature of a vaporetto: a strong guy or even a lady. Which, at each stop, pull the ship to the pier with a rope and lower the gangway-parapet. On which crowds with suitcases can move in the chosen direction.
Sometimes controllers check tickets through the ride by applying them to a special reader. But this is rarely done! For 2-3 days of traveling on water bus lines in Venice, you may encounter control only once or twice.
Main vaporetto routes runs daily from 5 am to noon, night lines operate from 11.30 om to 4-4.30 am
Vaporetto Routes in Venice
No. 1 – this line is starting from Piazzale Roma. It follows the Grand Canal with stops near: Ferrovia (Santa Lucia Station), Rialto Bridge, Accademia, Santa Maria della Salute, San Marco and Doge’s Palace. And eventually arrives on the island Lido.
It is recommended to tourists as the best way to get to the central districts of Venice by official local guidebook. At the same time, no one is going to inform you that the boat following this route is mooring at EVERY berth in the direction of travel.
That is, an unacceptable amount of tourist time just leaves! The trip to Piazza San Marco lasts 45 minutes – faster to walk by foot!
The vaporetto route number 2 is much more convenient. It also goes to San Marco, but much faster, because it does not berth every 2 minutes.
Also vaporetto №2 can pick up tourists not only from the train station and Piazzale Roma, but also from Tronchetto. The artificial island where the ferry terminal and huge car parks are located.
Attention!
Route №2 doesn’t stop at Salute! Therefore, to see the Basilica of Santa Maria delo Salute and walk around the beautiful Dorsoduro area, you need to get off at the Accademia stop.
Along the way, you can admire immortal paintings at the Academy Gallery, the main city art gallery. And then do the same in the Peggy Guggenheim collection located nearby.
In one of the little shops lost in the Dorsoduro alleys, for a reasonable price you can buy a Venetian mask. Or other souvenirs that makes sense to bring home from Italy
Please note that vaporetto on Line 2 can follow different routes: along the Grand or Giudecca Canal. In the second case, you will directly get to San Giorgio Maggiore island and the church of the same name.
Out of habit, it is easy to choose the wrong direction. And instead of contemplating the main palaces of Venice, to go admiring the expanses of Giudecca. Therefore – be careful!
Number 3 water bus route will help you get from Venice to Murano. But a vessel with the number “3” on the bow doesn’t go to Burano and Torcello! These islands are served only by № 12!
Fourth, Fifth and… Twelfth!
Vaporetto №4.2 from Venice to Fondamente Nova will arrive in Murano after a series of stops on the “back side” of the city. Along the way, they dock at the islet of San Michele, where the local cemetery is located.
Just take into account that route 4.2 depart from the stop S. Giobbe, not from the embankment opposite the train station
As for route 4.1, it sets off on its way to Murano from the stop Riva de Biasi on the opposite side of the Grand Canal. But it takes a circuitous route, skirting Venice along the Giudecca Canal and then entering the lagoon from the other side.
No. 5.1 and 5.2 – circular routes, they allow you to get from the train station and Piazzale Roma to Lido
The first one goes through the Giudecca Canal, returns back through Fondamente Nova. The second goes in the opposite direction – through the Cannaregio canal and further along the northern side of the main island.
Both of the above routes don’t enter the Grand Canal. But they make a stop at San Zaccaria, near the Doge’s Palace.
№12 – Fondamente Nova – Murano – Mazzorbo – Burano – Torcello
A (line Arancio) – vaporetto to Venice from Marco Polo airport. It enters the Grand Canal via Cannaregio Canal and follows to San Marco. Along the way it doesn’t enter Piazzale Roma or Santa Lucia Station.
N – night route.
For easing your orientation, we have compiled the following table (you can get this information on the official ACTV site also – avm.avmspa.it/en/content/water-bus-service-timetable-0).
| N | From | To | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | P.Roma | S. Marco – S. Zaccaria | ~44 minutes |
| 2 | P. Roma | S. Marco – Giardinetti | ~33 minutes |
| 2/ | P. Roma | Rialto | ~15 minutes |
| 3 | P. Roma | Murano | ~30 minutes |
| 4.1 | Riva de Biasi | Murano | ~1 hour 15 minutes |
| 4.2 | S. Giobbe | Murano | ~24 minutes |
| 12 | F. Nova | Burano | ~42 minutes |
| Night | S. Marco – S. Zaccaria | Ferrovia | ~42 minutes |
The route map is laying here: actv.avmspa.it/sites/default/files/WEB_mappa_linee_di_navigazione_marzo_2018_A4_venezia_official_APP.pdf
Facilities and Number of Passengers
There are many passengers on popular routes No. 1, 2, 3. So, don’t imagine that you will sit cross-legged, looking at the passing landscapes!
The seats in boats are occupied instantly. And no one (almost) will give it up to children, that’s not accepted here.
By the way, there are toilets on board. And you don’t have to pay extra money for visiting. Surprising fact – such a service in Venice itself costs 1.5-2 €
Vaporetti are often packed full of passengers. The most orgy comes in the late afternoon, when tourists tend to leave the San Marco area and storm the pier near the Doge’s Palace.
Real rush hour: everyone sits and stands literally on each other’s heads. Wearily holding on to the handrails and not reacting to the beauties.
Vaporetto Tickets & Passes 2024
Everything is transparent – you should pay € 9.5 for a single ticket, valid for 75 minutes from the time of validation. And you can’t buy a ticket on vaporetto online – what a pity!
Discounts are not provided, pensioners are no exception. The passage of children on the vaporetto is regulated by the following rule: 0-5 years free of charge, then on a general basis.
If you expect to drive twice in a designated period of time, moderate your ardor. Water buses in Venice don’t fly like rockets and stop at all designated stops.
Unlimited passes for 24, 48, 72 hours or for a week in 2024 cost:
| Duration, Days | Price, EUR |
|---|---|
| 1 | 25 |
| 2 | 35 |
| 3 | 45 |
| 7 | 65 |
With Rolling Venice Discount Card (for young people of the ages 6-29) will be cheaper: 35 € for 3 days. Read more: veneziaunica.it/ru/e-commerce/services.
From (To) the Airport
You can calculate the duration of the trip from the airport to San Marco, Rialto Bridge, Murano or Burano using the timetable posted here: alilaguna.it/en/timetables.
For Reference
- A vaporetto from Marco Polo runs to the pier at Rialto in 55 minutes, to San Marco in 1’15 (Linea ARANCIO)
- On the BLU line, boats take a shorter route (38-40 minutes) and moor at the pier on Fondamente Nova
- The cost of a single ticket for a vaporetto from the airport to Venice or Murano is € 10
Where to Stay
We stuck this paragraph right here for a reason! As you need to understand that the frequency of using the vaporetto lines in Venice directly depends on where you settle.
For example, the San Polo area is within walking distance of the Santa Lucia train station. And it’s easier for everyone arriving by train and metro to roll their suitcases to any of the local hotels in 10 minutes than to wait for a boat.
Stay here in an apartment – a luxurious, although not too budget choice
From € 150 per night (plus city tax) is usually required by the owners of the Sant’Agostin Apartment with two bedrooms and a kitchen. Accommodation in an apartment with a common name here – Casanova – but for 3 people will cost almost the same amount.
Accommodation in the Cannaregio area, adjacent to the station, is popular with both those arriving by rail (bus, car) or by plane. Since the Alilaguna A route, following from the Marco Polo airport, cuts this area in two. Then it go straight into the Grand Canal and moves to San Marco.
In Cannaregio we tend to recommend Casa Palazzi with two bedrooms and even a balcony. And Apartments Cannaregio & Dorsoduro with their own, cozy courtyard.
Remember that Venice is an extremely popular tourist destination in almost any time of the year. Even on off-season weekends and holidays the city overwhelmed.
Inexpensive and good hotels are sorted out 3-4 months before the desired dates, and therefore … well, you understand
The retreat, however important, is over. We continue… about the vaporetto!
Need to Know
Note that it is not always possible to get by with a single vaporetto trip. If you can get from Venice to Murano by the straight №3 boat, then to Burano run only № 12 route departing from Fondamente Nova. The embankment to which you still need somehow to arrive from Venice Santa Lucia.
It makes sense to take a picture of the timetable of water buses in advance
To understand whether and where to run when transplanting. Since not all routes depart from the same terminal.
For example, you arrive in the evening from Burano to the Faro (Murano) stop. From another berth literally in 1-2 minutes departs vaporetto № 4.1.
Someone would run and get it. But if you are going to Santa Lucia, it is wiser to wait for the straight boat with number 3 on board. Because in the end it will turn out faster!
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