Ozziez

As we will be in Venice for 3 days, and will be using the vaporettos quite a bit, as well as taking the bus to the airport at the end of our stay, I think it would be worth us buying a Venice transport card of some type.

Has anyone bought a Venice card online, and if so, did you find it easy to collect once you got to Venice?

I have been looking at the Venice cards at
http://www.hellovenezia.it/jsp/en/ve...card/index.jsp.

There are 2 cards: a Venice transport and culture card, and the Venice card transport. The former includes entry into some museums, lots of churches and reduced entrance fees for 8 other sights. The latter is like the 72 hour Transport card but also includes 2 toilet entries per day.

It appears to be a good idea to buy these cards online as there are attractive discounts for doing so. The cards cannot be delivered, so they have to be collected once you get to Venice.

However, I have read one report (not on Fodors) that said the online purchaser was unable to redeem their card once they got to Venice. To purchase 3 Junior and 2 Senior 3-day Venice transport and culture cards online would cost 216.5 euros (a saving of 53 euros, compared to what the cards would cost if I bought them in Venice). A good deal I think, as long as I can collect the cards once I get to Venice – a lot of money down the drain if I can’t.

Alternatively we could buy the 31 euro 72 hour transport cards once we get to Venice and maybe buy chorus passes so we can visit the 16 churches it covers. (To complicate matters, it looks as though I could buy my 17 year old a “Venice card, rolling” for 4 euros which would enable her to purchase the 31 euro 72 hour transport card for 18 euros instead).

Any feedback, or advice, or both would be greatly appreciated.

wanderfrau

When DH and I were in Venice we purchased the card that included the museums. We purchased it when we first arrived.

We think we went to more museums and churches with the card than we would have without, since they were included in the price.

We only saw one "included" toilet during our entire visit.

We thought the card was a good value.

Have fun!

TAW

get the card when you get there.

sdtravels

I was glad I did not buy the card. It was breakeven at best. With only 3 days, you won't need it.

tuscanlifeedit

Ozziez,

We had been to Venice several times before, and also had the Chorus Pass before (an incredible value) and decided on getting the Venice card for our last trip.

When we carefully added up the bus trip from the airport, a reasonable number of vaporetti rides, and discounts for other sites, it was a good value for us.

I actually sat down with a calculator to figure it out, but it worked.

That said, by not prepurchasing, we would not have had a savings. I am not sure why anyone would say get the card, but get it when you get there, when the savings are so significant when prepurchasing.

If you buy the card online, you will get a receipt with all the information you need to pick up the cards at the airport information desk. The desk is easy to see as you are leaving the airport; it is just inside from the bus stop for Piazzale Roma. We had no problems at all, but I did double check to get the opening hours of the pick up desk.

Since you will be paying online with a credit card you will be safe. If I remember correctly, you may have an option for pick up location. I really can't imagine why someone couldn't pick up their card or why a credit card company wouldn't back them up if they were treated dishonestly.

Venice is a safe place with not a lot of merchant or vendor cheating. The Hello Venezia website is city sponsored and reliable.

If you can save by getting the Rolling Venice card for your son, it might be a good idea. Just get out your calculator!

We were staying at an address in Cannareggio and used a lot of public transportation. Vaporetti are expensive.

I hope I helped with your question.

Ozziez

Thank you everyone for your feedback.

Tuscanlifeedit, wonderful and useful feedback - thank you so much. Good to know that it is safe to buy this card online and that collecting it in Venice does actually work! As we will be arriving in Venice by train, I see we can pick up Venice cards bought online from the Santa Lucia train station (they're only closed from 1.30 - 2pm). Did you buy the toilet option with your card? We won't need the Alilaguna option.

ellenem

There are very few public toilets in Venice, so I wouldn't bother with this feature. For Venice and every other Italian city you visit, follow this rule: if there's a toilet, use it. Never leave your hotel, restaurant, museum, or any other venue with free toilets without using the facilities.

Ozziez

Ah ellenem, wise advice - thank you! 3 children whining for toilets would drive me dilly!

annhig

hi ozziez,

I'd echo the advice to buy your cards before you arrive - there is a significant saving especially for a family.

as for toilets, i think that they are included anyway. there is a very useful one at the top of the piazza san bartolomeo [just to the san marco side of the rialto bridge]. when I was in Venice for a week, i used it all the time. but if you can't get in there for any reason, there is a department store [in fact, Venice's only department store] in that square too which I seem to remember also has facilties.

otherwise, it's the cafe, I'm afraid. buy a drink, use the loo, walk around for 30 minutes, need the loo, find a cafe, use the loo, have a drink..etc. etc. so ALWAYS use the ones in the museums, even if you don't NEED to.

regards, ann

Ozziez

Hi Ann - thanks for the great advice, and also for the wonderful trip report you wrote on your visit to Venice. It has become my favourite bedtime reading and I am finding it so helpful.

2010

Thanks for posting this question, Ozziez! I will be checking out the Venice card online!

2010

annhig

hi ozziez,

you're too kind. I enjoyed writing it too.

do feel free to ask anything else that occurs to you.

regards, ann

Ozziez

In case anyone wants to know - I have now managed to book and pay for the Venice cards online. It was easy and painless.

caroline_edinburgh

Each time I've been to Venice I've debated getting cards and each time decided against it. In my most recent trip report I again tried to work out whether in hindsight it would have been worth it - if I'd bought them in advance it would have been close, but if not it certainly wouldn't. Last year I was particularly glad not to have bought cards in advance since our flight in was late and everything was shut when we arrived at the airport, so we wouldn't have been able to pick them up anyway - but I suppose that scenario is less likely if you are arriving by train.

Since you are only going for 3 days, are you sure you'll be using vaporetti a lot ? You could easily spend at least 2 days just walking between the main sights without needing to get a vaporetto. On our last trip we didn't use vaporetti at all during our first 2 days, and during the next 2 days we just got a single boat ride back to base at the end of each day when we were tired.

We also didn't visit a single attraction which gives discounts for having the 'transport + culture' card, apart from the churches also covered by the Chorus pass which is a lot cheaper.

As for loos - cafes and attractions like museums have them and I've never felt the need to use one anywhere else.

Oh well - wrote all this and trhen saw you'd already bought them. I suppose it saves a bit of hassle buying any other boat tickets.

chepar

It's been several years, but I purchased Venice cards online and picked them up after arriving at the train station.

Unless they have changed where the booths or card pickup is located, you need to exit the train station to get to the booths.

There were several booths in a row, and I would make sure to look for a sign (on the booth window) indicating Venice card pickups. Most of the booths were for the purchase of vaporetto tickets and had nothing to do with the Venice card.

We purchased the cards with the "included toilet" option and as others have said, they are few and far between. We never were able to make use of this particular card feature.

Ozziez

Hi Caroline - yes, it will be interesting to know whether the Venice cards are woth it or not. I spent hours crunching the numbers and I think, for what we are planning to do, having the cards will be a saving for us. I'll let you know! I didn't bother about purchasing the toilet or Alilaguna options.

Chepar, thanks for the advice about picking up the cards!

hpeabody

bookmarking

tuscanlifeedit

Ozziez, yep, the only way to really know is to give it a shot.

I don't know where some of the people who didn't need the card were staying, or if there were 5 of them. But your place near San Stae, and your 3 kids, may call for a few more rides than otherwise.

I honestly don't remember needing to buy an extra toilet option, but I'm pretty sure we did NOT buy a toilet option.