cdispoto

I plan on buying 72 hour vaporetto passes when I stay in Venice from 9/22-9/25, but I'd love to have them in hand when I arrive.

Is there any way to purchase the passes in advance online? A simple online search has not reveled any solutions.

Thanks for any help!

annhig

here's the link to the veniceconnected site where you can buy passes on line in advancE"

http://www.veniceconnected.com/node/1503

michele_d

cdispoto,
Go to the site ann mentioned and purchase your pass. You will be given a number. Take this number with you to Venice. When you arrive, the machine you will look for to print your passes is located in front of the train station. As you are standing at the top of the stairs it is located on the right, next to the water. You enter your number into the machine and it prints your pass. Very easy and quick. No line.

gh21

We purchased our pass upon arrival in Venice. Just outside the train station, there is a ticket office near the vaporetto boarding platforms. Not much of a line and just as easy as retrieving tickets from a machine.

caroline_edinburgh

Assuming the OP is arriving by train... cdispoto, how are you arriving and at what time of day? What time do you leave? Where are you staying?

I don't see the point myself in buying tickets in advance. The one time we considered it, on only about our 2nd or 3rd visit, we would have picked them up at the airport - but our flight was so late that everything was closed, so I'm not sure what would have happened.

Are you even sure you need 72 hour tickets? Will you even be here for 72 hours? Have you been before? Nearly all the main sights - the ones you'd be likely to want to visit on a first trip - are walkable from alamost anywhere you are likely to be staying, and walking is most often quicker, easier and pleasanter.

cdispoto

We will be arriving by train around noon on Sunday, 9/23. We will be staying for three days and staying in the Dorsoduro area. I know everything is walkable but I feel that we will probably use the vaporetto enough to make it worth our while and even if we don't, it'll be worth the piece of mind.

michele_d

I thought having the pass was very convenient. We did a lot of walking but it was nice to hop on and off the vaporetto whenever we wanted or were just plain tired of walking. It was also fun to ride the vaporetto at night to view all the lights up and down the canal. Beautiful.

michele_d

Be sure to check the exact amount of hours you will be in Venice and needing the pass. The pass goes for 48 or 72 hrs from the first time you swipe it as you board the vaporetto. If you arrive at noon on the 23rd and leave on the 25th you might be able to get the 48 hour pass and just pay for your last trip your self, if you leave after noon.

annhig

good point, michele. IMO, if you want to do some serious exploration a vaporetto pass is invaluable.

if you do a trip out to the lagoon - I recommend Burano and Torcello - it will pay for itself.

caroline_edinburgh

Each to their own, but I still don't see why using the machine to print off pre-booked passes is any easier than just using the machine to buy said passes - also no line that I've ever seen (manned ticket office yes, machine no).

wesleymarsh

The PNR system is so easy to use. I'm not a fan of ticket machine kiosks that require a credit card for purchase. The less I need to pull out a credit card in Europe, in public, the better I feel.

I also enjoy being more organized and using my time efficiently. If I can pre-purchase items on the internet before I arrive, why not? It's one less thing I need to do when I'm there. I tend to know my schedule ahead of time and know when I will want to use a boat. I also love being spontaneous. Having access to boats for my entire time in Venice makes me feel free to do what I want when I want.

I totally understand why someone might want to make these purchases in advance. I'm glad they're available.

michele_d

I don't recall if there is any price advantage to purchasing ahead.

annhig

michele - i think that the website says that there is, if you purchase a long time in advance.

I remember for our last visit, we'd missed the date to get the discount, so we got them on arrival.

ellenem

I believe the bigger discounts for purchasing ahead are offered in low season. I recall for a March visit that by purchasing ahead I got a 7-day pass for the price of a 72-hour pass. This was in 2011, so may no longer be the case. If you visit the veniceconnected site and scroll to November, you'll begin to see low season prices.

caroline_edinburgh

Fair enough, but on a point of information the normal ticket machines do take cash.

wrenwood

Watching this thread ~ if we but tickets ahead of time, and we arrive by car and park at Piazzale Roma, where would we print out the passes?

kappa1

I think I have posted this already but many here seem not informed. Sorry but all above informations about online purchase on veniceconnected site, given in good intentiosn however, are OUT OF DATE. No advantage buying in advance AT ALL any more sicne about a year or so. Veniceconnected is having problem (with vaporetto company, ?, I don't know but) and there is no discount given anymore. The discount was the only advantage about buying in advance. Now that that's no more, it's definitely better buying a pass when you get there. You don't need to find one of the exchange points with limited opening hours. This info is asked and given repeatedly at Venice Forum, Tripadvisorcom. I think you can get more updated infos there with locals and frequente visitors to Venice there.

wrenwood

So if we don't get them online, where do we get them when arriving by car and parking at Piazzale Roma?

kappa1

Too simple. At P.R. Vaporetto stop.

annhig

wrenwood,

once you have parked your car, you will find that you are in a large [open air] bus station with the grand canal in front of you. as you walk towards the vaporetto stop, there is a ticket office on the left just where the steps/ramp starts.