Alilaguna or Water Taxi?
 

There will be 8 of us going from Marco Polo airport to the San Moise Hotel near Piazza San Marco. The Alilaguna will cost us 80 Euros (I think) but so will the Water Taxi (again, I think). The question being does a Water Taxi hold 8 people? If not, then is the Alilaguna the way to go? Thanks!

The water taxi will hold 8 people but not if you have much luggage. We have taken a water taxi with 6 people with no problems but I dare say 8 will probably be too much unless you all travel very lightly. Two water taxis would be fine and really not that much more expensive per person.

Last month our group of 8 took a water taxi from the airport to our hotel close to San Marco and there was plenty of room for all of us including luggage. We paid a total of 110 Euro and added a 10 Euro tip, and we considered that to be 15 Euro a person well spent (we had been traveling for almost 24 hours)! The water taxi took us just a few steps from our hotel.<BR>

The San Moise has an entrance right from the water on a side canal so a water taxi would be able to drop you right at the door. There will be some walking involved from the alilaguna stop if that helps you decide. 110e sounds high (perhaps Byrd was going farther than San Marco?)<BR>What I wonder (maybe someone else can tell you) is if you could wait to make the decision based upon the rate quote you get from the taxi...the water taxis &amp; the alilaguna leave from the same area at the airport but tickets to the alilaguna are usually purchased in the terminal before taking the shuttle bus to the dock. I wonder if there's a ticket booth for the alilaguna at the dock or whether they can be purchased at no additional charge on the boat.

mclaurie- I think perhaps we took a larger-than-usual water taxi, since there was room for at least two more people, maybe more. Actually, our hotel (Ca' dei Conti) is a little closer than San Marco, but the taxi took us up the small canals to the hotel. The ride was such fun, and an exciting entrance to Venice. All in all, to us it was well worth the money!

I know what you mean, Byrd - - I have been on a water taxi with a group of six, and with a group of eleven (two taxis), and even with considerable (&quot;normal, light&quot;) luggage, it seemed that one or two might have fit. But the taxis probaly will refuse to take eight. They have a captive audience, and they know that they can say no to taking eight people.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>[email protected]<BR>

Hmmm, sounds like there are more than one size of Water Taxi. Can anyone tell me if the larger ones are pretty common? Thanks for all the info!

Maybe you should email your hotel, perhaps they can arrange for a pick up with a boat to accommodate your group.