Vaporetto passes : you validate only the first time, that's to stamp the date/time of the first use. So if you put it in the machine for the 2nd time, it might actually cause a problem as you will not be able to read time/date.

I was there in June/July & there was no bus.

When we were there a couple of weeks ago, I'm pretty sure we saw the shuttle bus that would have taken us to the dock. We decided that it would be easier just to walk than to schlep our luggage onto it.

The walkway to the pier is on the left as you come out of the airport. It is well-marked.

Debbie

kappa & Debbie,

thanks for the help. It seems silly worrying about such a little thing.

I tend to get stressed when I've got the family in tow and my arrangements for getting from airport to accommodation have not always been fool-proof. Two years ago we went to rome at easter and it all went like a breeze except that the pre-booked taxi was about 45 monutes late, by which time we'd all decided he wasn't coming at all and before that in Berlin, DH and I spent over an hour trying to locate the correct station platform to get into the city, depsite the fact that I speak reasonable german!

thanks, again,

regards, ann

Btw a) I find it more like a 10 minute walk from the airport terminal to the docks but b) there are trolleys for which you need a €1 coin.

Also we find a spend a lot of time in Venice just walking so we don't buy vaporetto tickets to cover the whole period. We covered our recent week there with 1 72 hr ticket and 1 24 hr ticket.

Ann

Two tips -

There is an ATM in Marco Polo airport. I got that information from a previous poster. When you exit out of the baggage area and are to the point where you see all the people with signs to pick people up, turn right and go to the end of the hallway. It is at the end of the hall on the right hand side. (I think there is a post office right next to it.)

To buy the Alilaguna tickets, you'll instead turn left. If you are at the ATM, turn around, go back past where you entered and you'll find it on the left hand side.

If you want to take the Alilaguna, you'll exit the building and look to the left for the walkway. It really is well-marked and even had a time estimate. It is a nice smooth pathway - not a walk through city streets or anything like that.

While waiting, take some time to study the map information on the walls. If there are lots of people, you might not get on the first boat.

Here's a tip that I learned from experience on this trip. When packing your suitcase, put the heavier things on the side of your suitcase with the wheels. It is much easier to pull. If you put the weight near the opposite side, you'll put holding up the weight as you pull. I don't know why I never realized this before.

Debbie

Hi, Debbie,

That's brilliant. luckily we won't need the ATM as in the UK, all we need to do to get euros is to go to the post office and buy them over the counter. easy peasy.

but the info for the dock is REALLY useful. I suspect we'll take the water taxi, as the alilaguna doesn't go to the rialto, and the timetable means we'd probably not make it to Venice until 10pm. can you remember how the water-taxis are signposted?

regards, ann

Warning - if you don't arrive until 10pm you may find none of the ticket offices etc in the airport open anyway.

Admittedly we arrived later than that this year - it was 1145 by the time we got out - but *nothing* was open. (I hadn't researched for this situation as we should have been there c.1pm !)

With no clue as to whether the Alilaguna was still running or not, we trudged to the dock - and found it wasn't. Unwilling to fork out for a watertaxi we then trudged back to get a land bus from right outside the terminal. So we ended up having no option but to pay on the bus and the subsequent vaporetto N. I can't imagine what would have happened if we'd pre-booked Venice Cards to pick up at the airport.

Ann - I didn't notice where the water taxis docked.

If anyone is iffy on times for transportation, I'd suggest going to their websites. I know that before we went I checked times for the Alliguna.

I say that partially because friends of ours who planned to take the vaporetto back to the airport early one morning found out that it stopped at something like 4:30 AM. They were glad that they found out in advance as they just left a little earlier.

Why in the world it would run all night and stop at 4:30 AM, I don't know. Perhaps I misunderstood. But in any case, the point is the same. Don't assume anything runs 24 hours per day.

We took a cruise and when we got off and got ready to take the Alliguna back to San Marcos and our hotel, we found out that it didn't start running until 8:30 AM. We were REALLY glad that we hadn't decided to take the "unload your own luggage from the ship" option which was really early.

Debbie

Debbie

Ann
If you decide to take the water taxi, contact your rental folks and find out the closest place the water taxi can drop you to your accomodations. Meeting you at the Railto is probably just the closest public transport stop and may entail a great deal of additional walking. Since you will be paying for the service anyway, they may be able to drop you within a few feet of your Venice home.

Forgot to mention, the water taxis at the airport pick up in the same area that Alilaguna docks.

For an idea of scale and location use goolemaps to locate Marco Polo Airport on satellite view. Then Zoom in to view the docks. At the South west end of the runways, you'll notice a channel coming in offf the lagoon. Follow it up to the end, at max zoom in you can actually the boat and the white rectangle is the dock. Water taxis dock to the left.

Forgot to mention, the water taxis at the airport pick up in the same area that Alilaguna docks.

For an idea of scale and location use googlemaps to locate Marco Polo Airport on satellite view. Then Zoom in to view the docks. At the South west end of the runways, you'll notice a channel coming in off the lagoon. Follow it up to the end, at max zoom in you can actually see the boat and the white rectangle is the dock. Water taxis dock to the left.

> because friends of ours who planned to take the vaporetto back to the airport early one morning found out that it stopped at something like 4:30 AM.

Debbie, vaporetto does not go to the airport. Alilaguna boat, yes. Also ACTV land bus (same company that operates vaporetto lines) doe does go to the airport.

There is a HUGE advantage to getting your vaporetto pass at the airport - NO LINES!

hi, notbob,

brilliant, thanks.

I'll google the airport, to check for the position of the water taxi dock.

our apartment is apparently very close to the rialto but I'll check with the owners exactly where to ask for. Those italian lessons should come in useful!

regards, ann

>Debbie, vaporetto does not go to the airport. Alilaguna boat, yes. Also ACTV land bus (same company that operates vaporetto lines) doe does go to the airport.

I'm sorry that I stated that so poorly. I should have said that they were going to take the vaporetto on their way to the airport. They took the vaporetto to Plaza Roma and then took the land bus (or as one friend said - the bus with wheels) the rest of the way to the airport. That's what we did on the way back too.

Debbie