KWP, your hotel has info and a map at www.casacosmo.com/en/location.htm. You can also find your cross streets at this map: http://www.venice-rentals.com/intera...map/index.html. Click on Rialto, then click twice on the down arrow. Look near the back end of S. Salvatore church.

You can take the ATVO or ACTV bus from Marco Polo (see http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/...port_buses.htm) and then the number 1 or number 82 vaporetto (water bus) to Rialto.

There is no water taxi "just outside the door" of the Marco Polo Airport in Venice (VCE). Just outside the doors of the Airport are automobiles, buses and land taxis to take you to the main land and to Venice's Piazzale Roma bus terminal.

In order to get to the embarkation point for water transportation service into Venice San Marco, you need to walk, with your luggage, approximately 6-8 min. (if you're not pokey) to the dock where the water taxis/shuttles are located. It's a nice little walk-helps to wake you up if you've been flying all night. Alternatively, if you have a lot of luggage, you could get a land taxi to drive you over to the dock.


1. follow the signs in the Airport to the Alilaguna water shuttles-(the doors will be at the far left exiting the Airport).

2. Out the door -turn left on the sidewalk, and again follow the signs to the dock-the private water taxis (motoscafi) are co-located with the Alilaguna water shuttles.

As stated above, there are now 2 different Alilaguna water shuttle lines to Venice:

1. the Alilaguna d'Oro (Gold) is a DIRECT shuttle, it does not stop along the way-it is DIRECT TO SAN MARCO/SAN ZACCARIA-this runs hourly starting at 9:25am -brand new, and recommended-who wants to stop at different points along the way unless you live or are staying at those stops? The only downside is that their service does not run as frequently as the regular Alilaguna, BUT for most tourists' purposes during the day and evening it does.

2. the regular Alilaguna line does make several stops along the way before arriving at San Marco-the trip takes 70 min.- this shuttle runs much earlier and much later than the Gold-and thus is right for early morning or late departures from San Marco back to the Airport.


KWP-re your question on how to get to your hotel-I would suggest, given Casa Cosmo's location by Rialto, that you forego taking a water shuttle, and instead take the public bus to Piazzale Roma (bus #5) and then at Pze. Roma buy a vaporetto pass (3 day or 1 day), embark upon the public water bus (vaporetto #82) from Piazzale Roma to Rialto.

Once you get off at Rialto (each stop is signed, of course, and the ACTV operator calls out the stops). Proceed to follow the directions contained on your hotel's website. If you get turned around, just ask someone to help you-Venetians are usually quite helpful in that regard.

I am still curious about the "free" shuttle to and from the boat dock to the airport. When we arrived at the airport boat dock in the early morning this past March, there was no free shuttle. Several shuttle operators were lined up to transport travelers from the dock to the airport, but they all wanted 25 Euro for the ride. We walked.

There was no free shuttle available. No one else was outside except three or four blue shuttles and they all wanted 25 E to transport us and our luggage to the airport. The distance was short and I thought the cost was outrageous.

I don't know about any free shuttles now, other than there were free shuttles that were discontinued. I might fly out of the airport in a couple of months domestically- if I do, then I'll enquire about the shuttle service to the dock.

But if operators are charging 25 E just to take you to the boat dock-which is the same cost as the direct water shuttle to Venice, then that really is outrageous.

KWP, to follow up on GirlTravel's mention of the #5 bus and getting a 1- or 3-day vaporetto pass: If you get your pass at the airport before boarding the #5 ACTV bus (not the ATVO bus), the pass will cover the bus as well. Either way, don't forget to validate (stamp) your pass before first use. You can validate the pass on the bus.

Maybe I don't remember the exact details, but I was with my 2 kids and husband, and remember finding a water taxi very quickly and easily after exiting the airport. We definitely didn't go far at all, we were all exhausted from the flight, and if it wasn't easy there would have been lots of complaining.

Thanks so much for all your helpful suggestions.

This is one more question for SPYGIRL. The 25e/per person for the GOLD ALILAGUNA trip from venice airport to San Marco/San Zaccaria, is that a round trip fee?
Since we won't be going back to the airport from the hotel, but directly to the cruise pier, it would be nice to know.
We are , like you, looking forward to witnessing the Regatta Storia on Sept. 3rd. However since this will also be the day of our departure and we will have to be at the pier by 3:00PM, I wonder if we will be able to see some or most of it before our check-in time.
Do you have a schedule of events or know a sight where I can find out more?
Your help or anybody elses would be much appreciated.

I know this isn't the question, but why is everybody taking so much luggage? You should be able to pack everything in one medium-sized rollable suitcase. When you're moving around Europe, the last thing you want to do is load yourself down with lots of luggage. Trust me, there's no way you need everything you want to pack. Go to Rick Steves' packing tips for advice. Packing light is the way to go! Once you do it, you will never go back...
http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/packlight.htm

Hi Travelgems-

The Gold shuttle is 25E each way-and yes, the Regatta Storica starts in the morning, so you'll be able to see a great deal-but the crowds will be ENORMOUS, so you need to make your way to your departure point DO make sure about your transportation schedules on this day ahead of time, because most water transportation will be shut down for the length of the event.

Here is a bit from the Venice City Hall website:

nglish.comune.venezia.it/turismo/feste/homepage/ (scroll down to Regatta Storica),

and this article about the Regatta:

www.doge.it/regata/regata14i.htm

That first word got cut off-should be "English"

Scusi-I keep doing this-spelling "regata" with two t's- that should be "Regata Storica"

Okay, once more-(this is what I was looking for on the City Hall website)-the full page story of the "Regata Storica"-with pictures:


english.comune.venezia.it/turismo/feste/regatastorica/en_home.asp

Thanks GirlTravel. I have been worried about the traffic situation that day and plan to reserve a private watertaxi as soon as we arrive on Sept. 1st (for the 3rd). Do you think that will be early enough? The locals should also know the time during which the waterway traffic will be restricted or blocked off, and advise us as to how much time we should allow to get to the pier on time.

Travelgems-is your cruise departing from Venice, or do you have to go back to the airport? That wasn't clear to me.

GirlTravel, we are NOT going back to the airport on the 3rd, but will take a watertaxi directly to the cruise pier/port (two couples this time around, so we can split the cost.

The distance from the Alilaguna or Vaporetto to the hotel is not as important as how many bridges with all of their steps you have to climb to get to the hotel.

bookmarked