vaporetto in venice
 

We arrive after a day of travel in Venice on a Sunday. I thought Sunday night, either before or after dinner, we would take a ride on the vaporetto. I learned on Fodor's that it's best to sit in the front...one question, are there different vaporettos? Okay...more than one question.....where do I catch this with my family of 5? I hear it's 6 euros one way....is there a good way to do this? Need help! I am Vaporetto illiterate. haah!

We were a family of five plus one in Venice. We never got to sit together on any vaporetto, especially in the front where the seating is limited.

There are lots of vaporettos (vaporetti?)on different routes, but I assume you mean to go up or down the Grand Canal. There are a number of stops, the largest ones are outside of the train station and at St. Marks and you will probably be going from one of these to the other. Seating is mostly inside, so if you want to really be in front with an unobstructed view, you will need to stand outside, which is our preference.

There are multi-use passes that passes that end up cheaper per ride. If you expect to take the vaporetto for other trips, they are worthwhile. It's called a Tourist Travel Card.

For related info:
http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/...etto-fares.htm

definitely "vaporetti", basingstoke.

the no 1 - the stopper - and no 2 - the express - go up and down the grand canal. you will probably find that there is more room on the no 2, but you can never tell. However, if it's too packed, there will be another one along in a minute!

depending on how long you are staying and what you intend to do, you will probably find that a vaporetto pass will work out more economical than buying individual tickets, which are about €6.50 each now, I think.

Bookmarking for future reference

There are many boats, running various routes (they are numbered). The #1 is a good one since it goes on the Grand Canal. Think of these more as the "local bus".

Here is the official website for the vaporetto system:

www.actv.it

Click on english in the upper right corner if your Italian ie rusty. You'll see an map that will give you an idea of the stops etc.

along the blue bar at the top of the page, click the second white dot "moving in Venice" for fares.

In general a vaporetto has 4 areas where you can ride. On the bow, in front of the pilot cabin, there are 10-12 seats as well as the life rafts. There is no standing in this area as you'd block the pilots view.

right behind the pilot is an open area that has a gate on each side. the gates slide open when docked at the stop to let you on and off. You can stand in this area, but it is the main way onto the boat as well.

After this open area is an enclosed cabin with rows of seats. You can also stand if it's crowded. The cabin is lined with windows as well.

There is also a small aft section that is open on three sides. There are 10 or so seats and an open area where I believe you can stand.

I like to take the number 1 vaporetto from St Marks all the way up the Grand Canal sitting on one side, and gazing at the beautiful sights, get off at the top and get back on going the other way, sitting on the other side. it is slow, since, as referenced above it makes a lot of stops, but really quite an experience. Many of the guide books, including DK Guides, has a great map of the Grand Canal that identifies many of the palazzos on the way.

SusanG makes a good point. Go in both directions for different perspectives.

You can download Rick Steve's free Grand Canal audio tour here...

http://www.ricksteves.com/news/trave..._downloads.htm

Thanks everyone...we will use your advice wisely. We are trying to figure out if we need a pass...I'm guessing we will do more walking than riding so we might opt for single use tickets.

Andreadee,

The other thing to consider--you might like a pass for just part of the time . . . 12 hours or 24 hours or whatever. The passes are good for the actual hours, so for example, a 24-hour pass that you first use at noon on Sunday would be good until noon on Monday. You could plan to do all your riding during the active time of the pass.

Good advice from ellen annd coldup:
a. Don't count on getting a seat up front.
b. Try to pack your rides into a specific time period and buy a pass for that period.

Get a pass for however long you are going to be there. There are many routes that are less crowded than the 1 and 2. There are routes that circumnavigate the city, and I think I remember going all the way to the Lido on the same pass I uses on the canals. If so, it is a serious bargain.

For those who are not used to using public transportation at home, you will find that the ability to get on a vaporetto or bus in other cities when you are tired will give your muscles a break and make your trip a lot more interesting.

Just be sure to learn how to validate your pass.

The pass also includes Burano, Murano and Torcello (and Chioggia by vaporetto, bus and ferry, not that you are likely to go there.)

The boat passes come in quite handy, as most people I know that go to Venice grossly underestimate the amount of walking, and the extra fatigue caused by the many (even small) bridges that need be crossed continuously.
The single ride tickets cannot be used for a return trip, so would not be valid to ride the Grand Canal down and then back, that would require two tickets.
If you are considering a trip to any of the islands (Murano, Burano, Lido, San Giorgio) the single ride fares add up quickly.
A good number of the newer vaporetti, usually running on the n°1 line, do *not* have seating up front. Also in the scheme that notbob describes, which is only for the n°1 and n°2 lines, the second, external area near the gates, is often very trafficked with people getting on and off and going back and forth to the main cabin, so if you stay outside there, you need to say in "the corners" to avoid blocking all the other passengers.
The external ring "circolare" lines (41-42, 51-52) which also go to Murano and Lido, are smaller vaporetti, and have a closed cabin to the left and right down 4 stairs after boarding, and a generally smaller area out back behind the main cabin. The boarding area is also much smaller, and much more difficult to occupy without creating problems.

great information, thank you! Do the vaporetti run late into the evening or do they stop at a certain time?

hikrchick - Most routes run on their normal schedule until midnight and then pick up again around 5 am. From midnight to 5 am there is night service, designated by N in the schedule and the boat.

The N routes run on a reduced frequency and limited routes but they are there.

www.actv.it

Don't confuse the "N" service (has a little moon to indicate that it runs at night) with the LN service which runs to the Northern lagoon (Burano.

A vaporetto pass is a good idea.

bookmarking

definitely I agree with getting a pass to last the length of your trip. it will pay for itself in just one trip to the islands!

also, as has been said above, the amount of walking you do can be seriously understimated, and a pass enables you to see more, then get the vaporetto back. 2 examples from our last 7 day trip [though I could give you more]

vaporetto to Burano, ferry to Torcello, ferry back to Burano, vaporetto to Murano, vaporetto [long] to Giardino, walk home.

vaporetto from san marco to santa maria della salute, boat over from the zatttere to the guidecca, walked along to the boat stop for san georgio, from san georgio back to the zattere, boat back up the grand canal to rialto.

that's about €30 on the boat for one day! - and the pass for the week cost €50.

I rest my case.