Venice Passes
 

My husband & I will be in Venice for four nights in September 2009. I have been looking into various passes available such as the museum pass, Venice cards (Blue/Orange) & vaporetto passes. I am having a difficult time determining if it is worthwhile/economical to purchase.

Some of the sights we would like to visit --- the Accademia, Peggy Gugenheim & Scuola San Rocco --- are not included in any of these passes.

Have you bought & used passes? Which ones? Did you find they were good value?

Thanks!

2010

Boat passes - since a single ride costs several euros and a pass a few euros more - if taking more than one boat ride in day buy the boat pass.

Was there last Jan and yes a single ride was very expensive - just few euros less than the pass

And take a boat down the Grand Canal during the day AND at night IMO - about the best thing IMO you can do in all of Europe

and take boats thru the eastern tip of the island - the Arsenal (/) - the old shipyards and over to the glass-blowing island, etc. Merano ?

Since VeniceCards do not include the museums that you want to visit, no question, buy the 72-hr vaporetto pass at airport desk or at any manned (most are) vaporetto stops. Since they are valid for 72 hours, you will be able to use it over 4 days. That's what I have always done last 10 + times I was in Venice. And I will be there again tomorrow. Besides vaporetto pass, consider Choruspass to enter numerous churches. There are many free entrance churches but many important ones are not.

> Merano ?

Especially if you visit the islands, Murano, and Burano, Torcello, Lido, etc. vaporetto passes are worth.

Explain the Venice card versus the Vaporetto card--I thought the Venice card covered transportation (bus and vaporetto) as well as some museums and churches. Is the vaporetto card something different? I saw that the Venice card for 3 days was about 50E..

Vaporetto (water bus) pass/ticket, as the name indicates is only good for vaporetto rides, as simple as that.

Thanks for your responses. Yes, it does seem worthwhile to purchase vaporetto pass. Is there a three-day pass?

Has anybody used the Blue or Orange Venice cards for the sights? Or, are we better off to choose what places we want to visit and pay as we go?

2010

There are vaporetto passes for number of hours . . . 12 hours, 24 hours, 72 hours. The pass is time stamped with your first use, so you could spread a 72-hour pass over 4 days, say 12 noon Day 1 to 12 noon Day 4.

Thanks for the information about the vaporetto passes. A 72-hour pass sounds perfect for us!

Will look at the Chorus Pass to see which churches it covers.

Any comments about the Venice cards - pros? cons?

2010

Here are the rates for the different transit passes:

http://www.actv.it/english/automobil...a=auto_tariffe

The value of a Venice card depends on if you plan to visit enough of the places to make it worthwhile. How much museum-going do you plan to do in your time in Venice? How many sighs you're considering are included in the pass? It's up to you.

ellenem: Thanks for the website - most informative!

Yes, of course you are right regarding the value of a Venice pass being related to how many sights we plan to visit. I've done a cursory check but will go back for a closer look & do the arithmetic!

During our stays in Paris, we've always purchased the Museum Pass. Even though we don't visit all the museums on the pass, it is worth for us to have it if only to bypass the enormous lines at the Louvre, D'Orsay & L'Orangerie! So, I was wondering if there were any advantages of buying a Venice Card? (This is our first trip to Italy.)

2010

We found the Venice cards useful mostly for the ability to bypass lines, even though the math was questionable. Venice was surprisingly crowded the last time we were there in September.

BTW, my DW is of the opinion that the included access to public bathrooms is an important benefit of the Venice Card.

If you find yourself without a vaporetto pass at an unmanned stop, the nearest convenience store will usually have them available.

Be sure to get at least the vaporetto pass. You can use it to go to Murano and Burano and Lido Islands.

We have so much fun walking and shopping in Venice and going to the islands, it seems like we don't make it to the churches except for St Marks or the museums.

Dont miss the private tour of doges palace. It was a great tour seeing where Casanova was held in Prison.

I find it useful to time the use of the vaporetto pass to include my last trip (i.e. back to the train station), including the time of the entire last journey. If this is your first visit you may find that the first day you're more inclined to visit by foot then venture further or use the vaporetto more frequently on days 2-4.

That means you would simply buy a 1 use ticket upon arrival.

We had a Venice Card for our last trip. We were there for a week, used the bus from the airport, and used the vaporetti extensively. We were there primarily for the Biennale and to do some work with clients. I did all the math, and the card was a good deal for us.

I'm not sure if I would buy the Venice Card for every trip. For the trip before that, we had the Chorus Pass, and we enjoyed that, too. That was a shorter trip, and we covered less ground (no lagoon islands).

Thank you for your responses & enthusiasm! I am considering all your suggestions as I map out our days in Venice.

We plan to take the Alilaguna from the airport to St Mark's Square & walk to our hotel nearby.

On our arrival day, we will likely not stray too far. So J62's suggestion to purchase two 72-hour vaporetti passes for Days 2-4 makes good sense! And we will time it so that the passes are still valid for our ride to the car rental office at the end of our stay!

As well, we would like to explore the lagoon by vaporetto visiting Murano & Burano and the Church of San Maggiore.

Will continue to work out whether the Venice Card that covers transportation & culture will be economical or if we should pay as we go! The Secret Itineraries Tour is definitely on our list!

tuscanlifeedit: Can you tell me a little about the Biennale?

2010

Here you go.

http://www.labiennale.org/en/

And the Secret Itineraries tour is NOT in the pass, though basic Palazzo Ducale entrance is.

You can buy a transit pass whenever you like. Just don't validate it (stamp it with the date and time in the yellow box a the boat landing) until you are just about to board your first boat. Your 72 hours will begin with the validation stamp.

I wonder about this every time I go.

My conclusion for you - if it's your first trip, you're only staying 4 nights and are staying fairly centrally (where are you staying ?), a transport card is not worth it as you will probably walk to most of the sights, maybe just getting a single vaporetto ride back at the end of the day if you are tired. (Walking around is the best single thing to do in Venice.)

If you want to go further afield, such as Murano/Burano/Torcello/San Michele, buy a 24 hour vaporetto pass & try to do all the further-flung attractions together.

Note that 24 hours means 24 hours, not a day, so you can be clever with it - e.g. buy a 24 hr pass at 9.30am one morning, spend the day visiting further flung attractions, then take the no.1 vaporetto ride the length of the Grand Canal starting early the next morning (so you're done by 9.30 - it's also much pleasanter & uncrowded early in the morning).

IMO the cards with added entry to attractions aren't worth it for most people. If you plan on visiting a lot of churches, the Chorus pass is worth it.

My conclusions after our last trip...

"Again I'd looked into buying Venice cards and decided they weren't worth it *for us*. I'm not saying they aren't worth it for others, but it's worth working it out in advance – although all the possible combinations (especially if you don't have a planned itinerary) make it hard to be sure in advance.

This year, the cheapest price for a 7 day 'Transport' card is €47.90, or €69.90 with Alilaguna.

The cheapest price for a 7 day 'Transport + Culture' card is €62.90, or €84.90 with Alilaguna.

(Considerably more if not bought online in advance – and I was doubly glad I hadn't done that last year, when our flight arrived so late we couldn't have picked them up anyway because everything was shut.)

What we actually spent on things covered by the cards was as follows.

As regards transport, we each spent €12 on Alilaguna from the airport on day 1 and bought a vaporetto single at €6.50 on days 3 & 4 (walked all day then got a boat back), a 72 hour pass covering days 5-7 at €31 and a single again on day 8 – a total of €62.50 each. (We just walked on days 1 & 2.) So the only way we would have saved money on transport alone would have been to buy a €47.90 card without Alilaguna and a separate Alilaguna ticket at €12, which would have meant saving €3.60 each.

As regards the cultural tickets on which the card would have saved money, we went to none of the included museums or other cultural sites / events, and we bought a Chorus Pass which covered the same churches for €9 each. So it definitely wouldn't have been worth our buying a 'Transport + Culture' card.

Conclusion : for us, it may or may not be worth buying a 'Transport' card but it's a close-run thing. If we'd been going back to the airport that would have changed the calculations, and if it were a Biennale year the calculations would change again since on at least 3 days we'd be just going backwards & forwards to the Giardini/Arsenale (and you can make 2 x 24 hour cards cover 3 days). For us I don't think it would ever be worth buying a 'Transport + Culture' card as we are never likely to visit that many of the covered museums etc in one trip (and it only gives €1 off Biennale tickets)."

hi 2010,

yep, working out which transport ticket to buy in Venice, if any, is just as complicated as, say, buying an oystercard in london, probably deliberately.

as we were staying for just over a week, we ended up buying 7 day blue venice cards, as they worked out cheaper and more convenient than 2x 72 hour vaporetto passes, but for a 4 day stay, IMO the 72 hour pass would be ideal.

I know what Caroline says about walking is true, in theory, but we found the freedom given by the passes was great - if we felt we'd walked far enough or wanted to go further without having to walk back, we could just hop on a boat. and one trip out to the islands will more or less pay for the pass.


if you click on my name and search for "we went to Venice and we saw" you'll find my trip report from our visit at easter 2008 and how we used our cards.

I agree with the other poster that the Secret intinerary tour of the doges palace is worthwhile [and includes as long as you want in the Doge's palace thereafter, so you don't need an orange pass for that] and don't miss the Frari when you are at the scuola san rocco - the monuments are stunningly dreadful.

have a great trip,

regards, ann

Hi 2010

About the Biennale. My husband and I agreed that this was one of the greatest art experiences of our lives.

I have heard others say that they weren't thrilled, but we were beyond thrilled and plan to go back.

The access to the Arsenale alone was worth the tickets. We spent a huge amount time there, and thought the displays and the use of space were superb.

Another part of the Biennale that we loved was the access to so many private buildings in the city. We were in one palazzo where we were out on a balcony, over the Grand Canal, waving at people passing below. I felt like the female Doge!

That plus tons of great contemporary art... I couldn't have asked for more.

Our Venice Cards included discounted tickets to the Biennale so that was great.

If I had to choose just one of the two major areas, I think I would pick Arsenale, because of the historical buildings.

The experience calls for some appreciation for contemporary art. If you have been to the Whitney Biennial, or similar events (or like the MOMA, the Pompidou, or gallery visits) and enjoyed them, I think you would like this.

And if not, there is an overwhelming amount of beauty in Venice and plenty of free Biennale venues to duck in to. Do try a few of those; we saw some terrific things.

Hi again, 2010,

here's the link to the biennale -

http://www.labiennale.org/en/art/ -

it's on from june to nov THIS year [ie 2009] and the film festival is on in september, so that might affect the availability of accommodation if your stay co-incides.

regards, ann

Thanks for sharing all this information & your experiences with Venice travel! That's what makes Fodor's an amazing resource!

We will be in Venice from September 15th to 19th (4 nights) and we have reservations at the Locando Orseolo.

Although we are not contemporary art aficionados, it will be exciting to be in Venice during the Biennale! It has happened to us several times in our travels that upon arrival in a town, we've discovered & attended an exhibit or event serendipity and have LOVED it! So, we definitely look forward to some visual treats this trip!

I think it would be convenient to have a vaporetto passes in our pockets to hop on a boat whenever we please ... especially since day light hours will be shorter & walking back to our hotel after dinner in the dark may not be so appealing! The 72 hour vaporetto pass will be perfect for us!

2010

Three full days in Venice is not a lot of time to visit all the wonderful places we would like to see. So first, I looked at sights by neighbourhoods & prioritized them so we will visit a variety of places and still have time to explore Venice by foot. Then I checked to see which of these are on the various culture & transportation passes.

Having done this, the 72 hour vaporetto pass still makes sense! For us this time, none of the cultural passes including the Venice cards & the Chorus Pass will give us any cost savings. We will pay as we go.

It has been a useful exercise in that it has given me a chance to plan our itinerary & set a budget for this part of our trip!

Thanks again for everyone's help!

2010

hi 2010,

I like your idea of grouping your sightseeing together - I assume the Frari with San Rocco, san Marco and the Doge's palace, etc.

but do remember opening times as well - eg San salute shuts promptly at 12 noon every day, as does the Gesuiti [fabulous marble curtains, our DS was transfixed by them].

popular sights can be easier to get into later in the day - we were just going past the accademia about an hour before closing, saw there was no queue, and nipped in. for some reason we never discovered, it was free too! [actually I think it was something to do with a free museum week in italy around easter time, but we could never work out which museums it applied to, when as it seemed to be a moveable feast!].

ref walks in Venice, you might like to look at a book by J G Links called "Venice for Pleasure".

happy planning,

regards, ann

Hi! Ann:

Thanks for the book recommendation! My local library has Venice for Pleasure: 40 Years On (2008) on order & I have placed a hold on it!

2010

some books you may enjoy reading before you go

No Vulgar Hotel by Judith Martin (2007)

City of Fallen Angels by John Berendt (2005)

Harry's Bar, The Life and Times of the Legendary Venice Landmark by Arrigo Cipriani (1996)

A Thousand Days in Venice, an Unexpected Romance by Marlena De Blasi (2002)

Remus: Just as you have suggested, I have been reading books set in Venice & have read many that you recommend! In addition, I have read about 6 Donna Leon's mysteries! It is fun to read books set in places one plans to visit! Thanks!

Ann: I just finished reading your Venice trip report & bookmarked it for future reference! Thanks for all the useful details!

Just a question to you about posting trip reports. I am planning to do one (my first!) upon our return from Italy. Do you think it will be better to do separate ones for each destination (eg, Venice, Lake Como, Tuscany & Florence) OR just do one for the entire trip?

2010

hi 2010,

you're lucky getting an up to date version of JG Links - my copy is showing its age, though I only bought it this time last year.

funnily, some of the restaurants and cafes were still there!

I enjoyed writing my trip report and I'm glad if it helps some "fellow travellers".

do feel free to come back to me if you've got any questions before you go.

have a great trip,

regards, ann

I second others' endorsement of the art Biennale. Since our first visit, we feel the need to go every time, for a week. If you are not generally into contemporary art, though, you may find the Giardini (c.25 different national pavilions, all architecturally different, scattered around a park) more fun than the Arsenale (one big building). Plus as ann says, the 'offsite' shows in found spaces are fun - you are bound just to stumble across some.

Ann, have you seen John Cale is representing Wales this year ?!? Sounds exciting !

hi caroline,

It was Tuscanfeedlit who made that comment about ducking into random biennale sites, not me. My only personal experience of the biennale is over 25 years ago on the ist trip DH and I made to Venice.

I wouldn't know John Cale from a pot of jam. and having just googled him, I'm not going to retract that remark!

I think I will leave the Biennale to those who can appreciate it!

regards, ann

PS 2010,

I've been meaning to metion what I think is a really good little guide book, with maps, that is small enough to pop in a pocket of small handbag or day-sack.

it's called "Venice art/shop/eat" and is published by blue guides. I suspect I got it through amazon. it describes Venice area by area, and gives directions to and opening times of all the main sights, a very good map, plus cafes, etc. and shops too. also there's a section on vaporeto passes, a vaporeto map, etc. if you had it, you honestly wouldn't need anything else - useful on a long trip, IMO.

regards, ann