Venice Transportation
 

Hello
We are going to be in Venice in June for a few days and I cannot make up my mind about whether to take the Alilaguna boat service or getting a private water taxi to our hotel (Locanda Orseolo). A lot of the posts say how memorable/beautiful it was to first see San Marco on a water taxi. I wonder do you miss the moment if you are on the Alilaguna?

For those who have stayed at Locanda Orseola and used the Alilaguna is the hotel a far walk from the stop?

It shouldn't even be an issue, this is the beginning of our honeymoon so I should just splurge for the water taxi but that kind of attitude is making budget get out of control. (private transfers, flight to Naples, first class vs 2nd on the trains, deluxe vs standard hotel rooms,...)

When leaving the airport which is the easiest way? Is there a long wait for either service?

Any advice would be appreciated.

I completly understand your concerns with your budget. There are always compromises to be made but on our last trip, the compromises were made elsewhere and we splurged (just a little) in Venice.

We took a water taxi into Venice and, yes, it was memorable. However, this was the last few days of our trip, we were tired from driving all day and our luggage was full of bottles of wine from our days in Tuscany, and we didn't feel like dragging those bags over bridges or walking very far and the ride was much quicker by water taxi.

If you are fretting over not having this particular experience, don't. Venice is magical and charming and will give you so many beautiful memories during your days there.

Should you decide to take a water taxi, when you arrive at the airport, there is a desk in the terminal where you can pay for the taxi. The terminal is small and the walk is a short way to the boat, but there was a little bus to take you there if your luggage is a concern.

Lucky you...a honeymoon in Venice!

On my first trip to Venice, I arrived in the early evening via train from Florence. Walking out of the train station and seeing the magic of Venice for the first time is something I won't forget.

Last fall a friend and I took the Alilaguna to our hotel in the late evening. We were disappointed; there were few lights on the way and the gradual approach into Venice couldn't compare to that jaw-dropping "wow" feeling when you leave the train station. Also, the Alilaguna trip took longer than the bus + vaporetto trip, if that's a consideration.

I've never had a water taxi in from the airport, and assume it will be much faster than the Alilaguna. That, along with the convenience of to-the-door service may offset the extra cost. But I'd be interested in hearing from those who water taxied in at night on their first trip: did you have that "wow" experience?

Didn't taxi in at night, but did during the day. And it was a total "wow." We didn't enter throught the Grand Canal---came in through a smaller canal that eventually came to the Grand Canal.

Here's a budget choice for your transportation that is still memorable. From the train station (Venezia Santa Lucia station), buy a vaporetto pass (big public water boats) and take the vaporetto to the stop closest to your hotel. This is how we arrived and it was an unforgettable sight!

If you are staying 3 days in Venice buy the 3-day vaporetto pass for 22 euros each, which gives you unlimited on and off privileges on the vaporettos, including the ones going to the little islands.

You'll have to stand in the vaporetto with your luggage, so if you are going to do this don't bring too much luggage. We each brought 1 21" or 22" inch wheeling carry-on, and 1 18" Duffel which slides on top of the carry-on handle for easy carrying. We pushed our way over to the railing and held on. Best view is always at the railing. It's easy to get a spot at the railing because some people seem to prefer standing in the center of the boat instead of at the railing.

This is assuming you are approaching Venice from the train station. If you are flying into Venice, is there any cheap transportation from the airport to the train station? Then you can get the vaporetto from the train station.

The water taxi is very expensive. Take the waterbus, it's great and stops every couple of blocks (bridges) . .

I have a couple questions about the vaporettos, too, so thought I'd add on here. How early in the morning do they start running? If I need to be at the Santa Lucia train station for a 7:52 a.m. train, how early will I need to catch a vaporetto from the Arsenale stop to get there on time? I plan to have my train tickets purchased ahead of time.

And are there good maps available on the vaporettos? How about the Tourist Information stand at the train station? Should I buy one of those laminated Venice maps at my bookstore before going or will the ones given away at the TI be sufficient for finding my way to the majority of tourist spots in Venice?

One more quick question, although a little off this thread's topic... if I can find the American Express office in the Milan Galleria, will I be able to buy ALL my train tickets there, including the Swiss portions?

Thanks, and apologies to Jessica for hijacking her thread.

Hey, don't worry about hijacking my thread, they are useful questions. I'm curious about the maps also.

Jessica:

There is good info on Slow Trav using this link:http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/venice...sportation.htm

She suggests the Alilaguna from the Airport
I am also staying at Locanda Orseolo and was interested to hear from someone as to how far a walk it is from San Marco.

Linda

We will also be staying at Locanda Orseola [in May] and would also like to hear from people who know how far a walk it is, and how to do the transportation. Hope someone has done this.

We stayed at L.O. last year. It is about a three minute walk from the vaporetto stop (approx. 1 min. from the stop to San Marco square, 1 min. to cross the square, and 1 min. from the square to the hotel).

We took a vaporetto b/c we were coming from the train station, and it's just a short ride down the Grand Canal to the stop near San Marco (for an even shorter ride, you can get off at the Rialto Bridge stop; the walk to the hotel will be about 5 minutes).

On a side note, it was raining when we arrived, and there were some water taxis with the passengers' luggage out in the rain. One water taxi tried to dock at a vaporetto stop to secure tarps over the luggage, but was "chased" away by an arriving vaporetto. Although big and bulky, the vaporettos at least kept my luggage dry.

We were not charged for luggage on the trip to the hotel. As we were leaving, however, the vaporetto charged 3.5 euro for each luggage (they also charged some guy 3 euro for his dog, which he was carrying).

You can get the routes and schedules here: http://www.actv.it/

The L.O. is a very nice little hotel, I think you'll enjoy staying there.

Idnas71, we didn't use the TIs for information in Italy, probably because we started in Rome, and got lost trying to find one, then gave up on them! However, I did extensive research, and we found that our research, plus the hotel desk and concierge, supplied all the info we needed.

As to maps, we got maps at all of our hotels, but I actually preferred the Streetwise Rome maps because they have an index of streets and piazzas and since they are laminated they're sturdy. But sometimes a paper map is handy for those times that you don't feel like carrying the laminated one. I recommend you get a map before you leave and begin coming familiar with the lay-out of cities. That's what I did.

Sorry I don't recall how early the vaporettos start running. As to how early to arrive at the vaporetto stop to catch your train, your hotel can help you answer that, also, once you are in Venice, and have taken the vaporettos a few times, you'll have a better idea.

I recommend buying a vaporetto pass at the train station for unlimited on and off privileges.

The vaporettos run some routes all night, and in any case, you shouldn't have a problem with a 7:52 am train, as plenty of locals will be using them for commuting by that time (think of them as the equivalent of a city bus). You do need to be aware of when they transition from day to night routes, because some routes may make different stops at night. I never found a route map I really liked, the big timetable has almost too much detail.

From the airport (Marco Polo) there is a shuttle bus that you can take to the train station at Mestre. From there, take one of the very frequent trains to the station in Venice (Santa Lucia). When you leave the train station, you will be at the grand canal, where you can buy a vaporetto pass. Vaporetto stops (rafts) have displays of the stops. If the vaporetto is very crowded, or you have a lot of luggage, they may charge you for your luggage, but this is rare. I believe route 1 and 82 go to San Marco, but you should double check that. The vaporetto's go both directions; you will want one going to the left.

I had a Streetwise map and didn't like it because the index is fragmented and you have to know where something is in order to look it up. Some sort of map should be bought in advance as it will help you in planning.

A bus from the airport (which is small)to Piazza Le Roma (the bus station which is right next to the train station)is easy, fast and cheap. Look at http://www.atvo.it/airport.php?ld=or....ihtm&id=0 for the schedule. You can find vaporetto schedules at http://www.actv.it/ - it's not the easiest site to navigate, but persevere!

If I remember correctly, the vaporettos don't have route maps on the interior, but each stop has one and the name of the stop is located on the exterior water side so you know where you are as you travel.

The 3 day pass for E22 is a wonderful bargain but can't be bought at every stop. There is a kiosk outside the train station, and I think one at St. Mark's, but others can correct me there.

You can also buy the 3-day pass at the airport. That's very convenient, as you can then use it for the first time for the bus to Piazzale Roma.