Venice: Water Taxi or Alilaguna?
 

Several of you wrote that the view coming into Venice from a water taxi is really an experience (and especially for my 12 year olds). I figure it might be like the splurge of going to the top of the Empire State Building (I live in NY). Or is the experience on the Alilaguna as good (like the Staten Island Ferry--more affordable but just as good views).

Thanks

I've done both. Take the water taxi.
(I live in NYC, too.)

I've also done both. In your situation I'd a Water taxi for sure. The Alilaguna is perfectly fine, but it is a loooong trip. A water taxi has better views and you get there in 1/4 the time. Plus even the girls would have to pay, so while a water taxi will still cost more -- it isn't a huge extravagance.

The length of the Alilaguna boat ride depends entirely on your drop-off point and which boat line you take.

One does not take the Alilaguna to enjoy views. You can see the boats in Google Images. The boats are rather smallish, and they require passengers to sit in the enclosed cabin. You sit in an oblong U-circle with your back to the windows. Consider yourself lucky if you get an Alilaguna boat with clean/clear windows. They don't seem to have any.

The Motoscafi water taxi boats are typically pristine. There are places to stand with your head in the open air, sort of like a convertible with the top down.

Comparing the experience is like comparing green apples to ripe blood oranges.

The Alilaguna boats are similar to the vaporetti - they are waterbuses. That means, they are workhorses, built to transport a large number of passengers most economically.

When you are in Venice, you will frequently ride the vaporetti. The vaporetti have some space outside (with unobstructed views), albeit limited, but you will have opportunities for scenic rides and photographing.

The water-taxis are like sports cars. They are slim and fast, and occasionally they jump over the wake of another boat - that is is what I meant when I wrote it would be an experience for 12-year-olds. They are partly covered and partly open, so you may enjoy the wind and the views.

For a family of four, a water taxi is still more expensive than the Alilaguna, but I would not consider it a splurge.

The most expensive part is the trip as such - including airfare, accomodation, food, entrance fees and everything else. This means, each minute of your trip is precious. And wasting time for slow public transport means wasting money. So, paying 30 or 40 Euros more for a water taxi might be more economical than taking (admittedly) cheap public transport.

As said, better save the money for a gondola ride which is not worth the expense (just boring).

I've posted this elsewhere but maybe you missed it:

Water taxis are very destructive to the stone foundations of Venice, and if you do a little bit of googling you will find copious amounts of material on line from residents of Venice begging tourists to use the public boats rather than the water taxis for transport unless you are not fit.

If you are going to choose to take this very destructive form of transportation with your children as a way of showing them Venice, I hope you will at least read up enough beforehand that you can explain the mechanics to your children as you are traveling along. It will be an intereseting science lesson for them and you'll get to see their reaction as you explain to them why you decided it was so important to give them this expensive treat -- because, after all, Venice is not likely to last their lifetimes at the rate tourists are going there and the attitude they are bringing with them.

Take the Alilaguna, for heaven's (and Venice's) sake.

<i><font color=#555555>"The Alilaguna boats are similar to the vaporetti - they are waterbuses."</font></i>

Since I hail from a family of boaters, this seems like a silly statement to me.

The <i>vaporetti</i> boats vary in size and design, but the most popular, the #1, is a rather large vessel. On most vaporetti, passengers can remain outdoors with a full, open-air view available to them.

Alilaguna boats tend to be much smaller, but they vary in size, too, depending on the line you use. Whatever open space exists, it's rather limited, is used for luggage storage as passengers board and exit. Passengers are required to sit in the cabin below.

<i><font color=#555555>"a gondola ride which is not worth the expense (just boring)."</font></i>

I have always loved my gondola sojourns. Considering the muscle power these guys use and the cost of living in Venice, I think the service is priced just about right. Given the fact that the gondola sees what very few boats or tourists ever get a chance to see, I don't see how anyone with any bit of imagination could find this special delight "boring."

Venice suffers from all kinds of problems - the biggest is groundwater extraction, followed by chemical pollution - but the wake caused by water taxis is the least one.

Much more damage is caused by wheeled luggage that rolls over ancient limestone and marble and carves scratches into the stone.

So, if you want to protect Venice, take a water taxi directly to your hotel's entrance rather than damaging its surface by rolling trolleys from the vaporetto stop to your hotel.

If you like some more scientific background, read this:

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/7835/7835sci1.html

I may add that there are speed limits for boats in sensible areas.

You do not state how you are arriving in Venice: airplane or train. If the former, negotiate with the dispatcher to take the water taxi to Piazzale Roma (the train station) first and then down the length of the Grand Canal. Truly an unforgettable experience. Will cost about 100 Euros.

I'd rather take the Alilaguna to economize and have the money to do a gondola journey. There is nothing like gliding down quiet canals, seeing the "back streets" of Venice as they have been seen for centuries. It is NOT boring. But I do suggest to pick up the gondola in a bit of a less trafficked area (San Toma for instance) than getting one right in front of Piazza San Marco.

Sorry to go off track but water taxis, while a nice treat, are nothing like the totally unique experience of a gondola. (oh, and you can bring wine on a gondola :) )

Agree with traveller 1959

I was in Venice last weekend. We took the Alilaguna Orange line because we were the first stop. Not because it was cheaper.
Water taxi would have been quicker and more expensive.
We also took the vaporetti from the train station to San Marco, to see the Grand Canal. And we took a Gondola ride.
We're are still in Italy feasting on pizza.

OTD

Pizza is in Venice as foreign as in Oslo.

I am just back from Venice with my 5 and 9 year old daughters and I fretted about whether to take the water taxi from the airport too. Definitely take it. The kids LOVED the ride and it was very memorable and fun. It is a fantastic way to arrive in the city. In general, they loved the boats. We took the vaporetto #1 along the Grande Canal and took the #2 the entire loop on our last day. We enjoyed both. We also did the gondola ride which was the girls' favorite experience in Venice. Some of these things may seem corny/expensive to a group of adults but they are wonderful experiences for kids and like the others say, you are taking your family to Europe which is expensive. An extra 100E isn't going to make a difference. Have fun, your children will love it.