Venice Travel Guide

Venice, Italy — Travel Tips

Getting There By Air

Venice Marco Polo (VCE)
Tel: (041) 260 9260.
Website: www.veniceairport.it

Located just 12km (7 miles) from Venice, Marco Polo airport is the main hub of European and national flights to the Veneto region. It is easily accessible by land or water and when occasionally blighted by fog, planes land at nearby airports in Treviso or Verona. Marco Polo is one of the busiest airports in Italy and can cater for over 6 million passengers per year.

ApproximateflighttimestoVenice: From London is 2 hours; from New York is 9 hours 20 minutes; from Los Angeles is 13 hours 20 minutes; from Toronto is 10 hours 30 minutes and from Sydney is 20 hours 45 minutes.

Airport facilities: Facilities include branches of Italian banks, with ATMs (bancomat), as well as a selection of bars and eateries. A range of shops selling local handicrafts and specialist food stuffs, a post office, a 24-hour first aid service and a hotel reservation service are also available. Wi-Fi is accessible in various areas on all three floors of the terminal building. Car hire operators include Avis, Budget, Europcar, Maggiore and Hertz, Sixt and Thrifty.

Business facilities: Business-class travelers without luggage can check in at the Sala VIP Save Marco Polo Club lounge (tel: (041) 260 6577), where there are televisions and telephones at their disposal. The Travelex Italia Business Center (tel: (041) 269 8191; www.travelex.com) is open daily and has meeting rooms, conference halls and work stations with secretarial services and other support facilities, such as translation services and mobile phone hire.

Transport to the city: The most romantic way to arrive in Venice (weather permitting) is by motorboat (motoscafo). Travelers pay for the privilege, and the ride takes a little longer than the bus, but the approach to St Mark's Square from the water is one that few will forget. The Alilaguna service (tel: (041) 240 1701; www.alilaguna.it) departs hourly and takes one hour. Water taxis, run by Consorzio Motoscafi Venezia (tel: (041) 522 2303; www.motoscafivenezia.it) are an altogether more upmarket option.

A cheaper alternative is by land, on the ATVO airbus (tel: 0421 5944; www.atvo.it) to Piazzale Roma, which departs every 20 to 40 minutes (journey time - 20 minutes). Cheaper still is the ACTV (tel: 0421 5944; www.actv.it) public bus 5, which departs every 15 to 30 minutes (journey time - 30 minutes to Piazzale Roma). Car taxis to Piazzale Roma wait outside the arrivals hall (tel: (041) 936 222).

For a bit of a treat and breathtaking scenery, helicopter transfer and tours are also available with Heliair Venice (tel: (041) 526 0215; www.heliairvenice.com). Transfers are to the Lido only, not to the center.

Getting There By Road

The main road route into Venice is the A4, although once travelers arrive in Venice, driving is no longer possible. Most vehicles taken as far as the city are parked at a car park in Piazzale Roma or Tronchetto; parking at these locations is expensive, so travelers often opt to park in Mestre on the mainland and continue their journey by train or boat. Italian roads are generally well maintained and road users drive on the right. Speeds on motorways are 139kph (81mph) for cars of 1100cc or more and 110kph (68mph) for smaller cars, unless conditions are wet in which case the 110kph (68mph). The minimum driving age is 18 and drivers without EU licenses must carry an International Driving Permit. Any EU national taking their own car will need an International Insurance Certificate (Green Card).

Emergency breakdown services
Automobile Club d’Italia (tel: (011) 3964 9981). Call 116 from any roadside phone to request assistance from an ACI operator.

Routes to the city
The main route is the A4 which passes through Turin, Milan and Padua before arriving at Venice. There is good access to this road from connecting routes to other major cities, including the A13 from Bologna and the A1 from Florence, Naples and Rome.

Driving times to the city
From Milan - 2 hours; Bologna - 3 hours; Rome - 5 hours; Paris - 10 hours 53 minutes; Barcelona - 11 hours 48 minutes.

Coach services
Eurolines (tel: 041 538 2118; www.eurolines.it) prrovides a service to Mestre from London, Amsterdam and Paris. ATVO (tel: 0421 5944; www.atvo.it) operates a more local service and stops in Treviso, Verona, Padua and Milan from the Piazzale Roma.

Getting There By Rail

The railway service in Venice is well-maintained, thanks to the fact that the majority of travelers arrive either by rail or boat.

Rail Services
The rail station servicing Venice is the Saint Lucia Station at the west end of the Grand Canal. Trains arriving in Venice terminate at this station with travelers continuing their journey by foot or by boat. Travelers should be aware that rail tickets must be validated in one of the stamping machines located on the platforms before boarding any train in Italy. Failure to do so constitutes an offense and can result in a hefty fine.

Rail Operators
Trains to Venice are run by the state-operated railway Trenitalia (tel: 199 892 021; www.ferroviedellostato.it). Services from major international cities generally terminate at Milan, with the state-run rail service taken for the remainder of the journey.

Connections
From Bologna - 1 hour 35 minutes; Florence - 2 hours 40 minutes; Rome - 4 hours 20 minutes; Milan - 2 hours 45 minutes; Verona - 1 hour 45 minutes; Paris - 9 hours 40 minutes; Berlin - 15 hours 40 minutes.

Getting Around in Venice, Italy

Public Transport

The best ways to get around Venice are on foot or by water buses (vaporetti) which are operated by the local authority Azienda Consorziale Transporti Venezia (tel: 041 2424; www.actv.it). The vaporetti have set routes around Venice so your journey is dictated by their routes and sailing times. Bridges across the Grand Canal are limited so travelers can opt to use the traghetti (public ferries), a variation on the gondola. Crossings are cheap and short and there are numerous ferry points along the canal. Gondolas are a traditional form of transport, although they are usually reserved for sightseeing purposes. They can be hired at one of the stands located in Rialto, Piazzale Roma, and San Marco, as well as one of the occasional ‘unoffical’ stops dotted along the smaller canals.

Taxis

For a more direct service to a specific destination, the only option is to take a water taxi, but this is an expensive method of travel. Taxis run by the Consorzio Motoscafi Venezia (tel: 041 522 2303; www.motoscafivenezia.it) can be ordered in advance or by phone at the time needed. These are official taxis and display a black registration number on a yellow background. Taxi points are available at main locations including the Piazzale Roma, Rialto, San Marco and the Lido.

Driving in the City

No cars are allowed in the center of Venice.

Car Hire

Car hire can be found at the Piazzale Roma, but cars can only be used for driving out of Venice. The minimum age for hiring a car is 23 years old and drivers must carry and EU license or International Driving Permit. Recommended car hire companies include: Avis (tel: (041) 523 7377; www.avis.com); Hertz (tel: (041) 528 4091; www.hertz.com); Europcar (tel: (041) 523 8616; www.europcar.com); Thrifty (tel: (041) 541 6049; www.thrifty.com) and Budget (tel: (041) 269 8075; www.budget.com).