Vaporetto (in the plural “vaporetti”) or water buses form the basis of public transport in Venice. Vaporetto carry tourists and townspeople through the main channels around the lagoon and deliver to the islands. Although they are often crowded, vaporetto is the most popular way to travel around Venice (with the exception of legs, of course). At the same time, public transport in Venice for tourists is considered the most expensive in Europe. We will reveal the most important details in this article.
Helpful advice: When planning your time in Venice, set yourself a mobile city audio guide for the iPhone link. This is a ready-made audio tour with a built-in map and GPS navigation to easily find the way to the nearest attractions of the route.
After installation, the audio guide works without the Internet and does not consume mobile traffic. You can listen to the first 5 points for free, and the full version of 60 objects within a well-thought-out route will cost you only $ 6. It is many times more profitable even for the most budget excursions.
Vaporetto Routes in Venice
In Venice, there are about 25 vaporetto routes, but the most popular of them are No. 1, 2, 4.1, 4.2, and N.
Crand Canal is Venice's main waterway, and is served by route vaporetto number 1. Due to frequent stops and traveling along the main artery of the city, this route is well chosen for the first acquaintance with Venice.
Although it is often extremely busy during the day, a walk on vaporetto number 1 in the evening it can be quite romantic, especially during the lighting of lights. (Route map №1)
Route number 2 Connects Tronchetto with the train station, Piazzale Roma, part of the Grand Canal and Judecca. (Map of route No. 2).
Vaporetto make up the backbone of Venice's public transport
Route N - night flight following the extended route No. 2 (Route map N).
Routes No. 4.1 and 4.2 pass both in the city itself and around Venice, delivering passengers to the train station, Piazzale Roma and go to the island of Murano from Fondamente Nove. (Map of routes No. 41 and 42).
The routes connecting Venice with Marco Polo Airport are a separate public transport branch with their own tariffs. You can read about how to get from Venice to the Airport in our separate article How to get to Venice from Marco Polo Airport.
More information about transport in Venice you can also learn from the ACTV website, and a lot of useful life hacks and tips on how to save money in Venice, while looking at all the main attractions - from our step-by-step and extremely useful route around the city for one day.
Tickets and prices for vaporetto
In 2019, a single ticket for a vaporetto cost 7.5 Euros and was valid for 75 minutes from the moment of composting. It operates on most routes except Alilaguna, as well as Nos. 16 and 19.
On the vaporetto line No. 14 connecting Venice with the Lido beaches, a ticket will cost even more - 13 Euro round trip. Arriving at Lido, this ticket can also be used on local buses.
The ticket price includes the possibility of carrying a small bag, however, the dimensions should not exceed 150 cm in the sum of all measurements.
Grand Canal - Venice's main waterway
Tickets can be bought at the berths, in special vending machines and ticket offices, as well as tobacco and newspaper shops. If there is no sale of tickets on the pier, then you can buy it on board. In most cases, not only cash, but also cards are accepted.
If you plan to actively use the vaporetto or have arrived in the city for a few days, it makes sense to buy a pass. Their effect extends not only to the vaporetto, but also to buses of the public transport network in the district of Venice (Mestre and on the island of Lido).
The cost of vaporetto travel cards (cards) depends on the validity period:
- 20 € - 24 hour card
- 30 € - 2-day pass
- 40 € - 3 days pass
- 60 € - 7-day pass
For travelers between the ages of 6 and 29, there is a 72-hour card for 22 Euros, but to purchase it, you must first buy a “Rolling Venice” card for 6 Euros at the ACTV box office or at the Venice Tourist Office.
Children under 5 years of age do not need tickets - they can travel for free accompanied by adults.
It is important that the countdown of the ticket starts from the moment of validation (composting), and not purchase, so tickets can be purchased in advance.
By the way, in 2018, along with a well-known guide to Venice, Katya BlogoItaliano made a useful video about the most interesting places in Venice. In it, Katya also talked about how to use public transport. Katie's contact can be found in this article.
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