Understanding The Venice Water Taxi System

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Last summer, we had the opportunity to spend three weeks in Europe. During the trip, we spent some time in Venice, Italy, and explored the city using the Venice water taxi system. It was our first time going to this amazing city, and I have to admit, the Venice water taxi routes, schedules, and ticketing process were a bit confusing. So, I wanted to write this post to give readers a better understanding of how the Venice water taxi system works and how to use it most efficiently for your trip to the “City of Water.”

I’ll also share how you can use Get Your Guide to purchase Venice water taxi tickets ahead of time, making the process easier and less stressful.

In this post, I’ll cover:

The Layout of The Venetian Lagoon
Taking The Vaporetto Public Water Taxi System
Types of Venice Water Taxi Tickets
Tickets To Marco Polo Airport
Where and How to Purchase Tickets

Visiting The Venetian Lagoon In Italy

Venice is set in a chain of more than 100 small islands in a lagoon enclosed by the Adriatic Sea off the northern Italian coast. The entire island chain is slowly sinking into the ocean due to sedimentary subsidence, rising sea waters, and other factors. Therefore, the primary mode of transportation between the islands is – you guessed it – by boat.

Venice is the largest and most well-known island; however, other Venetian islands are absolutely amazing to visit and even stay overnight. Murano is a mile-square island about a mile north of Venice. Murano was the historical glass making capital of the world and has so many fun things to do and see.

About five miles northeast of Venice is Burano. Burano is the lace-making capital of the world and is a charming, picturesque community to visit.

To the southeast, about two miles from Venice, is the island of Lido, which is a busy barrier island and a popular beach vacation destination.

RELATED READ: Top Boat Tours in Venice, Italy

The Vaporetto Public Venice Water Taxi System

To reach all of these islands, you need to take a boat or water taxi. The water taxis are run by a city-sanctioned company called Vaporetto. You’ll sometimes hear these public taxis referred to as waterbuses. They operate on set schedules and travel along defined routes. Passengers wait at stops and grab the next boat that is heading along a route that will take them to their destination, much like a public bus system.

We used the Vaporetto public water taxi a lot during our trip. I would say the vast majority of visitors primarily use the Vaporetto water taxi. These water taxis hold dozens of people and are much more affordable than private water taxis. On several trips, we had a full boat, and it was standing room only. Many of the taxis have an enclosed passenger deck with basic bench-style seating and space for travelers to stand outside on the deck.

You are allowed to bring luggage aboard, which we did after arriving via train from Rome. The water taxis are not air-conditioned. No food or drink is served on the boat, although you can bring them onboard. There are no restrooms available.

Vaporetto Venice Water Taxi Schedule And Routes

The Vaporetto Venice water taxi operates on a set schedule. Multiple taxis operate all across the lagoon, each moving along its set route. A taxi picks up passengers at specific times at stations called stops (many are floating docks). It drops them off at other stops on the same island or different islands along its defined route. We stayed at the Hyatt Centric on Murano and loved having a stop literally right in front of the hotel!

The Venice water bus travels along the perimeter of the islands and through the larger canals. It goes to and from Santa Lucia Railway Station and the Venice cruise terminal and to numerous outer islands, including Murano, Burano, St. Erasmo, Torcello, and Lido Beach. We took a ride to a few of those islands when we got on the wrong water taxi by mistake!

Use Apple or Google Maps To Track Venice Water Taxi Schedules

We found that Apple and Google Maps were absolute lifesavers when it came to navigating the Venice water taxi system! In fact, we really find them reliable for all sorts of public transportation while traveling in Europe.

Apple and Google Maps provide excellent, detailed information about the schedules and routes for each line. They also show the wait time for upcoming taxis arriving at your stop. These apps were easy to use and helped tremendously. They significantly reduced our time spent waiting for taxis and eliminated the need to try to interpret detailed route maps or websites written in Italian.

TIP: To see the routes on Apple and Google Maps, be sure to click on the “Transit” map overlay filter option.

Murano Glass Blowing Demonstration Italy

Buying Venice Water Taxi Tickets

There are generally two ways to use the Venice water taxi system – buying one-way single-trip tickets or a 24-hour or longer unlimited-use City Pass. Both individual tickets and day passes can be purchased from Get Your Guide here: Venice Water Taxi Tickets.

First, choose your date or starting date. Then, be sure to select the correct type of ticket (75-minute ordinary ticket or Multi-Hour/Day ticket) you want before you hit “add to cart.” We did the 72-hour ticket for our three-day stay in Venice.

Single One-Way Venice Water Taxi Tickets

Single-trip 75-minute tickets allow a passenger to take one taxi ride. Buying single-trip tickets might be your best option if you don’t intend to utilize the taxi much during your trip. For example, suppose your group wants only to visit Venice and is fine walking anywhere on the island. In that case, individual tickets might be perfect for you. These tickets are good for 75 minutes after they are redeemed.

Unlimited Multi-Hour Venice Water Taxi Tickets

The other option is to purchase a multi-hour or multi-day Venice water taxi pass. These passes can be purchased for 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, or seven-day periods. They include UNLIMITED public water taxi usage. We bought the 72-hour pass, and it was perfect for us! We utilized the Venice water taxi service quite a bit, so it made more sense to have an unlimited pass rather than pay for single one-way tickets for four people.

Redeeming Get Your Guide Tickets Purchased Online

To redeem tickets purchased on Get Your Guide, go directly to the Vaporetto taxi stop, stop at the yellow ticket machine, and click on “Collect tickets purchased online.” Then, scan the QR code to print your ticket and catch your taxi ride. Alternatively, you can enter the code from the Get Your Guide voucher (written vertically in capitals). The yellow ticket machines can be found at most of the Vaporetto stops. It is super easy!

Purchasing Tickets For The Venice Airport Water Taxi

It is important to note that these do not include water transportation to and from the airport!

Transport to and from Marco Polo Airport, the main airport near Venice, can be confusing, so I want to touch on that topic. The public Venice water taxi (Vaporetto) does not take you to or from the airport. To get to or from the airport, you need to purchase an airport water taxi ticket from a separate company called Alilaguna or use a private water taxi service.

Tickets to or from the airport on a shared water taxi can be purchased from Get Your Guide here: Venice Airport Water Taxi Tickets.

Again, booking tickets through Get Your Guide is fast and easy and allows you to plan ahead for transport. When checking out online, you need to select if you need a transfer from the airport to your hotel or need a return ticket from your hotel to the airport. You can also purchase round-trip tickets.

Where To Buy Venice Water Taxi Tickets

The easiest way to purchase Vaporetto water taxi tickets is to get them ahead of time online using Get Your Guide

If you want to buy Venice water taxi tickets in person, you’ll need to find a dedicated ticket machine or sales location. When we got off the train, we found a large ticket center at the main train station. There are also ticket machines located at all of the Venice water taxi stops. It’s possible to purchase tickets on the boat itself. Still, we don’t recommend it, as the crew is very busy and doesn’t have extra time to process transactions. We weren’t sure what to do and waited in line for 30 minutes. You can also purchase the City Pass (multi-day tickets) at the following locations.

Places Where You Can Purchase Venice Water Taxi Tickets:

Ticket machines
ACTV/Venezia Unica Ticket Centers
Tobacco Shops and Newsstands
Onboard the Water Taxi

Enjoy Your Venice Water Taxi Adventure

We loved exploring Venice and its beautiful surrounding islands. The entire lagoon is filled with romantic, old-world culture and charm, and each island has its unique character. Once you are comfortable with the Venice water taxi boat system, you’ll have the independence to travel to these amazing locations. While a bit overwhelming at first, once you understand the taxi system, it’s much easier and fun to use!

Hopefully this guide gave you a better feel for how the Venice water taxi system functions and how you can use it to make your trip the perfect Venezia adventure.

More Italy Travel Tips

If you are planning a trip to Italy, make sure to check out our other Italy travel blog posts! I have to say that Italy is one of my top European countries. I just love the old-world charm, the culture, and, of course, the amazing Italian food and wine!

You can, of course, view the entire Europe Travel section of my blog, and here are some Italy travel posts you may like: