SteveWe’ve been to Venice twice now, and both times was just magical. Getting to Venice is one thing, but how to get around Venice is another! You won’t find cars in Venice, so exploring the city has to be done by other means.
Venice is a compact city, and yet it still manages to cram in 150 canals and what seems like hundreds of streets and alleys. Not forgetting the 300 or so bridges of all sizes to explore! Here’s our take on how to get around Venice.
Walking
Walking and exploring the delights of Venice is the best way to see the city. And get lost! Having a map is a good idea, but it’s still easy to find yourself in a dead end or facing a canal with no way forwards. Don’t get me wrong, its great fun exploring.
At least you will get to see more of the amazing architecture of Venice. I’d normally recommend using Google Maps, but sometimes a GPS signal can be blocked by the buildings so be aware. It may be wise to download a local copy of the maps for offline use.
Walking around Venice is idyllic, and literally everywhere is a photo opportunity. It’s kind of fun getting lost in and around the narrow streets and alleys. Every now and again you will find a small square with a few bars and restaurants in them. Perfect for that quick Bellini!
Probably the most difficult part of walking around Venice is that it’s hard to keep your bearings. There are lots of signs giving the name of the square or the alley you may find yourself in, but they don’t always ring true. In fact, you may well see signs pointing the direction to St Marks Square, or Piazzale Roma. Again, these do not necessarily point you in the right direction. It’s all good fun though, and chances are you’ll find a lovely little hatch selling pizza slices!
I’m sure you’ve heard that Venice can get really busy. We’ve travelled there during the months of both May and August. Our own experience was that the touristy areas were often rammed, whilst of the beaten track was much quieter. Bear this in mind when walking around, as it can slow you down a lot!
Here’s a tip, its best to visit St Marks Square early in the morning or in the evening when the pedestrian traffic is manageable.
Water Taxi
Aside from walking, it’s pretty certain you will find yourself on the water at some point during a visit to Venice. One of the most expensive ways to do this is by using a water taxi!
There are plenty of them around, and some of them are real antiques and look beautiful. The advantage of a water taxi is the feel of a more private trip, and usually the fastest way from A to B. The downside is the price. The average cost is between €50-70, but this will depend on if it’s metered or a flat fare.
Thinking about it, the water taxi will get to all of the nooks and crannies of canals that a Vaporetto cannot. I guess it just depends on how deep your pockets are!
Airport Water Bus
Depending on how you travel to Venice itself, the airport water bus might be your first experience on the water around the city. The service is called Alilaguna, and runs from Venice Marco Polo airport to Venice and some of the surrounding areas. Alilaguna operate three lines from the airport – Red, Blue and Orange. Here’s a link to the site with a useful map of the routes including details of the stops en route.
Prices are pretty reasonable, starting at €15 for a one-way trip from the airport to Venice. The ticket price includes a suitcase and one piece of hand luggage. The service is useful if your hotel is close to one of the stops. Whilst we’ve never used the service, I’ve heard it is very popular and busy. As we’re impatient, we’ve always used other means to get to Venice from the airport. More on that in a future post!
Vaporetto
Vaporettos are the public water bus service of Venice and the other local islands, ran by ACTV. In my view its one of the best ways to get around Venice.
There are many lines offered by ‘Vaporetti’, with circular routes, direct routes and lagoon routes. There is even a night service too. It can be a bit confusing choosing the right service, as some stops cater for multiple lines. This link provides more detail on the routes available.
Sometimes the Vaporetto stops have a floating pontoon, so please try to be steady on your feet as these can bob up and down quite a bit with the amount of boat traffic on the canals! Some stops have a single pontoon, catering for bi-directional traffic, whilst larger stops have multiple pontoons depending on direction or route.
The more common services have frequencies of up to every 12 minutes. Less common routes run up to every half an hour. The night service is very handy, and whilst it does not cover all stops on all lines, it does cover the main areas of Venice. If you want to see the main sights, you want to be on line #1. This runs from Piazzale Roma to Piazza San Marco and beyond to the Lido. It is a slow service as it stops at every station en route. It’s also very busy, so if you want to sit outside I’d recommend joining the service early in the morning, or at the start of the journey.
Pricing for a Vaporetto journey can be complex. Most stops have a machine where you can purchase tickets, and some of the larger stops have ticket stalls that are manned so you can speak to someone about the best ticket for you. You can buy a single-fare ticket or a multi-day travel card which we thought was the best value. During our last visit in August 2019 a single journey cost €7.50, whilst a 3-day travel card cost €40. We chose the 3-day travel card option, as we had plans to visit other islands in the lagoon and felt that for our travels this would be the best option. Tickets can be bought online, and you can also purchase a Venice tourist pass card which can include unlimited public travel. You will need to use your ticket to enter each pontoon prior to boarding.
Gondola
The romance of a Gondola in Venice! Gondola’s are everywhere in Venice and are a bit of a tourist magnet. The cost for a 40-minute ride starts at €80, which seems steep to me!
You can find hoards of Gondolas by St Marks Square and the Rialto Bridge, but we also found one or two dotted around the quieter canals as we explored. Apparently there are over 400 Gondoliers in Venice, and all have fancy Gondolas to tempt tourists.
The Gondolas have no engines, and are paddled with a single oar by the Gondoliers. This makes for a slow journey, and from what we’ve seen quite choppy in certain places too. A trip on a Gondola is not so much for an A to B journey, but more for the luxurious way of seeing a bit of Venice.
The reason why they appear choppy sometimes is because they are a narrow, flat-bottomed boat. If you get motion sickness easily, it may be wise to take a trip on a quiet canal that is more likely to be still. A trip on the Grand Canal, or even out in the lagoon is going to be bumpy!
Traghetto
A Traghetto is a bit of a tourist secret actually. Think of a Traghetto as a public Gondola. It ferries a small number of people across the Grand Canal, and depending on where you are it can save you a bit of a walk to the nearest bridge to cross!
On our last trip to Venice, we only saw a couple of Traghettos in action. These were from San Tomà to Sant’Angelo, and from the Rialto fish market to Santa Sofia. I understand there are other crossings, but we didn’t see any on our visit.
The Traghettos look just like a Gondola to the untrained eye, but they are operated by two oarsmen instead of one. They are also a bit bigger than a traditional Gondola, and less luxurious. The friendly oarsmen also help you on and off the Traghetto, if you are not too steady on your pins!
The best thing about a Traghetto? It’s the price! A 10-minute crossing costs €2 per person, so this a super cheap way to say you’ve been on a Gondola! The crossings run every 15 minutes or so, and operate from early morning into the evening.
The best ways to get around Venice
If you’ve reached this far through my post you will see there are many ways to get around Venice, most of which involve the water. In our view, walking and using the Vaporettos offers the best way to get around. Venice is definitely a city worth exploring at a leisurely pace, so there is no need to rush!
