Italy, Venice

How to Get Around Venice – A Guide to Public Transport

A gondolier rowing down one of Venice's many green canals

How to get around Venice is a pretty valid concern to have when you’re new to this city. There are numerous ways to get around Venice, none of which include what most of us are most familiar with; roads and cars. The road to Venice ends at Piazzale Roma, the city’s main transport hub. After that it’s just water and boats, which on the surface can make public transport seem a little challenging. Venice is made up of around 150 canals, and hundreds more tiny streets and alleys. Venice can definitely seem a little confusing when you first arrive and don’t understand how this city works. That’s why I’ve put together this guide to public transport in Venice to help you navigate your way around. Here’s all the ways to get around the city of water, how they compare, and how much they cost. I hope it comes in handy!

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1. Walking Around

By far the easiest way to get around and explore this wonderful city is on foot. The city is made up of hundreds of tiny streets and alleys (‘calle’ in Venetian). These calle are only accessible for pedestrians, so the city requires a lot of walking. Luckily, this is the best way to experience the city! Taking the boat to get around Venice often doesn’t reduce journey time, as your route is limited by the canals. In fact, it can often take much longer to reach your destination by boat! You can often arrive much faster by walking, as you can take a more direct route on foot.

As you’ve probably already guessed, in a city as maze-like as this you will almost certainly get lost. Probably more than once. However, this is a crucial part of the fun of exploring Venice! If you keep wandering for long enough you’ll recognise something you’ve seen before (eventually). You’ll also have the added bonus of discovering a new part of the city along the way! In this city there are many potential routes to get to any one destination. On every new street you’ll discover more hidden beauty of the city. Tiny squares and courtyards, magnificent churches and palaces, canals lined with little boats bobbing. Even if you take the same route over and over, you’ll likely spot something you hadn’t seen before each time.

2. Venetian Public Transport Boats (Vaporetto)

If a lot of walking isn’t an option for you, or you’ve simply had enough of it, you can use the Venetian public transport boats (vaporetto). Venice is very well connected, with vaporetto stops located all over the city. This makes it very straightforward to go wherever you want. Like a regular bus service, the vaporetto has many different lines. You can even take the vaporetto to visit other islands in the lagoon such as Lido, Murano and Burano. You can access all of the different routes and timetables on their website here: ACTV Waterbus Service Timetables

Ticket Prices

Tickets for the vaporetto are fairly pricey – another reason why I think walking is the best way to get around the city. A one-way standard adult ticket costs €7.50, and is valid for 75 minutes from when you activate it. However, if you plan to use the vaporetto numerous times, it may be worth purchasing one of the multi-day tickets. There are one, two, three and seven day tickets available. There’s also the option of the Venezia Unica Card which combines transport with discounts for some of the main attractions. The Venezia Unica Card comes in 2 versions; one for tourists (which lasts 7 days), and the other for regular visitors/residents.

Where to Buy & Validate Tickets

Vaporetto tickets can be bought from the airport, or from ticket desks or self-service ticket machines located around the city. Alternatively you can purchase your Venezia Unica Card passes in advance on their website here.

Unless you have one of the monthly pass ticket options, all tickets need to be activated before boarding the vaporetto. Tickets can be validated by holding them to the round pad on the white ticket machines. These machines are located at the entrance to every vaporetto stop. The little screen on the machine will tell you how many tickets you have left (if you purchased multiple) or how much time you have remaining on the ticket.

If you forget to purchase or validate your tickets before boarding, you can speak to the staff on board immediately to buy one from them. Being caught without a ticket, or using the incorrect one, will result in a fine of around €50.

3. Private Taxi

Another option for getting around the city is to take a private taxi. Private taxis are much faster boats so this will save a lot of time reaching each destination. However, private taxis are much more expensive than other transport options in the city. Taking a private taxi around Venice is a great luxury option if it’s within your budget. And of course it goes without saying, they’re perfect for travelling around the city in style and comfort.

You could also consider taking taxi just once or twice for particularly important journeys, such as the transfer to and from the airport. Read the full blog post here: How to Get from Venice Airport to Venice.

4. Take the Traghetto

The traghetto is a little different to other transport options, as it’s not a way to get around the whole city. However, it’s still worth a mention as it’s a traditional method of transport in Venice for one key function. The traghetto is a gondola which ferries people back and forth across the Grand Canal in places where there isn’t a bridge. The Grand Canal is the city’s main waterway, but it has only 4 bridges allowing you to cross over to the other side. There are various traghetto stops positioned along the Grand Canal, such as next to Rialto Market. The boats make the short trip back and forth across the canal for most of the day. A traghetto is rowed by 2 gondoliers, one stood at either end of the boat. There is space for a surprising number of people on the traghetto, particularly if you stand up – which Venetians typically do! The traghetto is a lesser-known transport option in the city, but a great inexpensive way to experience a ride on a gondola. One journey on the traghetto costs €2, and they prefer you pay in coins rather than notes.

5. Go on a Gondola Ride

A gondola trip doesn’t exactly count as public transport, as they only go round in a loop, and finish back where you started. However, it definitely deserves a spot on this list as it’s an incredible way to move around the city and see it from a different perspective. Gliding peacefully along the canals, gives you a much different view of the city from walking along the bustling streets. Though it’s quite pricey, a gondola ride is a great experience to have that’s unique to this city. A half an hour journey usually costs around €80. Alternatively, you can arrange to group up with other people and split the cost between you.

I hope this guide helps to answer all your questions regarding how to get around Venice. Thanks for reading!

Abbey x