Absolutely the best way to get around Venice!
This is the public transportation system. It includes the water bus (vaporetto) and buses in the City of Venice. You can buy a single ride ticket or a 1, 2, 3 or 7 day pass for unlimited rides. You can buy passes in person at one of their stations, at a kiosk or online. I bought ours online and I'm so glad I did. I didn't have to wait in any lines and simply went to a kiosk, input our prepaid code and out popped the passes. Then they do not activate until the first time you use them...very simple & easy. You never wait long for a vaporetto either. I must caution you, this is the public transportation system so the buses will more than likely be packed. After all, everyone wants to go where you want to go too! But I must say, everyone knows this and is very accommodating and kind to each other...after all, you're all in this together. You can even go to the other islands with this pass!!!
If you choose to buy online I would recommend to use the official tourism website instead of the ACTV official site on this page. The official tourism website is: https://www.veneziaunica.it/en/e-commerce/services. If you buy online through this site then they offer special deals for tours when you buy a pass as well if you are interested and there are no additional cost like some websites since this is the Venice official tourism site. You can check out the tours in advance, however, the best deals you may not see until you are about to check out and it will ask you if you want to add "it". But you don't have to add anything...you can simply just buy the transportation passes. Plus, if you are traveling with children and/or you are age 6 to 29 years old you can purchase a Rolling Venice Discount Card for €6. For instance, The Rolling Venice card entitles card holders to purchase a discounted ACTV 3-day ticket (72hrs) for €22 instead of €40. Plus, you can get discounts all over Venice with this card and it's good for one year from the time of purchase. Not that you'll need a year, but whether you're in Venice for a few days or a week...it makes a difference. We saved a lot of money by purchasing this card for our son. ACTV makes it easy to purchase anything online and not just the passes. You will get a follow up email with complete and thorough instructions on what to do. Extremely easy!
If you want to know "how to get there"...just look at a map at any vaporetto or bus stop. Then be sure to check out the scrolling information on the vaporetto or bus as it approaches. Some stops may have more than one area to get on or 2 sides...just be sure to look at the line-up of the stops posted. You may end up at the same place, but one side may have more stops, whereas the other may be more direct (with less stops) when it comes to the vaporetto. Again, very simple!
(We used this system a lot and a lot more than my check-in's reflect, but checking in in general in Venice is tricky. I'm quite lucky I could check in at all! Stops are plentiful, boats are plentiful and they come in a timely manner...highly recommend!) read more