The ACTV is Venice's public transportation system. At the airport we were able to purchase our…read morepasses from their machines. We decided to get the daily passes (48€/2 day pass) because we thought we would be using them to travel around a lot. In retrospect this was a mistake and we would have saved money just getting the ticket into town and the ticket to the train station. This was the most I paid for public transportation in any of the European cities for the least amount of time I spent in the city. To add insult to injury, the Vaporetto, or the waterbus, were crowded and at times barely admitted any new passengers on at the stop. At our stop we waited for over an hour to get onto a waterbus. It delayed our plans and set back everything for our time in Venice. On the day we left, we saw some other people who were first in line be denied getting on the boat if they have luggage. The rules are so inconsistent with no rhyme or reason. If you find yourself depending on these vaporetto during your visit, make sure to leave ample time for cushion so you don't get stranded or miss a flight or the train. Honestly you might be better off walking. Because driving is not an option -- there are no cars on the Venice islands.

We purchased a 3 day ticket on the ACTV website. Note that there are 3rd party sellers, so careful…read morewhen buying, because we saw one for 50€ that included taxi and restaurant discounts, that wasn't sold by ACTV. The pass can be used in land and on the island. Once we received the email we walked up to a Kiosk to figure out how to redeem it. The QR code that was included in the email did not work. We had to type in the confirmation code. Once the screen prompted the tickets. We selected and printed them out without issues. If you're on the island there's actual customer service kiosk you could go to and speak to someone. We were able to use the card to take the bus, and Vaporetto. We did not get a chance to use the Lido. Google Maps is super helpful, but I would strongly suggest looking at the screen, and map that is near each pickup location. We boarded one of the buses at 11:30pm, which ended up taking us 2 cities away from Venice, and was one stop away from calling it a night. They don't loop back to where they picked you up. Since the bus did not run again until 4:30am. We had to take an uber black back to Mestre. Expensive lesson learned. When you board a bus, or get ready to enter the vaporetto line. Scan the card without having your finger or hand over it. I made the mistake of doing that a few times and so it took a couple tries before it actually scanned. As for riding on the bus and/or vaporetto. It can get PACKED. Depending on the stop and time. If you're the first on the bus. You'll find a seat, but they have the AC off so it's HOT. Depending on time of the year of course. If you're one of the last to board. Expect to stand and hold on to something. It's definitely a cheaper way to get around, but if you're looking for comfort and space. Book a taxi, or water taxi to get around instead.

Ok. The VENICEcard. HELLOVENEZIA!…read more Before travelling to Venice I obviously scoured the internet for ways to save money during my trip there. There are a few different multi-pass tickets for various things like musuems, churches, travel. We opted for the VENICEcard transport and culture. This is only good value if you are under 30, you buy it online beforehand and you make sure you visit a good few of the places. It costs about 40 euros for 3 days if you buy online and are under 30. You'll mostly get the money back out of vaparetto trips as individually they cost 6.50 and the freedom to jump on and off the waterbuses is certainly worthwhile. You get entrance to all the ChorusPass churches which includes most of the big hitters like the Frari and the Madonna one. Lots of museums are included the main ones that aren't are the Accademia and the Guggenheim. So bear that in mind if you're keen on visiting them you'll have to fork out again. With almost everything in Venice - customer service with the VeniceCard was really shabby. Don't expect smiles or helpfulness.

Whether you are arriving by bus, taxi, car, tour bus, etc., you come into Piazzale Roma. It is at…read morethe end of the Ponte della Liberta and the entrance into the city of Venice. It is the city's central transportation hub. It is busy all hours of the day. This is where your adventure will begin.

This is a BUSY bus station.. Because people move so fast here, it can be a bit hectic, but if you…read morego at the slowest times of day, you can find attendants who are more patient to help you with your questions. Some even speak English.