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.

From Santa Maria del Giglio, the tour heads towards the Accademia Bridge, to see Palazzo Barbaro…read morethen making a u-turn on the Canal Grande to pass by Palazzo Ca' Corner and d'Annunzio red "casetta". Entering the Rio di Santa Maria del Giglio to Piscina Fenice, where the theatre of the same name is located, the ride passes Rio di Verona and Rio dei Barcaroli past Mozart's home. Continuing along rio di San Moisè again to the Grand Canal in front of the Chiesa della Salute, the tour returns to its origin at Santa Maria del Giglio. Approximate 35 minutes We booked a gondola ride with serenade but as it was three gondolas going out together, the couple on one gondola got the accordion player and the singer. The singer sang about 3 to four songs in Italian. Very good singing. Our gondola rider looked angry the entire time and was either talking to the other gondoliers, on the phone, or smoking. He did smile once when the boat was a bit rocky and my travel buddy and I almost came off our seats. He found these gold bits in the river (must have fallen off the gondola) and picked one up and momentarily sang to it. The gondola ride was not as chilly as I expected and I'm grateful that it had stopped raining. The gondola experience was really nice. Thoroughly enjoyed it though I wish the singer had sung a song from phantom of the opera as the gondola ride reminded me of this scene from phantom of the opera where this gondola is rowed across the stage on a starlit night.

The stuff was not attentive at all. The sloth at the front desk took 40m to inform initial…read morecustomers in front of us that their baggage was not found. After that the buggage (attendant) said our luggage might be in the lost and found room and he went to check for another 30min. Overall the GH Venezia service was horrible and i would give a 0 star if there was an option. Absolutely disgusting

Signs were nice and easy to follow, when we needed to find the water taxi. The desk staff were…read morehelpful as well (and spoke English) when we had more questions. There were also a good availability of clean bathrooms (as soon as you get off the plane, and around the airport as well), which is always a plus! I also liked that there were gelato shops at the airport hehe... I recommend Venchi!

One of the reasons Venice is so magical is the fact that it's surrounded by water…read more In a city with canals in place of roads, it only makes sense that public transportation consists of watercraft. This vaporetto means "little steamer," after the city's original system of steam-powered motorboats, and takes visitors along the main canals, to the outer islands, and around the lagoon. Although often crowded, it's by far the least expensive way to get around (other than walking). Tickets are one price, regardless of the length of the journey. Last Sunday, my partner, our friends, family members, and I used this transport to take us to the island of Murano. The travel agency has given 2-day tickets for us. However, the rudeness of the staff, especially on Murano, who think that the Venetian dialect is the world language, and the difficulty in understanding which line to take to go where one wants. Utterly overcrowded to the point of being dangerous. We managed to get where we wanted, but the maps were very difficult to interpret. Too bad there is no alternative.

The main means of public transport in Venice is the vaporetto. There are numerous lines in all…read moredirections, so first remember which line your hotel is close to and whether you are going to or back from your hotel. The operators are mostly helpful so ask before getting on the boat. Don't worry if you get on the wrong one! There are a lot of stops and they tend to arrive every 10 minutes or so. It is way more economical and practical to buy multi day passes if you are staying more than a day. You will be jumping on and off them multiple tines per day. On board, you can only buy a day pass. For multi day pass go to a ticket office. A single trip ticket is 9.5 euros, day pass 25 euros, 2 day pass 35 euros and 3 day pass is 45 euros. For the airport, you need Alilaguna which requires a different kind of ticket, 18 euros per person. Water taxies and gondolas are pretty expensive, more than 100 euros.

This is a public transit train system connecting Piazzale Roma and the Cruise Port. You can arrive…read moreto Piazzale Roma via taxi (water or road), bus or car. If you arrive by car there is paid parking available. Depending on where you stay in Venice, the walk to Piazzale Roma can be very easy as well. Why use it? Because it cuts your walk to the cruise port in half once you arrival at Piazzale Roma. Of course, this really only benefits you if you are staying in the Centro Storico di Venezia (central historic) area. That may not seem like much, but when you are dragging luggage it helps! The ride takes about 3-5 minutes and cost €1.50 per person. The cost to get to the port via taxi is expensive and the bus is timely, not to mention awkward depending on the size of your bag(s). All this train really does is get you across the bridge and tracks, but doesn't get you as close as you would think to the cruise ships. No matter how you choose to get to the cruise port of entry point...all modes of transportation end up in approximately the same place. With that said...I need to inform you that once you arrive at the port, depending on where your terminal is, you may still have close to a mile walk to get to your ship. It is what it is! It's the same in reverse! If you arrive via cruise ship you'll need to walk to the People Mover station. Depending on where your terminal is...it could be close to a mile walk. Then it will take you to Piazzale Roma. From there you can walk to your hotel, grab a water or regular taxi (depending on where you are staying and which side), or the public water bus. The train station is a short walk from Piazzale Roma as well. Please note: there are people to hire to help you with your luggage if needed at the Cruise Terminal(s), the main port entry point and at Piazzale Roma. You can buy tickets at a kiosk or ticket booth located outside the People Mover station. Please keep in mind that depending on the time of year, there may be a line and can be timely. If you wish to buy your tickets in advance for a peace of mind, have it "done" or whatever, then I suggest going to http://actv.avmspa.it/en/content/people-mover-0 and buying it/them online. Or you can go to http://www.veneziaunica.it/ if you plan to purchase other modes of transportation for your stay along with tours if you wish...gotta love one stop shopping! You will get a code and you can exchange that code for a ticket at any designated kiosk ACTV station...it's really easy.

Going to the cruise port (or going back from there into town) this is a convenient and cheap way to…read moreget there. Especially if you arrive from the train station, it's a good option. If you are in good health then you can easily walk the distance from the Train Station to this People Mover station. It's about a 10min walk. Lots of "helpers" will offer you to transport your luggage from the train station to the people mover station. If you are still strong, then there's no need to do that...and the prices are hefty. It's useful for elderly or diabled people though. The only obstacle in the way is the Ponte della Costituzione. You gotta climb those stairs with your luggage. The People Mover itself is easy, get your ticket at the machine for 1.50 Euros and wait for the next train. They arrive within a few minutes. It's a short ride. Once you exit it depends where your ships docks. It still can be quite a distance to walk from here. But beats (price-wise) most other options.

Amazing station, busy and well organized. Support reps help you either Trenalitalia tickets…read morepurchase and info. I pay and go in Frecci lounge to chill and coffee w snacks there.

Stazione Venezia San Lucia is the main railway station in Venice that is a main gateway connecting…read moreVenice to other visits. We took a Trentitalia train from Venice to Rome. We came to the train station early in the morning to drop off our luggage at the Left Luggage office. Prices: First 4 hours - 6€ From 5th to 12th hours - additional 1€ per hour More than 13th hours - an additional 0,50€ per hour Our train ride was under 4 hours away so we didn't have to worry about the additional charges. We left 2 carry-on suitcases and a backpack, so that we can enjoy exploring the city in the morning before our train ride in the afternoon. With Venice being congestion and having a lot of stairs, it's not comfortable dragging luggage around everywhere. It was actually really fortunate that we came early to leave our stuff here because later in the morning, some of the waterbuses declined passengers with luggage due to space limitations. When we took the waterbus back, some folks were turned down and they probably missed their train ride because of it. Also, while we were at the station, there were plenty of businesses to buy meals and snacks for our train ride. I recommend coming early to prevent missing your train and also so you can settle in and pick up snacks for your train ride.

Happened upon this company during a google search- booked a water taxi for 2 days later from our…read morehotel to the train station-- they arrived within 5 minutes of our scheduled pickup and were super helpful and nice. You never know what to expect when you blindly book something online, but this worked out great!! Mille Grazie!

This was a great experience!! I had to arrange for the taxi to pick us up at a specific location…read morebecause the canal station by our hotel was under repair. It was a difficult location up a narrow canal that was also occupied by gondolas, to get my partner and I and our luggage. After emails with the home office, which were handled professionally, efficiently and considerately, we agreed upon a pick up location. Mrs Rodriguez from the home office kept me informed all the way until pickup and was very, very helpful. The driver showed up right in time, coming into this narrow canal (& having to back out afterwards) and he was very helpful in getting our luggage and us onboard. He took his time getting us both on- and off-board (not easy considering I have restricted mobility due to back surgery!). He gut us to our spot in good to time, with a pleasant ride through Venice and out to Murano. I would definitely recommend this service...

A little expensive but very convenient. Nice large Mercedes van to the dock. Transferred to…read morebeautiful private wooden boat. We skipped the gondola ride and enjoyed this convenient transportation from the airport instead. Tip: grab some beers at the dock to enjoy your boat ride.

We used Blitz as our VIP Private Transfer while in Venice and staying at the JW Marriott. This…read moreentailed both a private SUV service and a beautiful boat trip to the island (we had the same model Angelina Jolie's character drove in "The Tourist". Exceptional, punctual and courteous service. Each of our Drivers and Captains were top-notch and helped to make our beautiful journey all the better! Everyone was as friendly as can be! We highly recommend Blitz for all your transportation needs while in Venice.