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.

We were waiting for the boat Orange line at Guglie to the airport. We came at 16:00 to get the boat…read moreat 16:14. The boat came full and only 4 passengers were admitted. The crew said to wait for the next boat for 15 min. The next boat came in half an hour and again admitted only 5 passengers, the rest of us left waiting and we're going to be late for the plane. It's a terrible service, no one informed that the boat can be full and the passengers with tickets can be left behind. How can they offer the transport to the airport knowing that people can miss the plane? Don't use this service!

A little confusing to navigate…read more We got on the wrong water taxi by accident! It took us the wrong way we needed to go. Asking for directions was hard too since we don't speak Italian. The employees don't really care if you are on the right water taxi. They will just say "yes" if you ask them where it's going. That's how we got lost. Finally, someone who speaks English (tourist) told us we needed to get off this taxi, and get on another taxi going the other direction. Thank you! How hard was that to help us out and get us on the right water taxi? I feel like the employees should be more helpful. Thank you to that nice lady that helped us! Otherwise we would have been going in circles in the wrong direction, in the pouring rain mind you. We eventually got to our hotel. And were soaking wet from the rain, and being lost. Cold and miserable. There should be better signage and helpful staff. Or maybe English directions? Or staff that care and can confirm you are getting on the right water taxi? Am I asking too much here?

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.

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.

We booked the Cicchetti of Venice Tour and it was one of the highlights of our trip to Europe! Out…read moreof all the organized tours we took on our trip, this is the only one that 100% delivered what it promised (and then some)! Our guide, Cecilia, was phenomenal! It was like we had an old friend showing us her hometown. It was great to have Cecilia with us because she took us walking along the back streets of Venice where we stopped in and sampled food and wine in several local bars. These were places we would never have found on our own. We didn't have to worry about anything, Cecilia got us a table and handled all of the ordering. We never had to pay another cent out of pocket for any food, wine or transport, making this tour an exceptional value. We sampled many different local wines and lots of cicchetti (vegetables, cheese, meat, fish and more). All were delicious and exciting and the entire tour was a very intimate, educational experience. We even got to try our hand at crossing a canal in a local traghetto (though I wasn't brave enough to stand up during the crossing). We had 5 other couples on our tour and it was wonderful to get to mingle and explore a foreign city with other excited foodies. If you love food and like to experience and learn about different cultures, book this tour; you will not be disappointed! I cannot recommend it highly enough!

We did a good and wine tour with Eisa (Elizabetta) last night and it was amazing…read more A true wealth of knowledge and extremely helpful. This is a must do on your first night, she gives you tips and tricks for navigating. The city and avoiding the true tourist traps (of which there are many). Urban Adventures prides themselves on responsible tourism supporting the local shops and restaurants. She even showed us a local spot that we could get 1.5 liters of amazing wine for only 3.50 Euros. Literally cheaper than water that you can pay up to 4 Euros for at most places. We are now trying to book similar tours on other legs of our stop, great way to get a feel for the really local culture!

The New International Limo in Venice was the perfect conclusion to our beautiful time in this…read morelovely city. I'd like to preface with sharing our start in Venice...what appeared to be a quick jump on a people mover and 170 meter walk from Piazelle Roma on Google Maps was totally incorrect. It became over 700 meters with at least 8-10 footbridges! Thankfully we are both fully mobile and could manage our heavy luggage but it is a sore memory and still sore arms 4 days later that we hope our review spares other visitors. New International Limo set up a Water Taxi for our return to catch our train that delivered us directly from just near our hotel to Piazelle Roma and our awaiting chauffeur Gabrielle. Gabrielle quickly grabbed our bags from the Water Taxi and whisked us to the beautiful black Mercedes van awaiting. It was clean and new. Gabrielle delivered us safely to the train station for the next leg of our adventure safely and with no stress. My lesson learned is three-fold. Don't trust google maps in countries outside the US and Canada until after you are settled and have an idea of exactly where you or hire an expert like The New Inetrnational Limo. Venice is lovely and beautiful but not meant for anyone elderly or overweight with mobility or health issues. It is worth every penny to call The New International Limo from the beginning to end of any visit in Italy. They are experts and can handle everything from your water taxis to car services to your trains and lodging. We also learned they offer amazing tours and wished our stay was not so short. When we return Marina Brugaro and her team will be our very first call or email.

From the owner: - A' la carte service - Chaffeuer Services & Private Boat…read more- Meet&Greet Airport, Pier, Train Station - Personal Shopper - Private Guide - Sport Events Ticketing - Themed Tours - Treasure hunting - VIP Airport Service - WOW Experiences

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.