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Vaporetto

4.1 (35 reviews)

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Sanjay G.

The Vaporetto is the main form of transport in Venice - Yes you can catch a train into the main station, and yes you can walk on foot through the streets, but to truly experience Venice, you must experience it from the water! The Vaporetto system is highly efficient and is one of the quickest ways of traveling to the various islands of Venice. First thing first, buy 1/2/3 day pass otherwise it would be very expensive for you. Per ride is 7.5 euro and the ticket is valid for some 60 or 90 minutes. So you can imagine. You can buy extended passes that allow for multiple uses so you don't have to worry about buying a ticket each time you use one. I bought 2 days pass in 40 euro. 1/2 day pass = 30/20 Euro. And enjoy the unlimited ride. Mind it, you have to validate the pass before entering the Vaporetto. In my 2 days trip, I have seen several time ticket-checkers checking for culprits. So be careful. It was very fascinating to ride these Vaporetto. Each route has a diff model of boat. During your time in Venice, try to travel on the Vaporetto as much as possible and enjoy the water traffic and the sights and sounds that you will encounter.

Vaporetto ticket stations to the left upon exiting Santa Lucia station
David F.

Since Venice is an island surrounded by water and embedded with numerous canals you have two choices for getting around: walking or the vaporetto. (For the well-heeled that don't mind dropping €100 for a ride there also is the water taxi.) If you're staying more than one day in Venice it's worthwhile to seriously consider buying a vaporetto pass. A single vaporetto ticket for 75 minutes costs €7.50, but there's also the hassle factor: do you want to stop everything and go searching for a place to buy a vaporetto ticket every time you need to go somewhere? (At some of our remote stops there was nowhere to buy a ticket.) Vaporetto passes offer unlimited use for a period of time: €20/24 hours, €30/48 hours, €40/72 hours and €60/7 days. Ideally, upon arrival at the Venice Santa Lucia train station, buy your pass then so your €7.50 trip to the hotel starts to pay off the pass. Passes are available at the vaporetto ticket booths upon exiting the station. As there is no four-day pass we ended up getting the seven day pass and it easily paid for itself. We extensively used the vaporetto. We walked all over the place, but then could use the vaporetto to come back to the San Marco Square area. We used it to return from Marano Island, to see places on the opposite side of the Grand Canal, hopping on/off to visit various areas, etc. Some travel books (looking at you Rick Steves) recommend sightseeing on the vaporetto, especially in the evening when supposedly the boats are near empty. Not sure what time of year he was talking about, but this was not the case in mid-September. No matter the time of day the vaporettos we took were universally crowded, typically standing room only, and it was impossible to take pictures, let alone sit up front and admire the view. Often your main concern is simply finding something to hold onto so you don't get thrown all over the place. Of course the water view is great if you are lucky enough to get a spot at the edge of the boat. Think of the vaporetto as a city bus - practical transportation, albeit with the accompanying inconveniences.

Rhonda W.

I can't say the water bus is always a comfortable way to get around but it's your best option. It's apart of the Venice experience. We didn't buy a pass our first visit but vowed when we came back we would. the ticket people were very helpful .. when asking which water bus you need to get to various locations. We wanted to go way out to colorful Burano and Murano for glass. The boats come to their stop .. rather roughly ... sorta just hit the deck most of the time so everyone goes flying about. They dont alway check for your ticket but if they come by and your caught riding without a ticket .. theres a huge penalty

Eric B.

A Vaporetto is the water bus for Venice. Vaporetto means "Little Steamer", which harkens back to another time when such ships plied the waters of this big Italian Lagoon. There are 19 scheduled lines that serve various locales within Venice outward to nearby islands. The water-bus line is operated by Azienda del Consorzio Trasporti Veneziano (ACTV), the Venetian public transportation system. Gayle and I took a Vaporetto from Murano Island (after arriving via a private boat) and then from Giudecca Island to the Train Station. I was impressed with the efficiency of the operation, the wide range of people who use this service, the range of other boats we saw along the way, and how we all managed to fit in and sometimes with a lot of luggage.

Christian D.

July 2015, Venice is full of people, we've ordered a 2-day-Ticket for all. Great decision. Use all the vaporetto line up to Murano, Burano and Lido and also the bus on Lido. Don't think about the right way, just use the water bus, this was great, sightseeing all day long. Stop where you want and walk a little bit to the next destination.

Burano, IT

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Vaporetto Reviews in Other Languages

Review Highlights - Vaporetto

We took the number 12 out to Burano to get away from the crush of tourists in Venice.

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ACTV - An extremely rude and angry worker at the same Murano stop.

ACTV

3.8(43 reviews)
0.4 km

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.

Photos
ACTV - The view with another taxi passing us on the opposite direction

The view with another taxi passing us on the opposite direction

ACTV - From the water taxi

From the water taxi

ACTV - Ticket both

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Ticket both

Alilaguna - On a bus on the water.

Alilaguna

2.5(55 reviews)
6.9 km

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?

Photos
Alilaguna
Alilaguna
Alilaguna

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Trattoria SAN Basilio di Borghi Stefano - Just a simple rio in Venice, com'é triste Venezia! It's a melancholy sadness that warms your heart

Trattoria SAN Basilio di Borghi Stefano

4.7(6 reviews)
1.2 km

OMG! If you can, go here. Yes, it's a bit of a hike from the non touristy spot but it's kinda 20…read moremins walk from the galleria Accademia/accademia water taxi spot/ pointe del accademia(the bridge). So take the stroll through non touristy galleys of Venice. We were looking for non touristy spot esp. to eat good quality baccala mantecato. and trusted a spot where the fishermen used to go or even the local pilots or the Motoscafo drivers go to. Oh yes, the best baccala mantecato and the freshest of sardines(in olive oil) is what we got. Best part: The waiter told us, kitchen is closed and can serve only wine/beer. Looking at us being so disheartened he asked, what brought us here as clearly an Indian with Indian accent is not even a give away tourist sign. We told, baccala and he was oh that we can give as it's a cold dish. I wanted two orders but he cautioned and suggested us to start with one. In my mind I was thinking cicchetti size but damn the size was big. He asked, where we are from and hearing we are from India, the owner, in his 70s came out and also asked if we eat fish. Duhhhh!!! yes please!!!! What a lovely conversation and came to know about Tony Bourdain and his visit. Exchanged stories and the mutual love of fish. Over all, might be a bit pricey but the good and fresh quality it's okay. Way better than the similar priced horrible touristy food available elsewhere. Pro Tip: try not to ask for meat or say you are from USA.

Our waiter was very polite and quite informative. We had the antipasti, every morsel was exquisite!…read moreThe spaghetti with clams and the branzino ai ferri just as wonderful! We drank a local house wine and were satisfied beyond measure. Unfortunately their coffee machine was broken but Im sure that would have been exceptional as well. The freshness of the seafood and the simple ingredients' combination make for fine dining. And we were on the water great spot!

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Trattoria SAN Basilio di Borghi Stefano - Seafood antipasti, cod fish cream, shrimp and octopus and plus sardines.

Seafood antipasti, cod fish cream, shrimp and octopus and plus sardines.

Trattoria SAN Basilio di Borghi Stefano - Spaghetti with clams and grilled branzino

Spaghetti with clams and grilled branzino

Trattoria SAN Basilio di Borghi Stefano - Local house wine

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Local house wine

Venice Urban Adventures - Canal & Aperitivo Experience tour captions

Venice Urban Adventures

4.8(5 reviews)
1.2 km

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!

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Venice Urban Adventures - Canal & Aperitivo Experience Tour!

Canal & Aperitivo Experience Tour!

Venice Urban Adventures - Guests during our Canal & Aperitivo Experience Tour!

Guests during our Canal & Aperitivo Experience Tour!

Venice Urban Adventures

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Vaporetto - ferries - Updated May 2026

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