Venice’s main airport, the Marco Polo Airport is located at a distance from the main archipelago of Venetian islands and you have the option of covering this distance via water-borne modes of transport or by land. Before landing in Venice, it is wise to give a little thought on how to go from the Marco Polo airport to your hotel. Here’s a handy guide on the different ways to go from Marco Polo Airport to Venice and a few things you must know before finalizing your preferred mode of transport.
Marco Polo Airport To Venice City Center
The Venice Marco Polo Airport is located 13km from Venice city center. This airport opened in the early 60s and is the third busiest airport in Italy after Roma Fiumicino and Milano Malpensa. It counts more than 10 million passengers per year, thanks to the ever-increasing number of tourists visiting the Lagoon. The airport IATA code of Marco Polo Venice Airport is VCE. Make sure you don't confuse this with the other airport in Venice - the Treviso Airport (IATA: TSF), which by some airline companies is also referred to as Venice Airport. Read more about the facilities available at Marco Polo airport here. Before you read further, two things you must know.
- The Marco Polo Airport is not on the Venetian Islands. It is on the mainland.
- You can traverse the distance by road, however, it is a longer and roundabout route
Read our recommendations on Venice Airport Transfers to know which mode of transport suits you best.
Alilaguna
Alilagunas are water buses that shuttle between Marco Polo airport and Venice City. They are the cheapest mode of water transport to cover this distance and is used by a majority of tourists arriving in Venice. This naturally makes it the most crowded most of the transport too.
Depending on where you hotel is, you can choose between 3 lines that the Alilaguna shuttle plys on : Linea Blu (blue), Linea Rossa (red), and Linea Arancio (orange). Make sure to know which stop is closest to your hotel as Venice is strictly pedestrian city and hailing a cab from the dock to your hotel is not an option.
Here's a quick summary of the connectivity via each Alilaguna line.
- Linea Blu (blue) - Connects the Marco Polo Airport with the Cruise Terminal.
- Linea Rossa (red) - Connects Venice Marco Polo Airport with San Marco, passing through Murano. This is a seasonal route and is functional only from 19th April 2018.
- Linea Arancio (orange) - The Orange Line connects the Marco Polo Airport with S. Maria del Giglio passing through Rialto.
The most popular Alilaguna stops are at Lido, near the Rialto Bridge and St. Mark's Square in Venice.
Marco Polo to/from Venice - Alilaguna Timings & Duration
Timings : The timings of the Alilaguna shuttle vary as per the line chosen. Here are the timings of the different lines. Blue Line | Red Line | Green Line | Orange Line
Duration : 45 to 90 minutes depending on the stop you're embarking/descending at.
Good To Know
- Buying round-trip tickets work out cheaper. if you know you’ll be flying out of the Venice airport and you’ll be making the return journey on the Alilunga water bus as well
- The fare per person is inclusive of 1 suitcase and 1 piece of hand luggage. Each extra bag will cost 3 euros.
- If you have purchased your Alilaguna ticket online, prior to boarding the alilaguna shuttle, you are required to validate your ticket at the Alilaguna ticket office near the Alilaguna piers.
Water Taxi
Water Taxis are undoubtedly the most stylish way of getting around the city. You may have seen burled wood boats whooshing past leaving a trail of white froth. These are the water taxis of Venice, also known as motoscafi or taxi acquei. Despite their dizzyingly steep prices, they are a comfortable way of going to/from the Marco Polo Airport and Venice city if you have a lot of luggage and want to escape the tordes of the vaporetto.
A water taxi can typically accomodate 10 people and start looking economical only if you’re a troop of atleast 5. The fares are a little tricky wherein you're required to shell out €13 plus another €1.80 for each minute of travel. If you're interested in traveling via a water taxi, it is best that you purchase a ticket online to avoid the hassle of calculating and bargaining with the boat operator.
Where You Can Hail A Watertaxi
Near most tourist attraction, you are likely to see Water Taxis stands with sleek wooden boats docked with a yellow/white stripe down the side and a registration number. Some of the most popular water taxi stands are close to :
- Rialto bridge
- St. Mark's Square
- Ferrovia (Train station)
- Piazzale Roma
- Stazione Marittima
- Tronchetto
Marco Polo to/from Venice - Water Taxi Timings & Duration
Depending on your time of arrival, make sure you book the right option as the price varies between day and night
- From Airport to Hotel - Day
-
- Operating hours: 7:00 AM - 8:55 PM
- Pick up will be between 7 am and 8:55 pm
- Duration: 1 hr
- From Hotel to Airport - Day
-
- Operating hours: 7:00 AM - 8:55 PM
- Pick up will be between 7:00 Am and 8:55 PM
- Duration: 1 hr
- From Airport to Hotel - Night
-
- Operating hours: 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM
- Pick up will be available between 4:00 AM - 6:55 AM & 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM
- Duration: 1 hr
- From Hotel to Airport - Night
-
- Operating hours: 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM
- Pick up will be available between 9:00 PM and 10:00 PM
- Duration: 1 hr
Good To Know
- Online fares are inclusive of 1 piece of luggage and for every extra piece, it will cost you an additional €5 which is payable on-site
- For up to 5 passengers, the fare remains unchanged. However, for 6 or more people you are required to pay an additional €10 per person.
- The water-taxi pilot is not allowed to leave his boat, so if your luggage is heavy, you may need to lift your bags from the pier into his waiting hands (and vice versa when you reach your destination).
- An extra fee of €5.90 is charged on Sundays and other public holidays. Do note that you are not required to pay the extra fee + night charges if you are traveling on a sunday night.
- As exclusive as it sounds, you may not be the only one/group on board. The captain holds the discretion to bring on as many travelers as he can fit ; provided they are going in the same direction.
- Tipping isn't required or expected.
Minivan Transfers
If you're a big group traveling to Venice, hiring a minivan to get from/to the Marco Polo airport is a great option. It's comfortable, convinient and allows you to avoid the traffic ( in Venice, the traffic is more on the waterways, not road ! )
Even if you're not with enough people for a private minivan, shared minivans are still a good option. They have ample space for your luggage and will drop you right outside your hotel. This way, you can do away with the hassle of lugging your luggage from the pier to your hotel.
Marco Polo to/from Venice - Minivan Transfer Timings & Duration
The transfers are operational daily on an hourly basis between 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM. It is ideal for those who have flights with arrivals between 7:00 AM to 7:30 PM and the last transfer leaves from the airport at 8.30 PM for flights landing at or before 7.30 PM.
Depending on where the hotel is located, travel time is approximately 35 minutes.
Good To Know
- Most minivan transfers are not considered private but is shared with other guests not belonging to the same party.
- Allowance for 1 piece of medium-sized luggage (79 cm x 117.5 cm or 74 cm x 88 cm or 68 cm x 70 cm or 55 cm x 33 cm) and a handbag or backpack (37 cm x 13 cm).
- Oversized luggage (85 cm x 131.5 cm), which will be chargeable.
- Luggage porter service is not included at the pickup at the Venice hotel or at the airport.
- Make sure to provide all relevant information about arrival/departure time and date, flight origin, flight number, and/or destination, as well as the name of the hotel where you are staying at the time of booking.
- This service is not fully accessible for passengers in wheelchairs or those with mobility impairments.
- Once a flight lands, passengers have 1 hour to reach the desk, after which then the minibus will depart. If passengers miss the service, they can take the next transfer, provided it is available.
Bus Transfers
ATVO Buses
Traveling from the Marco Polo airport to Venice city center via the Airport Bus Shuttle also known as the ATVO Buses or Venice Expresss buses is the cheapest and easiest way to cover the distance. Look out for bus number #35 which has direct, non-stop route that will take you downtown to the main bus station, Piazzale Roma, in just 20 minutes. At a price of 8 Euros ( single way) and a frequency of 20 minutes, you can hail this bus anytime you land with minimal wait time. Tickets for an ATVO bus can be purchased at the airport from the ATVO machines. You can also purchase them online to save time standing in queues on arrival. These buses are equipped with wifi and have comfortable seats with ample legroom.
To get to this bus, walk out of the airport building from Exit D and make your way to the second lane on the left, platform number 2. These buses are available from Piazzale Roma back to Marco Polo airport as well.
ATVO Timings
The first bus leaves Piazzale Roma from Monday-Sunday at 04:20 AM and the last bus leaves at 23:30 AM. The first bus leaves the airport bound for Venice daily at 05:20 AM, and the last bus of the day departs at 01:20 AM
You can buy the ATVO bus tickets online here.
Good To Know
- A one-way ticket, including the baggage costs € 8.00 while a round-trip ticket, including the baggage, costs € 15.00. If you're traveling in groupsof more than 10 people, you can buy a discounted ticket for € 6.00, per person, for a single journey and € 11.00 per person for a round trip
- The ATVO buses have underneath luggage compartments, so you don’t have to drag your luggage onto the bus.
- These buses also run to other destinations in the Veneto area, so if you’re not actually going to Venice itself check the website to see if the bus goes to your destination.
ACTV Buses
ACTV buses are the local buses that shuttle to places in the city with a single line shuttling the airport as well. It runs between Marco Polo and Piazzale Roma and run every fifteen minutes. The bus line that runs from Marco Polo to Piazzale Roma is bus line #5 and a one-way trip takes about 25 minutes. Tickets can be purchased at the automatic self-service machines located in both the airport and at Piazzale Roma or from newspaper stands called Tabacchi (with a big T sign above them)
ACTV Timings
The first bus leaves Piazzale Roma from Monday-Saturday at 04:35 AM and the last bus leaves at 00:40 AM (on Sundays and holidays the departures begin at 05:40 and end at 24:40). The first bus leaves the airport bound for Venice at 04:08 AM, and the last bus of the day departs at 01:10 AM.
Good To Know
- The ACTV buses have luggage racks in the seating area, which means you will have to carry your luggage onto the bus.
- The ACTC buses are smaller than ATVO buses and have several stops on the way. It is also known to be more crowded and traveling with big suitcases can be quite a hassle.
- You are required to validate your tickets in the bus via a machine. Make sure you don't forget to do this on your way in.
Train Transfers
While train journeys are one of my favourite ways to get around the city, going from the Marco Polo airport to Venice by train is not something I'd recommend. This is because you'll have to first take a bus from the airport to the Mestre Train Station and then get to Venice. This is quite a round about way and not needed when you have so many other, more convinient ways of getting to the city. However, if your end destination is somewhere elsewhere in the Veneto, the Mestre train station is much more well-connected than the ATVO buses. In this case, it is worth going to the Mestre station and traveling from there.
From the Marco Polo airport to the Mestre train station will cost you 3 Euros and from here it's just 1 Euro to the Santa Lucia Train Station in Venice city. While the trip costs a total of 4 Euros and is definitely the cheapest way to go from Marco Polo to Venice city, it involves getting on and off a train & bus which I personally think is not worth the effort. Especially not after a long flight and odd hour!
Good To Know
- Once you disembark from the Santa Lucia Train Station, you have to cross the Calatrava Bridge to reach Piazzale Roma from where you can hail a bus/ taxi to reach your hotel. If you have multiple/heavy pieces of luggage the journey up this bridge is not going to be pleasant. However, there is no other way around it.
Taxi Transfers
Hailing a taxi can get you from the Marco Polo airport to Piazzale Roma in about 15 minutes but will cost you quite a bomb - about 50 Euros or so ( including luggage). However, if you're in a hurry this one proves to be the best option as you won't be making an extra stops.
One of the recommended taxi services is RadioTaxi Venezia which is available 24 hours a day at the airport, and their minimum charge to/from the airport is €8 during the days Monday-Saturday (€11 at nights, Sundays & holidays). You can check out their website should you like to see the charges in detail and make a booking prior to your arrival.
Good to Know
- Unlike cabs around the world, the taxis in Venice will drop you at Piazzale Roma, and from there you will have to walk or take the vaporetto to your accommodation. This is because Venice is a vehicular free zone and does not have roads that can accomodate cars.
Final Thoughts
Depending on your budget, you have an array of options to get from Marco Polo Airport To Venice. Also, all the above options apply for the reverse route in getting from Venice back to the airport. I would personally recommend the Alilaguna if you're on a budget and the water taxi if you're up for splurging. Whatever said and done, Venice is best explored via the waters and what better than getting a taste of it as soon as you land?! Make sure you keep ample time to traverse the distance as the water-traffic is quite unpredictable.
Keep in the mind that apart from the water taxi and water bus, you will be deposited at Piazzale Roma or the Santa Lucia Train Station. From here, you can choose to walk or take a vaporetto to your destination. Also, if you're staying in Venice for a few days, buying a Vaporetto Pass online is a wise move. This pass provides unlimited use on the Vaporetto and allows you to move about the city hassle-free.
Now That You're In Venice, What Next?
So you've reached Venice. Looking for more things to do? Check out our detailed guides and plan your trip better! Also check our Venice Public Transportation Guide that will help you navigate your way around the city in the best way possible.
The post Getting From Marco Polo Airport To Venice City Center | Venice Airport Transfers appeared first on Headout Blog.
Article source here:Headout Blog
No comments:
Post a Comment