How to Move Around in Venice: FAQ (2024)

FAQs

How to Move Around in Venice: FAQ? ›

The best way to move around Venice, Italy, is on foot. In fact, going on foot in Venice is almost always the quickest way to reach your destination. It might sound like a health campaign but truth is that Venetian are indeed generally fit and healthy because they move around mainly on foot.

The only way to get around is by boat or walking. Vaporetto (ferry) services only run along two large canals and around the outside of Venice, so unless you have a big water-taxi budget, you'll be exploring most of Venice on foot, navigating through its maze of alleys.

Venice is a walking city. Even if Venice is known as a floating city and most of the people think that is mandatory to take a vaporetto or a boat to get around, the best way to visit it is on foot.

The vaporetto is the water bus of Venice. This is the quickest and cheapest option to move around Venice, after the walking option. Quite used by locals and workers, remember that a single ticket lasts 75 minutes, and you can use it as many times as you want.

Walking in Venice is safe as the city is car-free and bike-free. Walking is by far the cheapest way to explore Venice, considering the high cost of water buses and taxis.

Is Uber Available in Venice? Uber is not available in Venice.

The primary means of getting where you need to go in Venice are by boat or on foot. In the lagoon and along the canals, travelers can choose between several types of public and private boat options: vaporetto, alilaguna, private water taxi, gondola, and traghetto.

The city of Venice is made up of 118 islands, 400 bridges and 150 canals. But you might be surprised to learn it's a pretty walkable city. The entire island can be explored in one, albeit long, day. No one neighbourhood is ever too far away from another.

Two full days in Venice are enough for most visitors to get a first sense of the city and its highlights. One day is better than nothing and anything from 3 days up is ideal if you love museums, enjoy a slower travel experience and want to enjoy the city beyond its sightseeing opportunities.

Is one day enough time to see Venice? If you're wondering whether one day is enough to enjoy Venice, then the short answer is yes, but the longer answer is no. You see, if you want to see all of the major attractions in the space of a day, then it's definitely possible, though your day will be very crammed!

Do you need cash for Venice? ›

Since the prices in Venice are relatively high, 100-Euro bills are usually accepted. With 200 euro notes or even 500 euro notes one has problems in many shops. Venice pickpockets etc. The problem with traveling with cash is the risk of theft.

Prices. The rates of the city's water taxis are fixed depending on the different companies, the distance and the number of people. A Water Taxi from Venice Marco Polo Airport to the city centre costs approximately between € 105 ( US$ 115.10) and € 135 ( US$ 148).

The tickets for public transport in Venice can be purchased at the ticket machines which the ACTV – the main transport company – has installed at the most stops. Those are multilingual ticket machines so it should not be a problem to get the ticket you need.

Travel card for 2 days, which is valid for the water buses in Venice and the islands of Lido, Murano and Burano (44 €) Travel card for 3 days, which is valid for the water buses in Venice and the islands of Lido, Murano and Burano (55 €)

Tariffs. The official tariff of a 30-minute ride on a gondola is € 80 ( US$ 86.90). The price goes up to € 100 ( US$ 108.70) from 7 pm onwards. If you want the gondolier to sing or to play an instrument during the ride, you will have to pay extra.

Advantages of 'skip the line Venice' tickets are that you do not have to plan in advance and do not lose time in queues during your holiday. Enjoy entry with a ticket to both the Doge's Palace and the Basilica. Avoid waiting 45 minutes outside St. Mark's Basilica and save time in other queues.

It's not customary to tip your taxi driver, gondolier or for any other transport service. Airport and train porters charge a fixed rate per bag, so additional tipping is not necessary.

Private water taxi from Marco Polo to Venice

To use a water taxi, you can purchase a voucher from the water taxi transport desk in the arrivals hall at the airport. Then, walk down to the dock and present the voucher at the taxi desk.

It costs around €55-€88/day to visit Venice comfortably as a budget traveler. If you want to upgrade your accommodations, add another €80-€120/night depending on your level of accommodation.

How much is the vaporetto in Venice? ›

Vaporetto Tickets & Fares

Fares: A 75-minute ticket costs 7.50 euros and entitles you to unlimited travel during that period, starting at the validation time. If you plan to use vaporetti a lot, it makes sense to buy a 1-day (20 euros), 2-day (30 euros), or 3-day (40 euros) pass. Weekly passes cost 60 euros each.

The canals themselves go for about as long as you would like to walk. We walked for about 45 minutes, and there was still a lot to see. It is a beautiful place for a leisurely stroll and to take in the serene area that seems almost out of place in the chaos of Venice Beach.

How much money will you need for your trip to Venice? You should plan to spend around €230 ($254) per day on your vacation in Venice, which is the average daily price based on the expenses of other visitors. Past travelers have spent, on average, €65 ($71) on meals for one day and €27 ($30) on local transportation.

On weekdays, the area is generally still fun, and also fairly manageable – on the weekend, visitors flood in and the streets can get very crowded. Away from the costumes and all of the masks, the local areas of Venice are still relatively quiet and peaceful.

Venice is small. You can walk across it, from head to tail, in about an hour. Nearly all of your sightseeing is within a 20-minute walk of the Rialto Bridge or St. Mark's Square.

Admission to St Mark's Basilica is free. However, if you want to avoid the queues described below, you must join one of the guided tours listed later or purchase a ticket to skip the queue. The first ticket also gives access to the terrace of St Mark's Basilica with a fantastic view over St Mark's Square.

Ideally, you should plan to spend at least 3 to 4 days in Venice to allow you to see the main attractions, as well as visit some islands and even, go on a day trip. The options of things to do in Venice are almost endless, and itineraries can look very different depending on personal interest.

By law, you must always be able to show some form of identification. In most cases a photocopy of the data page of your passport should be enough, but you may also be asked for a second form of photo ID. The police will normally ask for your full passport if you are stopped while driving.

Can I use my debit card in Venice Italy? ›

Almost every store and restaurant in Italy accepts credit or debit cards. Throughout Rome there are internationally connected ATMs on almost every street corner (tip: ATMs are popularly called Bancomat). Use them and you'll enjoy the exchange rate of your own bank, which will work in your favor.

Italy is still rather old fashioned when it comes to paying for things. Cash is king! Some restaurants only accept cash, and those that take credit cards will usually prefer cash if you have it. Market stalls almost always trade only in cash, although a few have started to introduce credit card payment too.

Do Venice taxi drivers accept credit cards? Unfortunately, Venice taxi drivers don't often have the POS system needed to accept credit cards. We recommend keeping cash in the local currency with you when taking a Venice airport taxi.

How much is a water taxi from airport to Venice? A water taxi from the airport of Venice to the city centre is approximately €100-120. Water taxis start from the airport of Venice docks and take you to the Lagoon.

The tickets are not exactly cheap, but considering you have unlimited use of the transport system, they are well worth it. Just think how much it would cost if you wanted to visit Murano-Burano and Torcello and you had to pay for every single trip!

The currency in Venice is the Euro (€)

With Thomas Cook Travel Money you'll get more bang for your buck meaning you'll have more cash to splash on pasta and gelato in Venice.

Don't worry – yes, of course. You can drink the water in Venice and save yourself the expense and waste of bottled water. Venice's tap water is pumped in from the Italian mainland so you don't have to worry about anything questionable in the water that is floating under the city.

Running short with time and you want to know whether Venice city pass is worth your money then then answer is YES. It is going to save you around 16 EUR per person if you take the Venice City Pass compared to standalone ticket.

Validity can be 12, 24, 48, 72 hours or 7 days from stamping, depending on the chosen tariff solution.

How much are the Venice Ferries? ›

Although cheaper than a gondola, public transportation in Venice is quite expensive compared to many other major cities. A single vaporetto ticket costs about 7 euros and is valid for 75 minutes, children under six travel free and people with reduced mobility get discounts.

Good to know: Unless you pre-book a gondola tour, you'll have to pay cash for your gondola ride. So make sure you have enough money on you. Private Venice gondola tours that you can pre-book online are usually more expensive than the official rates. Shared tours are usually cheaper online.

Inspired by the blue gondolas and the lagoon in Venice

Clambering in an out of a boat is not the place to wear your tottering heels, so for that gondola ride, choose jeans and flats and take your fashion cue from the navy striped t-shirts of the gondoliers.

Can I negotiate the price of my gondola ride in Venice? We're sorry to tell you, but no, you can't negotiate the price of a normal gondola ride in Venice. However, if you ask for a much longer tour, you might have the chance to discuss the price and duration of the tour with the gondolier.

The vaporetto is the water bus of Venice. This is the quickest and cheapest option to move around Venice, after the walking option. Quite used by locals and workers, remember that a single ticket lasts 75 minutes, and you can use it as many times as you want.

hop on hop off venice - bus tours. Discover one of the world's most romantic cities during a hop-on hop-off Venice tour. No hassle of arranging your own transportation or figuring out uncharted routes in a new city. Simply hop on to see the attractions of your choice and hop off when you don't.

The vaporetti is the most popular and cheapest mode of public transportation in Venice. These water buses travel up and down the islands near the Grand Canal. Most boarding stops, Hellovenezia/ACTV offices, newsstands, and certain bars, stores, and tobacconists with the ACTV sign, sell tickets for the vaporetti.

If you landed on our article only with the intent of finding the best online map of Venice, we believe that your best option is Google Maps, with the Satellite Layer enabled.

Venice is small. You can walk across it, from head to tail, in about an hour. Nearly all of your sightseeing is within a 20-minute walk of the Rialto Bridge or St. Mark's Square.

If using your phone, note that GPS directions are often unreliable in Venice, though Google Maps has definitely improved in recent years (and has added its “streetview” option to the city). Still, Venice's confusing layout confounds even the best maps and navigators.

How many hours do you need in Venice? ›

Ideally, you should plan to spend at least 3 to 4 days in Venice to allow you to see the main attractions, as well as visit some islands and even, go on a day trip. The options of things to do in Venice are almost endless, and itineraries can look very different depending on personal interest.

The AVM Venezia Official App, instead, is the public transportation app. Here you can find out which vaporetto line you have to take by typing the name of the place you're departing from and the destination you want to reach, such as an island or a specific area or palace in Venice.

The feature can be accessed by selecting the Transit tab or button in Apple Maps on iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch. Supported modes of transportation include trains, buses, trams, and more in and between cities such as Milan, Naples, Turin, Palermo, Genoa, Florence, and Venice.

Promoted Stories. "It's forbidden to sit on the floor, steps, monuments or the side of the canals. Not even to eat or drink. You can only sit down on benches.

When is the best time to visit Venice? The best time to visit Venice is during April, May, September, and October when the city is warm and dry but not too hot. Avoid visiting in August when the weather is hot and muggy and many Venetians leave for a month-long vacation.

In practice, most visitors will only have a few days, but we would advise anyone to consider four nights as a minimum. With a two night break, visitors are left with only one full day to explore, which means there is more time spent travelling than enjoying the destination.

If you can afford it, hire a driver. If you must drive yourself, use a GPS unless you're proficient in Italian and have a good local map. Available map and navigation software plus the built in satellite system on your phone is good enough. You don't need a special GPS unit.