Getting around Venice

The 20-minute non-stop trip from the airport to Piazzale Roma, the busterminal in Venice, runs three times an hour. Cost one way is 6 euros per person. From Piazzale Roma you can catch the local public boat, the vaporetto, hire a private water taxi, or continue on by foot to get to your apartment.

A cheaper way to arrive in Venice by boat is to take a public ferry. A ferry service called Alilaguna runs waterbuses (motoscafi) across the lagoon to a number of the major ferry stops in Venice, including San Marco (for the St. Mark's area), Zattere and Arsenale as well as the Lido and Murano. Check with your hotel to make sure you get off at the nearest stop to your accommodation: it's very tiring to drag cases around Venice's alleys and over bridges. If your hotel is in an outlying location, such as the Lido, an Alilaguna ferry may be your most efficient means of transport. Alilaguna run several different routes, distinguished by colour, so make sure you catch the best one for your destination. A one-way ticket costs €15 and a return is €25 (see our transport page for more information on travel once you get to Venice).

The water buses that run between Venice Airport and the Venice islands are operated by the Alilunga company, and you can get a one-way ticket from the airport to the islands – or vice versa – for €13 (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, you can get a round-trip ticket for €25).

The cheapest transport from the airport into Venice is by bus, and there are two options which link Marco Polo Airport with Piazzale Roma (this is as far into Venice as you can get with land transport). Piazzale Roma is in the corner of Venice alongside the lagoon's road-bridge. Unless you are staying nearby, you will then need to use Venice's public boat services to continue your journey - this is why the Alilaguna ferry from the airport is often a quicker option.




It is possible to tour Venice solely on foot, but if you are staying for any length of time, you'll find the vaporetti very useful. There will be times when you are the wrong side of the Grand Canal, far from the four bridges which cross it, and want to use a vaporetto to hop across. Or times when your feet are hurting from all the walking and you just want to sit down and admire the view from the outdoor seat of a boat. And the only way to see the whole of the Grand Canal is by water.

Some useful routes are 1 and 2, which run the length of the Grand Canal. The 1 calls at every stop as far as the Lido; the 2 is a faster service with fewer stops. Water buses 4.1 and 4.2 call at the cemetery island, San Michele, and at the glass-making island of Murano. The quickest service between Piazzale Roma and Murano is the 3. At night there is a nocturnal service, the N, which follows the Grand Canal. The network is quite complicated so if you're planning a lot of travel it's worth getting hold of a route-map.

Single ticket valid for 60 minutes - €6.50
12-hour ticket - €16
24-hour ticket - €28
36-hour ticket - €23
48-hour ticket - €28
72-hour ticket - €33

Vaporetto dell'Arte

New in 2012, the Vaporetto dell’Arte provides a luxurious hop-on, hop-off ride down the Grand Canal. Unlike the public vaporetti, which can be jam-packed, the Vaporetto dell’Arte offers seating in plush red armchairs complete with seat-back monitors screening multilingual information about the attractions en route. Most people don’t bother with these, as the view out the windows is far more arresting.

To get the best value from the service, buy the ticket in conjunction with your Tourist Travel Card, when the +ARTE add-on will only set you back €10. What’s more, the ticket will then be valid for the same length of time as your Tourist Travel Card.

Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/venice/transport/getting-around/local-transport#ixzz4Cjeh8Gi3

Traghetti

These are unadorned boats which run a ferry service at six points along the Grand Canal, crossing backwards and forwards. You can take a traghetto for a cheap and brief taste of travel in a gondola. Locals crowd on and make the crossing standing up, which can be nerve-racking when crossing the wake of a vaporetto. The traghetto services generally only operate in the daytime and a crossing costs €0.50.

The traghetto represents the best alternative to gondola. The ride lasts about two minutes and goes from a point to another of the Canal Grande. The fare is cheap but there are no seats so you’ll have to stand during the crossing.

Use traghetti to cross the Grand Canal. If you do not want to travel the length of the Grand Canal or search for a bridge, but you do want to get from one side to the other, take a traghetto. It takes about 1 minute and costs about 1 dollar.

To get from one end of the Grand Canal (the train station) to the other end (San Marco), it will take 20 to 30 minutes. You can get on and off at different stops on the Grand Canal.

Street Maps & Signage -- The free map offered by the tourist office and most hotels has good intentions, but it doesn't even show -- much less name or index -- all the calli (streets) and pathways of Venice. For that, pick up a more detailed map (ask for a pianta della città at news kiosks -- especially those at the train station and around San Marco) or most bookstores.

Read more: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/venice/745258#ixzz4Cjbrubwf

five major landmarks: Ferrovia (the train station), Piazzale Roma, Rialto (the main bridge), San Marco, and the Accademia (also useful as the only other Grand Canal bridge below the train station).

Read more: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/venice/745258#ixzz4Cjc1MDrp

Eat small, simple meals and avoid restaurants that cater to tourists. Unlike other parts of Italy, Venice is not known for its food. Therefore, you should not spend a lot of money on eating while getting around Venice.

• Try cicchetti, which is Italian-style tapas. You can order several small plates as snacks or meals. Include a glass of wine and you will still pay less than you would at a restaurant catering to tourists.
• Look for pizza and paninis. These can often be purchased from a bar or a cafe for less than you would pay in a restaurant.
• When looking for a restaurant or cafè, make sure it's not too close to the main tourist attractions. Food and drink prices are usually much higher around St Mark's Square and along the Strada Nova, that is, the main tourist route that connects the strain station to St Mark's Square.
• Refill your water bottle at any of the 122 public fountains scattered throughout the city. The water from these fountains is safe to drink and completely free.

Take advantage of free or inexpensive sights. For example, St. Mark's basilica is free to enter and you can also enjoy the energy of the piazza or take a stroll for no money.

• Purchase a Venice museum pass. For 18 euros (about $23), you can visit 9 museums in Venice, including the Doge's Palace and the Glass Museum on the island of Murano.