Ok, so you’re heading to Venice for a short trip and you want some guidance on things to do! Read on! We have been to Venice four times now, twice as a couple and twice in groups – so we have some interesting ideas to share with you. After all, there are 100’s if not 1000’s of travel blogs on the best things to do in Venice but they are all a little predictable. Sure we will touch on St Mark’s, Rialto, Doge’s Palace (because if we’re honest it helps our SEO) but that’s it – we’ll be very brief. We’re aiming to put together a blog series, that we would have liked to read on our first trip! So with this first blog, let’s start at the beginning, how do you get there …
Travel Options For Venice
You can arrive by plane, train, boat or with a little more difficulty car or coach. Many people tend to arrive by plane, but if you are on a European tour then train is a great way to arrive. Read on, in this the first mini blog in this series – we’ll keep it short, sweet and informative.
How to get to Venice when flying …
You can fly directly to Venice from USA, Canada and Europe from Australia there are no direct flights to Italy but lots of connecting flights.
There are two airports that service Venice. The majority of passengers arrive to Marco Polo Airport and then head to their destination by water taxi or private boat. So it pays to choose a hotel, close to a Vaporetto stop or with water access. Marco Polo is 8km north and is the busiest of the two airports.
Marco Polo Airport
From Marco Polo airport you have a few options, buses, water taxis or Vaporettos – or if you’re staying somewhere swanky they may have their own private transport to collect you.
Road Bus
You can take a bus via road and there are two options that connect to Piazzale Roma (the city centre) both costing circa €8. Bus No 5 makes several stops along the way and takes around 45 minutes. The blue buses ATVO run every thirty minutes and as they only stop twice, the journey is shorter, just 20 minutes.
Water Bus
Or you can take a Alilaguna water bus, known as a Vaporetto which makes several stops on the way to Piazza San Marco. They run early morning until late at night and you can check out their schedule here, where you can also buy discounted tickets.
Water Taxi
You can also take a water taxi, they take up to ten people at a time. In all honesty, they are quite expensive unless you are sharing the costs with friends. They’re around €100 one way. But we did really enjoy the time we headed to Hotel Becher by speed boat, which took us directly to the hotel. Top Tip, always book these in advance to save money and shop around for prices, your hotel may offer to recommend someone (but still price check with other operators). The other benefit of the water taxi, is that there are no waiting in queues and they are quicker, You also get to see the most amazing views as you head into Venice. A speedboat can take the smaller waterways so you see a side of Venice that you wouldn’t see from the Vaporetto.
Treviso (Antonio Canova Airport)
On our last trip we flew from Málaga, Spain and so our only direct option was to Treviso airport. A very small airport which is 40km to the North and used by the lower-cost airlines. That said we had a fairly simple journey to and from the airport and due to its size the airport was easy to navigate. Catching the bus for a short journey and then the train which was a good clean service that ran on time.
With Treviso the only option is road bus or bus with train. ATVO operate buses that connect Treviso to the city centre. They run daily. The return bus leaves from Piazzale Roma around 2 1/2 to 3 hours before each flight. A ticket costs around €20 per person per journey. You can check the ATVO official website here.
If you want to take the bus/train like we did, our hotel the Venice Times was a very short walk from the Santa Lucia train station. This is how we did it!
Getting around Venice
It will come as no surprise that apart from walking, everyone gets about in Venice on the water. Even DHL and the postmen deliver their parcels on boats and the Fire Brigade (Vigili del Fuoco) attends via the water.
Arrive by train…
If you’re looking for a thrilling way to journey to Venice, why not hop on a train? Venice’s central station, Venezia Santa Lucia, links the city with a plethora of other Italian towns and even countries beyond its borders. Imagine the excitement of embarking on a low-cost flight to Milan, and then hopping on a train to Venice. The journey itself is an adventure, filled with picturesque views of Italy’s countryside that will leave you breathless.
Upon arrival at Venezia Santa Lucia Railway Station, you’ll be greeted with the bustling energy of the city and can head by foot or on the water to your destination, taking in one of the street cafes on the way.
Arrive by Car…
It’s not easy to travel by car, much of Venice is not accessible and you will need to park on the edges of the city. Some of the well advertised car parks charge up to €30 per day. However there is a car park used by the locals. It is situated just before the Ponte della Libertà in the industrial park on the right hand side. From these parking facilities you can take a bus into the centre of the city.
In conclusion…
There are so many ways to get to Venice, so why wouldn’t you? It is full of friendly people, has some of the most stunning architecture in the world, fabulous food and wines and such interesting history.
We hope you’re tempted, check out our other mini blogs in this series. We’ll cover where to stay, where to eat and what to do that is a little bit different. If you want to explore the best of Venice, take a look.
You can also follow us across social media – just search the Sassy Travel Guide or head to our website.
Goodbye for now, or ‘Addio per ora’
Nicki and Paul x
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