Getting Around Venice by Water Bus, Taxi and Vaporetto: The Ultimate Guide

I've been to Italy many times, and Venice is one of my favourite destinations, a totally pedestrianised city floating on water, but navigating Venice's water transport can be confusing. Here is exactly how to get around, buy tickets, which lines to take and how to get from the airport when visiting Venice.

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Check out my video of Venice's Grand Canal

The Venice Access Fee If you are visiting Venice as a day-tripper on peak weekends (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) between April and July, you must pre-book your Venice Access QR code. In 2026, the fee has increased to €10 for last-minute bookings, while early birds still pay €5. If you’re staying overnight in a hotel within the city, you are EXEMPT from the fee and will pay city tax instead. You must still register online to get your 'Exemption QR Code' to show the controllers at the Santa Lucia train station and Piazzale Roma bus station. You won't be asked for your QR code at the airport, but there are spot checks in the city. Children under 14 are exempt, as are those who live or work in Venice.

Getting from Marco Polo Airport to Venice

1. Private Water Taxi 

Step aboard your vessel and be dropped off directly at your hotel. The cost of this privilege can vary, so plan to pay around €190 per way for a private water taxi.  

2. Venice Shuttle / Shared Water Taxi

This quick option costs around €35 per person each way. You will share with up to 7 other people, who will be dropped off at their respective hotels.

Pre-book a return journey to receive slightly lower prices. I booked a water taxi transfer and found the service good, though you may have to wait up to 45 minutes in the airport terminal for other passengers to arrive before you can leave.

Once aboard, I was taken to my Hotel Nani Mochenigo Palace in a manner akin to a movie star!

3. Alilaguna Public Waterbus

The Waterbus connects the Marco Polo Airport terminal to the centre of Venice.

It is the cheapest option at €15 each way, but also the busiest and the longest. You can pre-book your ticket or, for a few euros more, buy a ticket aboard the boat.

You need to know which water bus stop is nearest to your hotel, so please check with your concierge before arrival.

All these water transport methods depart from the airport dock. A covered walkway leads from the terminal building to the dock, a ten-minute walk away. Water taxi signs will show you the way.

How can you get around Venice by water transport?

Vaporetto / ACTV Water Bus

A Vaporetto is a quick, easy, and reliable service that costs around €9 for a single journey anywhere in Venice. The ticket is valid for 75 minutes from the time of purchase.  

Buy your vaporetto ticket online or from the kiosk at your water stop, validate it before embarking, and you are ready to go. You can also purchase tickets outside the train station, by Rialto, and near St Mark's Square. If you plan to use the service more than once, tickets are available for 1, 2, 3, or 7 days at reasonable prices, starting at €25. Children under 6 travel free on the water bus.

For an affordable tour of the Grand Canal, hop aboard the No. 1 Vaporetto (Linea Uno). It leaves from the Piazzale Roma every 10 minutes during the day and has a slightly longer wait at night. It takes you along the Grand Canal, passing beneath the Rialto Bridge, where you can enjoy stunning views of Venice's famous canal. Line 1 is scenic but slow, so if you are in a rush to reach the Rialto Bridge, you might prefer to use Line 2.

Should I travel around Venice by gondola?

An interesting fact about Venice is that a gondolier has one of the best-paid jobs in the city!

In Venice, a gondola ride seems to be on everyone's bucket list.  Prices are €90 per boat for a 40-minute daytime ride and €110 in the evening. Prices can also fluctuate depending on the route your gondolier takes you on. Make sure you ask what you will be getting for your money, and if you have paid to have a boat to yourself, say no if anyone else is put in it with you.

You can barter with the gondoliers for lower prices, but this could mean that you spend less time aboard the gondola. Alternatively, if you require a longer journey, then prices will increase accordingly.

A good idea is to share a gondola ride with others, which will reduce the cost per head to approximately £30.00

Some of your time on Venice's waterways may be taken up in a "gondola traffic jam," with multiple vessels lined up trying to navigate the narrow canals.

Venice gondolas also travel along the Grand Canal, which is extremely busy with boats of every size and description, but it is an excellent place for sightseeing.

How to cross the Grand Canal by water

There are four main footbridges across the Grand Canal: Ponte della Costituzione, Ponte degli Scalzi, Ponte di Rialto and Ponte dell’Accademia, but if you want to cross by water, head to a Traghetto stop.

Traghettos are ferry gondolas without decoration, rowed by two oarsmen, one at the front and one at the back. You will pay around €2 to be ferried across the Grand Canal.

These inexpensive water transport methods in Venice cross the canal at seven points between the train station and St. Mark's Square, offering a convenient and affordable option.

How do you travel to the islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello?

You may like to read my post: How To Get To Burano From Venice On A Day Trip

If you only want to visit Burano, you can catch the number 12 Vaporetto from Fondamenta Nove. A one-way ticket takes around 45 minutes.

Another option is to first take a Vaporetto to Murano, where you could join a glass factory tour. Then walk along the main street towards Murano's lighthouse and catch the number 12 vaperetto to Burano.

If you want to visit all three islands of Burano, Murano and Torcello, then buy a day ticket from the vaporetto machines at Fondamenta Nove in Venice.

If you don't want to arrange the trip yourself, you can book a guided tour of Burano, Murano and Torcello from Venice.