Transportation

1. Air

The Marco Polo Airport, one of Italy's busiest airports, handles most of Venice's air traffic. It is located to the east of Mestre, 7.5 miles from Venice. You can get to Venice from the Marco Polo airport by bus (journey time 25 minutes), by hydrofoil (journey time 60 minutes), by taxi (journey time 15 minutes) or even by water taxi. There is a smaller airport at Treviso, the San Giuseppe Airport, which is about 21.5 miles north of Venice. There is a Eurobus service available at San Giusepe Airport. Departure tax is included with airfares.

2. Train

Train travel is one of the fastest and cost effective ways of traveling to Venice. Venice is connected to almost every important city in Italy and Europe. Trains from many European cities such as Paris, Munich, Innsbruck, Vienna, Geneva, etc can be caught at the Stazione Ferroviaria Santa Lucia, which is the train terminus. You can buy tickets at the station ticket booth, but you have to validate the tickets in the machine on the platform prior to getting on the train.

3. Bus

The bus service in Venice is cheaper than the trains and taxis. You can avail this option of traveling to Venice and can get off at Piazzale Roma, which is Venice's bus terminus. Though cheaper, buses are a bit uncomfortable. The bus station is located to the south of the Grand Canal.

Regular buses run to Mestre, Chioggia, Marghera, La Malcontenta in addition to several other mainland destinations from Piazzale Roma. Bus tickets have to be bought prior to the trip. These can be purchased at newsstands, tobacconists, bars, etc.

4. Car

There are many options incase you want to rent a car in Venice, since, several rental agencies run their services in the city. Many of them are also available at the airport and the Venice bus terminus, the Piazzale Roma. Besides, renting a car is a convenient way to get around the city and outside it too. The drivers should keep in mind that Venice has a right hand drive. Venice is located on the east-west A4 highway and is connected with many important cities of Italy. Parking does not pose to be a problem as many huge parking spaces are available in and around the city.

5. Ferry

Motorboat taxis, also called ‘motoscafi' are a quick but expensive option of travel in Venice. One of these can hold up to 15 passengers, and can be boarded at stands at stations in the city center. A bit slower option is the original water taxi. Always decide the fare prior to the journey. There may be additional luggage and late hour charges, so look out for these. It is not recommended to take private boats for they can turn out to be really expensive. Besides these, you also have the option of traveling in gondolas and traghettos (retired gondolas).

6. Taxi

Taxis turn out to be quite expensive in Venice as they charge extra for luggage, airport journeys and traveling between 10pm and 7am. Be sure to take official taxis and not unregistered, unlicensed ones. Most of the taxis can be found in the main piazzas.