2 Transfer questions about upcoming trip

Our travel agent here that assisted with airline tickets and a few other things has proposed a private water taxi and minivan to the airport -- at a cost of $429, which seems outrageous. Is there any way to do this in a less expensive manner?

Some travel agent you got there. A private water taxi from The Gritti Palace (nice commission) to the airport should run about 120 Euro. The water taxi will drop you at the airport dock, which is about 600 yards from the airport door with a partially covered walkway. Can you handle that or do you need a $300 minivan to help with the walk?
https://www.motoscafivenezia.it/eng/

Just do a little upfront research on the towns you want to visit regarding ZTL's, zona traffico limitado. Forbidden driving zones in the center of towns, hours of enforcement and what the road signs look like.

1) Driving in Italy is just like driving at home. People get fines because they don't do their homework first and think they can drive as fast as they want and go where ever they want. As long as you follow the speed limits, don't drive in bus lanes and don't drive into any of the cities you plan to visit you'll be fine. All cities have restricted zones which you're forbidden to drive in. There are huge signs saying to stay out. As long as you don't drive past one of these signs you'll be fine. All cities have parking outside of them for tourists. Rent a car, do the research on the rules for driving in Italy and have a great time.

2)First of all, fire your travel agent. It's obvious that he/she hasn't been to Italy and doesn't know what they're talking about. Hire a private water taxi and walk the 600 or so feet to the terminal and save that extra 300.

Donna

Driving in Italy is no different from Austria; be aware of the things previously posted.

Ask your hotel to print your boarding passes the night before, that will save you a little time the next morning.

So it was your travel agent who came up with the cunning plan to put you on a flight which puts you getting out of bed in the middle of the night and missing breakfast???

How about changing hotels and stay at a place closer to the airport for your last night? When I have such an early flight, I stay at hotels with shuttles within two miles of the airport.

Nigel, no. That was our idea. It is not straightforward getting back to our hometown. Our travel agent suggested leaving Venice at a more civilized hour of 10am, but we insisted on changing it in order to reduce our overall number of connections and get home prior to midnight. My husband and I must return to work the next day.

And for the record for those trying to crucify the travel agent, I tore my ACL last month, and I think she's trying her best to help limit my walking wherever she can. I had no idea whether we could arrange our own private water taxi at that hour of the morning. I am simply trying to get some friendly input, perhaps from others who have been there and departing with early flights.

Sorry Dana, but you did ask if $429 to get from the Gritti Palace to the airport was outrageous, and the answer seems to be, yes, its outrageous. Of course, the Gritti Palace is an outrageously expensive hotel, so maybe money is no object.

"Driving in Italy is no different from Austria"

I know what Zoe means, but there actually are some differences.

In Austria, you get a vignette which covers toll roads. In Italy, if you use toll roads, you will have to pay with cash each time. It works like the New Jersey Turnpike: when you get on, you get a ticket, and when you get off, you hand in the ticket and your toll is calculated.

In Italy as you have been told, cities large and small have ZTL's - zones where cars without permits (that's you) cannot go. More and more of these are enforced by cameras; if you stray into one of these, even for a block, you get an expensive ticket. If you get lost and enter three times in 10 minutes, you get three tickets. As said above, the way to avoid this problem is to assume you can't drive into a town, and follow the signs to park outside and walk in. There are always parking lots outside the ZTL (that's where they want everyone to go).

In addition to speed cameras, there's also the Tutor camera system, which measure average speed between two points. And then there's the bus lanes mentioned above. Violating any of these will also result in tickets.

Note that all tickets come in two installments. First, there's a fee of about €40 from your rental car company, for turning your information over to the authorities (you agree to this when you rent the car). Then, the ticket itself comes, as much as a year later.

None of this is meant to deter you from driving, if that's what you want to do. But we see many posts from people who weren't prepared, get a ticket, and end up complaining about how "unfair" these rules are. As long as you're prepared, driving works fine.

1. Foreigners are not frequently fined. Only those who don't follow the most basic traffic rules, like speed limits, bus only lanes, or pedestrianized areas, all of which are prominently signaled.

2. You are staying at the Gritti Palace, one of the most expensive hotels in Italy, so maybe throwing away $429 must not be a big deal to you. The water taxi shouldn't cost more than 100-120 euro. They pick you up at the hotel and drop you off at the airport dock. It's a bit of a walk from the dock to the terminal (I bet it wont be much longer than 5 min however) but if one wants an additional $300 on a vehicle for 1/4 of a mile, then I want to be transported this way.

Thanks for clarifying, Harold. I was hastily thinking of signage, road rules, that kind of thing.

When I was in Venice last month, I was told that the fixed fee for a water taxi from the airport to the Grand Canal area is €150. I would expect the same price in the other direction.

The water taxi/minivan option I found here with a dummy reservation for 4 am in mid-June is €185 for up to 4 people and 10 suitcases. That sounds like what your travel agent is trying to sell you for twice the price.

You could possibly take a water taxi to the bus station and then the first bus at 4.35 am, gets to the airport at 4.58. I don't know how much the taxi would be to the bus station, but probably significantly less than €185. Marco Polo is a small airport so getting to the airport at 5 am should be enough time for a 6.30 flight.