we are staying in an apartment near the Basillica di Santa Maria della Salute and arriving in the afternoon. There will be 6 of us- should we hire a private water taxi or use Alilaguna then the vaporetto?
thanks
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
Depends on how much luggage and extra money you have. The more of either, the more it makes sense to do a water taxi.
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
With six people, a water taxi could work quite well. Expect the fare to be a minimum 90E ($130) for up to 6 people. The bus/vaporetto will cost about half the water taxi fare so its your choice.
The Alilaguna does not stop there. In fact, the Alilaguna makes very few stops on the Venice islands. You can take the Alilaguna to San Zaccaria and then transfer to the No. 1 to go a couple of stops to Salute. It's across the canal from Sa Zaccaria.
For the bus/vaporetto, it's very easy to get from the airport to the Salute vaporetto stop. First, there are two public bus lines that go from the airport to the Piazzale Roma, the last place on the islands where land cars and buses can go. I suggest the ATVO bus as they have luggage storage underneath the bus. The ACTV is a city bus and from what I understand, does not have underneath storage. Cost is about 3E-4E.
Once at the Piazzale Roma, buy a vaporetto ticket or, if you are staying for a few days, buy a tourist travel card. You can do this at the Hellovenezia booth. Take the No 1 vaporetto going to Lido. The No 1 is the only vaporetto that stops at Salute. It's the 13th stop from the Piazzale Roma. It will take about 45 minutes to get there.
Posted by
Carbondale, IL, USA
1201 posts
With 6 people I'd suggest the water taxi. It makes you like you're in a 60's spy movie.
But here's my reasoning:
Alilaguna plus the vaporetto is 12 euros plus 6.50 for the vaporetto 18.50 per person. You are right at the water taxi price.
Bus/vaporetto 3 euros for ATVO bus plus 6.50 for vaporetto equals 9.50 per person. Water taxi for me is worth the extra 50 euros for the wow factor.
If you are on a tight budget or don't want to splurge then the cheapest way if you are already thinking about buying a multi hour vaporetto pass, is to pick up the ACTV pass at the aiport. It will cover the ACTV bus to P. le Roma and the vaporetto to the apartment.