airport to hotel in venice

There are several options for you and the best choice depends on where you are staying and for how long. The easiest method is by water taxi. It will cost you 110 euros or more, depending on where you go. You may be able to negotiate a better rate. The ride can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on where your hotel is located. Most water taxis can take up to 8 passengers for one price, so if you know anyone heading to the same place, team up. There is a desk inside the airport just outside of baggage claim that can take care of the water taxi for you. It's a bit of a walk (300 meters or so) to the actual water taxis, so be prepared to haul your luggage that far. You also have the option of a regular taxi or bus. You will have take these to Piazzale Roma (unless your hotel is on the mainland) near the train station in Venice, but you will then have to walk, take a vaporetto or take a water taxi to your hotel. The same options will apply when you leave your hotel heading for the cruise ship. A word of caution...walking around Venice with luggage will be a nightmare if you have several large pieces of luggage. There are a lot of little bridges there and you may have to cross several to get to your hotel. Many hotels are right on the water so a water taxi may be able to drop you off at your front door.

You might want to get a copy of the Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports guidebook for some answers. I just looked in my copy and it gives details about all of the methods, cost and all of the other things you are worried about. If you have just flown in direct from the US you will be tired. So in my opinion in this case the water taxi would be the least stressful though the most expensive. The guidebook probably has informatiion about many of the ports you will be visiting. So a good investment. Also since you live in the KC area I will invite you to attend the KC Area Rick Steves' group travel meetings. We meet every 3rd Saturday of the month to just talk about (European) travel. We help each other plan a trip plus give advice from our own personal experiences. Plus it is just a fun way to spend a Saturday morning. The next meeting is March 16th at Panera just west of Liberty and I-35 on MO highway 152. There will also be a postings on this Helpline the week before the meeting date. We have had a new person join us almost each month. This month it might as well be you.

Bill, it would be really nice if we knew which hotel. How you get to and from the airport, hotel and cruise port varies quite a bit depending on where the hotel is located. First, the fare for the water taxi is 90-120Euros. It's a private boat that holds up to 8 people with luggage. These water crafts are near the airport. A 10-minute walk will get you to the port. Secondly, there are two bus companies that make the run from the airport to the Piazzale Roma (ACTV and ATVO). The ATVO has space under the bus for your large bags. I don't think the ACTV bus does. Buses are right out front from the airport terminal. Fare is about 7 Euro. Now the hotel. If you were at the Hotel Papadopoli, you could walk 800 feet after getting off the bus. If you are by St. Mark's, you have to ride the public vaporettos on the canals. It's 30-35 minutes away. Yes, you can take your large bags on the vaporetto. Commonly done from the Piazzale Roma which is next to the cruise port. No, there are no cars on the multiple islands that make up Venice. The Piazzale Roma and the Tronchetto (vehicle garage) are as far as you can go with tourist cars and buses. More info please.

Bill, To begin with, that's not a "stupid question". If you need an answer for something, the group is happy to provide one (especially since you haven't been there before). One of the easiest methods to get from the Airport to Venice is via the Alilaguna service. It may not be as fast or convenient as Water Taxi, but considerably cheaper. Happy travels!

We've used Alilaguna to get from Venice to the airport and it works fine. It's not particularly charming, as the boats are very load, and you sit down low in the water and it can take awhile to get there. When coming from the airport to Alilaguna, know that there are a limited number of stops where they drop you off (see their website) and you have to get to your hotel on foot from those stops. Private taxis are the most expensive but most fun option. Another option is a shared taxi. (More info here They can drop you off at a lot of stops down the Grand Canal, and direct stops at many hotels. You HAVE to book them in advance. The catch is that apparently you have to give them a phone number so they can reach you in case of delays. We're flying into Venice this May, staying in Dorsoduro, and plan to do the bus/vaporetto combination using a 4 euro per person add-on to the vaporetto pass that we will purchase at the airport on arrival. As mentioned, you'll get better advice if you let us know which hotel you're staying at. Have you checked to see if they offer any sort of pick up service from the airport?