Alilaguna in Venice

Here's the timetable info & other questions:

http://www.alilaguna.it/en/linea-arancio/arancio-timetable

Thanks, Jean. P.S. Planning an early start is a good idea, but luckily, a rental car will usually wait for you much better than a departing flight.

If you want a preview of the walk from the Sant'Angelo stop to the hotel, use Google Maps Streetview. They now have complete coverage of Venice thanks to some boats and a guy with a backpack-mounted camera.

You can buy tickets in advance on the Alilaguna website and save a euro, or five euro if you buy roundtrip. But it is not a reserved seat on a specific boat. You still have to go to the dock and queue for the next boat. Sometimes they fill up, especially the smaller boats.

And note: if you buy online, you don't get a ticket, but a voucher that you MUST exchange for a valid ticket at one of the Alilaguna offices or authorized agents (they are listed on the website).

For your return to the airport, make sure you identify the correct dock for the Alilaguna going in the right direction.

Thanks all! Before I book my Alilaguna round trip ticket, I had a few more questions, based on some comments I saw on Tripadvisor. If I prebook, say, an 11:00am departure from the airport to Sant'Angelo, but then find that that ferry is full when I get to the dock, can I get a refund for my ticket or exchange it for the next ferry?? I just keep reading about the insane crowds at the airport docks and how people are often turned away because these small boats are full! If they allow for advance bookings, then the site should not allow for overbooking, no?

Also, is 30 minutes enough time to walk from the boat dock at the airport to the car rental center in the main terminal of the airport? Similarly, is 30 mins enough time to get from the terminal (after exiting customs/luggage pick up) to the dock?

Thanks in advance!

There's a possibility for overbooking (especially from the airport) because flights are late, people move more slowly than expected, people change their minds.

If you already bought your ticket online, you're only buying a one way or round trip ticket. It's not a timed reservation or a reservation for a certain line. We purchased ours in advance, walked up to the counter at the dock to see which line was coming next (orange or blue) and exchanged our printed off paper for the tickets. We had a option of taking either line to our hotel but chose orange because it was there and went through the Grand Canal. We arrived at 1:30-ish in the afternoon and had the whole boat to ourselves. Even though we had the whole boat to ourselves and we informed the driver of our intended stop, we did stop at every stop. No one got on. It did take about an hour.

It took us about 10 minutes (my mom walks very slow) to walk from the airport to the dock. We went through CDG so we didn't have to go through customs or immigration went arriving in Venice. It was literally 2 minutes from gate to front doors of the airport. 30 minutes is more than enough time.

Momto3, for the Alilaguna you do not book a specific boat or time. There are no reservations possible for the Alilaguna. If you pre-book, you pick up your ticket at the airport or at the dock ticket office, and get in line for the next boat.

People on Tripadvisor are talking about a shared water taxi when they discuss pre-booking a specific time. This can be booked through Venice Link. It is 25 euro per person each way and you need a minimum or two people. You may have to wait up to 45 minutes for your boat to depart as they wait for others to arrive. So you don't stand in line but you may spend just as much time waiting. These do stop at Sant'Angelo stop.

http://www.venicelink.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=000flypage_escursioni.tpl&product_id=54&category_id=10&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=43&lang=english

Thanks Sasha! Thanks for clarifying that point..I was worried about boats being full etc...but since the Alilaguna prebooking is not for a timed ticket, then that is reassuring. So if I prebook but still need to get in line at the ticket counter to exchange it for a ticket on the boat I want, is there a real benefit to ordering my vouchers now? Or do those with an email voucher get to stand in a different line to do the exchange? And for the return trip from Sant'Angelo to the airport, would I have to get that return ticket on the first day, at the same time as my first ride (to my hotel), or is there a booth at the Sant'Angelo stop to do the voucher exchange again on my last day for the trip back to the airport?

The only advantage of prebooking is you save a little money,,especially if you book a round trip. You won't save any time on arrival, as to exchange your voucher for tickets you will still stand in the same line as the people buying tickets. But they should give you both outbound and return tickets at that time, so you won't have to stand in line again for the return ticket.

It has been a few years since we were in Venice! but back then we picked up tickets at the Alilaguna dock. I see on Tripadvisor people talk about two offices, one in the airport arrivals area and one at the dock. One apparently has shorter lines than the other---but I can't remember which!

The only benefit you get from pre purchasing is a slight price break (2 euro per person for roundtrip). It was enough of a break for us to do it. I looked at it as an extra gelato. The line to exchange the paper email for a ticket is the same as a walk up. The line was nonexistent when we were there. I wouldn't worry about the lines here. When you initially exchange for a ticket, you'll get the return ticket also.

The only booth to exchange your email to a ticket is at the dock. The booth at the arrivals wont exchange it.

Here's a good resource to prepare you for your walk from the airport to the boat dock. It made me feel more confident when leaving the airport.
http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/alilaguna-and-water-taxis.htm

Thanks sasha and amyf!!