Do I have enough time to take Vaporetto #1 when I arrive in Venice?

If the train is on time, you will have plenty of time for the vaporetto to St. Mark’s.

Which is your tour company?

You’ll have time
You will pick up tickets right at the entrance desk at Doges
I don’t recall any line there when we did that just a few min before our tour began

Vap 2 is basically same route I believe with just a few diff stops
So take whichever comes first
Get your vap pass at kiosk right outside the station
The vap stops are all lined up right there
Be sure to validate!

It will be very tight. Even if your train arrives on time, it will take you 5-10 minutes to get off and make your way through the station and find the ticket machines. There may be queues there as well as at the kiosk. And there will definitely be a queue for boarding—- you might not even make it onto the first boat and have to wait for the next.

As for which line, you need to decide in advance as they board at different docks. The 1 boards at the E dock and the 2 boards at D.

https://europeforvisitors.com/venice/images/actv/ferrovia-platform-map-v-600-05052.jpg

So you can’t just take whichever comes along first. According to the schedules, the 1 takes 35-40 minutes to reach San Marco, and the 2 takes 30 minutes. It makes fewer stops, so it is faster. But it may come less frequently; I did not check the schedules for that.

I know some people like to take shots at the on-time of Italian trains. From our experience with Italian rail their on time record is as good as the other European railroads. Our biggest problem with a series of late trains was in Germany a few years ago and once in France. Over fifteen years or more year of Italian train travel we have never had a train later than a few minutes.

From the station, Vaporetto #2 reaches San Marco Vallaresso, a short walk from the Doge's Palace, in six stops. Vaporetto #1 takes 15 stops (by my count on the map) to reach San Marco. Each stop takes awhile for people to get off and on. So I'd recommend #2. It won't be as fast as a water taxi but it will probably be fast enough, and a lot more interesting.

The individual gondola is the worst way to get anywhere quickly. It's a fine romantic experience, especially in the back canals, but not a practical means of transportation (except the traghetti that function as short ferries across the canals, not something you'll need). It helps to have a motor if you want to really get somewhere. ;-)

I hope your return train is very late in the day so you can experience Venice in the late afternoon and evening when it has (relatively) emptied out. I would give the city much more than a day trip from Florence, but your schedule is what it is.

You're arriving the Friday before the final weekend of Carnevale. It will be crowded--really crowded. Especially if this is your first time in Venice (ie, you don't already know the lay of the land, so to speak) in my opinion you would be cutting it tight using the vaporetti even if the train arrives on time. Lines for vaporetti tickets will be long at the train station.. And, as others have also noted, the vaporetti themselves will be crowded, especially the 1 and 2 headed to San Marco, and you might not get on the first one that comes by. Plus, you'll be having to figure out the ticket-buying and "where is the dock I want" stuff for the first time while crowds of people are swirling around you.

Other options you asked about...no to the gondola, they are not used as transportation from point A to point B.

Water taxi, in my mind, is the surest option to get you there on time. I just checked on motascafivenezia.it/en (a website were you can see the prices/reserve a water taxi) and they are quoting €87 from the train station to Piazza San Marco (or close to it.) The water taxi will save time, as it will not follow the Grand Canal, but cut through smaller canals that will get you there quicker. If I had to guess, and some of this depends on how congested the canals are, I'd say the trip itself (once you boarded the taxi) would be 15-20 minutes.

Oh wow Carnivale changes everything
You didn’t really pick a good day for a day trip to Venice, and honestly I wouldn’t consider Venice really day trip-able from Florence in the first plaice but...

Have you already purchased train tix? Can you take an earlier train?
I know the 11:35 tour is las5 English so you can’t change that
I think even getting a water taxi on arrival is going to be difficult so you’d want to prebook that— use the link above

Other option is to just walk but since you don’t know Venice chances of getting lost are pretty high. At least you won’t have luggage to drag along ;)

Thank you everyone for the responses!
Much appreciated!

It seems like I have 3 choices:
1. Take a water taxi and pay 87 EUR (surest way to get there on time, but quite pricey)
2. Walk - how long would this take considering that it is the day before Carnevale? - google maps says it is 2.5km walk and it will only take 31 mins? Not sure if that is reliable. One good thing with walking is it looks like we get to cross over the Rialto Bridge.

I will take the vaporetto ride on the way back to the train station. We leave on the last train of the evening back to Florence.

Thank you everyone!

Unfortunately I have already purchase the train tickets.

It departs 7:39 from Florence and arrives at 9:55am in Venice.

The hotels were a lot more expensive in Venice compared to Florence and Rome, which is why I decided to stay in Florence and train in. I knew it will be Carnevale but this is the only time that we can go, oh well...

Google maps saying 2.5km and 31 minutes is rubbish.
IF you knew your way without getting lost
AND the streets were not crowded, like at 9:00 pm
It would still be a scramble.

Take the No 2 vaporetto, less crowded and faster. Check the destination board on the vap to confirm it is going all the way to San Marco.

Gondolas are not used in Venice for point to point transport.

Umm no- the station and San Marco/Doges are on the same side of canal- so you would not cross Rialto.
I suppose you could cross over to Santa Croce/San Palo then back again at Rialto-- but that's a sure bet for getting lost.
If Google says 31 min- you almost have to double it, especially given the crowds that day and not knowing where you are going

Just stay on the station side and follow the massive crowds, that's a better guarantee that you won't get lost. There are direction markers on most corner/intersection buildings that will point you to San Marco.

Or buy your vaporetto passes online in advance. A 24 hour pass will cost you 80€. 4 one way tickets will be 30€- good for 75 min.
Pre-purchase what you think you will need.

Or suck it up and book a water taxi. 87€. Chalk it up to being a newbie and it actually will be a fun ride thru back canals for all of you. This may have to be your substitute for gondola ride if budget is an issue. (I've never ridden a gondola so have no opinion- we like watching them though!)
Ride vaporetto back to station- just do the RS tour in reverse if that is what you had planned.

ETA--OK I see where you got the "cross Rialto" from. Google gives you 3 walking options. Take the one with the least zigs and zags- which is on station side thru Carneageggio. Those zigs and zags are part of the fun while wandering Venice- but you don't have time to wander.

Unfortunately, buying the vaporetti passes online beforehand won't save any time--you still have to pick up the passes at a kiosk or ticket office, same as if you were buying them on the spot.

Like Aussie suggests YOU WILL GET LOST

As Christine says, if Google routes you over Rialto Bridge, they are taking you through San Polo and younare sure tomget lost. The "regular" route is to follow the wide main street to your left as younexit the station. It becomes Strada Nova but Indonesia"5 recall the other street names. I could walk that route from our apartment near Rialto Bridge to the train station in 30 minues, but that was after I learned it by heart. It is crowded at times and that can slow you down a lot.

One time I was behind Donna Leon and a young Italian man she must have met at the train station. They were experts at weaving their way through the oncoming pedestrian traffic, so I stuck close and marveled at how smoothly they moved along. But you will have four people, and especially with Carnavale crowds you will need extra time. Plus you are likely to make wrong turns at some point.

In other words, your best option if you want to make your tour on time is the water taxi. And if your train is late arriving, it will be your only option.

I would choose to spend money on a water taxi over a gondola, for sure.

buying the vaporetti passes online beforehand won't save any time--you
still have to pick up the passes at a kiosk or ticket office

Thanks Eric- Good to know- I wondered about that- we've always just purchased when we arrive.

Awesome, thank you everyone!

As for the water taxi, do I need to reserve those in advance? Do I need to pay in full at reservation time?

I was thinking if our train is late, then we will do water taxi.

If our train arrives in time, then we will follow the crowds and walk on the main streets towards San Marco.

I have a RS Italy map with me as well as the Venice guidebook.

Thanks,
Alan

You’ll need a better map
Pick one up at tourist kiosk in or outside station

I would book water taxi in advance
Because of the crowds when you are there I’d not count on grabbing one without a significant wait when you arrive

If you “follow the crowds”, Ferrovia to San Marco will take you the best part of an hour. The crowds do not move very quickly.

Several posts above have said "you will get lost." Please heed this warning. Since you haven't been there, it's hard to explain just how disorienting Venice is. But trust us, it is.

Between that and the crowds (always present on the walking route between the train station and San Marco - I can't even imagine how much worse it will be during Carnevale), you should expect it to take MUCH MUCH MUCH longer to get there by walking than you think it will. I know you're thinking, "I can just speed-walk the route and get there faster." Again, until you've been to Venice, you can't imagine how difficult this is in practice - particularly on this very congested route.

The big advantage of taking a vaporetto over walking - at any time, and any where in Venice - is that it's a lot harder to get lost. I often took vaporetti for just this reason. So, with your time crunch, definitely take the #2 line. A trick - if it's full in the direction heading to San Marco (and it can be), take it in the opposite direction, to Piazzale Roma. This is the first stop, so you can re-board an empty vaporetto. You'll have to pay again, but it beats missing your tour.