How long did it take you to get thru customs at Marco Polo?

I cannot answer the question specifically to Marco Polo, but the trick question answer is only a few seconds...I just don't think you mean Customs. On your flight over, if you change planes in another Schengen country and transfer to a "Domestic" flight, you will have your passport checked by immigration at that airport, otherwise with a direct or continued international flight it will be done at Marco Polo. This can take a few minutes up to a half hour depending on the crowd. Customs will consist of two doors, one marked "Items to Declare" and the other "No Items to Declare" or similar language. I doubt you will have anything to declare, so you just walk right out. If you are referring to when you fly home; you only have security and maybe a passport check at Marco Polo, Customs will be at arrival in the US.

I guess I could add that if your passport is checked at a Schengen country airport while changing planes, when you get to Marco Polo, you just walk right out the door, no checks at all.

Italian customs are easy. The big wait for us was getting our baggage but I would say the actual inspection process took no more than 1-2 minutes.

I agree with the remark about waiting for baggage. The baggage handlers were on strike when we arrived in Venice. We waited over an hour for the bags to appear! It's a very small airport and easy to maneuver in.

Deb

Of course, limiting yourself to one carry-on by packing light, eliminates the need to wait for a bag.

Venice Marco Polo airport is tiny; it has no more than 9 gates (if my memory serves me correctly from 3 years ago, probably only 8 gates). As previous posters stated, you will get through the passport check very quickly, then have to wait for your luggage.

I have flown in and out of Marco Polo on several occasions but have always stopped in Amsterdam first so this is where we did customs. Are you flying direct to Venice or stopping some other place first. Customs always take place where you first touch ground.
On a side note, the Marco Polo airport is very nice, small, and new. If you need assistance on how to get from the airport to Venice, let me know or check out the airports website.

The immigration check doesn't always occur at the first airport. If you land at a non-schengen country, like the UK or Ireland, the immigration check will be in Venice.

Thanks to everyone's replies. I'm actually flying direct to Venice from Atlanta - with carry on only. Good to hear that the airport is small. And from reading the RS books, finding the vaparetto should not be hard at all. At least I hope not. =)

Hazel

Hazel,

How lucky you are to be flying direct and to be able to take a carry-on bag. I'm flying Lufthansa on my next trip (October 2008) and my RS travel bag won't be allowed as carry-on. I know this for sure, as I flew Lufthansa last time into Venice and the airline insisted it be placed in the baggage compartment.

We flew direct from JFK to Venice on March 10 this year. Our flight arrived at 8:30 in the morning and it wasn't long at all before our luggage showed up in the baggage claim area. Then we just walked to customs and were done in minutes. The fellow checked our passports and stamped them and that was it. Now, on the other hand, coming back in through JFK was a nightmare! The flight arrived at 7:30 pm at about the same time as 3 other flights and they herded us all directly into this small sorting room (a couple of booths for non-US citizens and a couple for us). There were hundreds of people and we were lined up in in this slow moving crazy zig zag. It took over an hour. Lucky for us, we had a 4 hour layover, but other folks were panicking and exhausted. I just kept smiling and thinking of all the wonderful stuff I'd just seen in Venice! Have fun, it's great!

in case there's anyone else out there wondering, "what on earth is a schengen country?", here's the answer:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Agreement

"And from reading the RS books, finding the vaparetto should not be hard at all."

Hazel, just to be accurate, there are no vaporettos at the airport. There is an Alilaguna boat, which is similar to a vaporetto (www.alilaguna.it). This vessel will get you to some stops in the main island area but possibly not to where you want. What you can do is take the ACTV bus from the airport to the Piazzale Roma bus stop. You then take a short walk over to the Piazzale Roma vaporetto stop and away you go. You can get tickets for the vaporetto at the Piazzale Roma (or maybe the airport bus stop since both the bus and vaporetto are run by ACTV).

Thanks for the info. Actually - RS group changed the hotel, so with the new hotel directions - we are told to take the Alilaguna boat. Glad to hear that the airport is small. We land at 11:05 am, so I should be on a boat in no time! Yay! =)

Do take the Alilaguna boat! You literally walk out of the airport, turn left, and follow the sidewalk to the water! It takes minutes. There is a small building on the water where you buy your tickets. We had been told that if it was our first trip to Venice, this is a cool way to get your first look at the city--and it was! We reviewed the website and found that the first stop was at Fondamente Nuovo, which is where we needed to go for the shortest route to our bed & breakfast. The next stop was by St. Mark's. If your hotel told you to take Alilaguna, then it must be the easiest way to reach them.

Enjoy Venice!!

Hazel - I lived in Atlanta for years and we've flown to and from Venice on Delta. You'll probably spend more time waiting for your luggage than you will in passport control. Customs is pretty much non-existant; just head through doors marked "Nothing to Declare."

I've also flown local airlines out of Marco Polo. We flew "Volare Air" over (or perhaps THROUGH) the Alps. That was an experience.

Marco Polo is a beautiful, newer airport... wish we had it here in Rome! Yet a week before we last went to Marco Polo ... and this is TRUE... an American student was arrested for -------> plugging in his laptop! Yep, said he was "stealing electricity."

I was fearful of even pulling mine out during our "typical Italian airline" 2 1/2 hour delay! I asked our concierge at the Hotel Danielli if this was true and he solemnly told me, "Yes, quite unfortunate."

LOL - Only in Italy!

Ron -

Seriously - stealing electricity? wow... good to know though. =)