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Landing in Venice at 9am on Sunday Dec. 14: San Marco Timing?

Posted by on

Hi All,

Our flight lands at 9 am. We (4 adults) can't check into our Airbnb in Cannaregio until 3 pm. The Basilica S.Marco + Pala d'Oro + Museum Loggia Cavalli tickets are available from 2 pm to 3:30 pm. The Bell Tower has tickets all day until 5 pm.

I know there are no guarantees of an on-time landing, so booking anything on arrival day is always a risk.
Having said that, can I reasonably be at the Basiica by 2 pm or 3 pm?

I could go directly from the airport and store our luggage near the Basilica, which is a more direct route ( and take the RS Vaporetto Grand Canal Tour on the way), or drop our luggage at the Airbnb (the hosts are good with this) and then go to the Basilica? For context, the route to the Airbnb, bus to Piazzale Roma, then no. 4.2 or 5.2 and get off at Madonna dell'Orto stop, or we can take Orange ALILAGUNA to Madonna Dell'Orto.

I am also open to paying for a Water Taxi if it will make a big difference to our timetable.

Thanks in advance!

Posted by
8666 posts

Is this the only day you can see the Basilica etc?

We never book anything important for arrival day although you can probably easily get to a 2 or 3 pm entry ( as long as flight is on time)
You are better off just wandering and staying outdoors to get over jet lag

I would drop bags at airbnb if you are able to, get familar either your neighborhood, have lunch etc

There won’t be a huge difference in time between bus/vaporetto, alilaguna or water taxi

If you ride the vaporettos during your stay be sure to validate each and every time
It’s usually a huge money saver to purchase a length of stay pass as individual rides are 9,50 euros

Posted by
438 posts

I wouldn’t go to San Marco arrival day. To make it worthwhile and fully appreciate what you’re looking at, you need to do concentrate and you’ll likely be tired. The Campanile, on the other hand, is the perfect arrival day activity, great view and no effort needed.

Posted by
330 posts

i agree, go easy on the first day. Drop off the luggage at the airBnB, then you don't have to drag it through the streets again. We took the bus from the airport to Piazzale Roma in March (~5pm landing) then walked to our hotel. I found the bus to be pretty easy, we bought the combined "bus one way, plus 2 day unlimited" vaporetto pass at the kiosk at the airport before boarding the bus, it's also pretty straightforward. Doing the Rick Steves Grand Canal audio tour might be a fun way to get oriented. We did it our 2nd morning, when the sun was shining and we got the front seats (got on at Pzle Roma, before the rush at the train station) and it was like being in our own private tour. Our friends who had never been, loved the experience.

Posted by
9 posts

Thanks for the replies.
We would ideally like to be able to play it by ear; we currently only have two things firmly booked.
Any idea what the lines will be like for The Basilica and Bell Tower on December 14th/15th?
I have read some trip reports that in the "lower" season, the lines for people without timed tickets aren't too bad.

I appreciate your input.

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