Leaving Venice

For an international flight out of Venice Marco Polo, you need to be there at no later than 4:30am-5:00am. Vaporettos don't go to the airport. The first Alilaguna boat San Marco departs at 3:40am and arrives at 5:00am. That's pushing it. Second, the airports buses from the Piazzale Roma don't start running until 5:00am. Gets to the airport at about 5:30am.

You may have only two choices. 1) stay at a hotel at the airport. The Courtyard by Marriott and the Titian Inn Hotel and Residence. Both are very close to the airport. The Marriott is .8km away and is within walking distance. 2) the second choice is to have your hotel on the main islands have a water taxi standing by at about 4:00am. The water taxi has no scheduled route. It's a real taxi. It's a high-speed boat that holds about 6 people. It's very expensive. At least 100Euro or more for up to 6 people. The cost can be shared. Two great things about the water taxi. 1) it will get you there on time and 2) you'll feel like James Bond zipping through the canals on the way to the airport.

Debbie,

We had a 7am flight last time we left Venice and we arrived at the airport around 5:30am and did not have a problem. The airport was pretty empty at that time. We checked in our bags and grabbed a snack. I think you should be o.k. if you get there by 5:30am.

I had the same problem. We ended up catching the first Aliguna boat in the morning and cutting it close. Luckily our flight was delayed and we were fine, but I must admit I was very nervous on our way to the airport.

If I had to do a 7am flight again I would probably not even get a room and just catch the last boat to the airport and spend the night at the airport. That may sound crazy but with the price of Venice hotels, I would rather spend the money on a grand dinner or activities the last day. Looks like the last boat gets to the airport around midnight so you would only have a couple hours to kill before you had to check in for your flight?

ACTV also has a bus leaving the Piazzale Roma at 12:05am and 1:05am for the airport. Burning the candle at each end and spending about 4hrs in the airport doesn't sound too bad. Just have a great evening in Venice. I think that you can store your luggage in the Train station but I don't know how late they are open.

We did the water taxi. It was a highlight of and a special ending to a great trip. We got to enjoy our last night before leaving hearing the music in St. Mark's Square.

We, too, did the water taxi thing and it was magical. Our B&B arranged for a 4:30 AM pickup and we could hear "our" boat approaching through the quiet about 10 minutes early. Seeing Venice "waking up" as we sped through the canals was actually a highlight of our trip. Yes, it's pricey, but we were able to relax and not have to worry about making it on time.

Another vote for the water taxi! It is an elegant way to end your Venice stay. Enjoy your last night in the magic. Be sure and have your camera ready for some great dawn photos on the water!