transportation from Venice airport to Dorsoduro area

Pat, Unless you walk, someone will be taking your money. Water taxis are expensive, so the train/ Vaporetto might be a better option. Rick's book describes both pretty well. Get used to spending money in Venice. It's a controlled environment. It's not that people are waiting for your money, it's that everything is more expensive there. Ever spend a few days in NYC? It's more expensive, but not as charming.
Enjoy your trip.

If money is a big concern, there is a bus (with wheels) that takes you from Marco Polo airport to Piazzale Roma on the Venice island. But I suggest the water bus - Alilaguna. It's more of a Venetian experience. More info here: http://www.alilaguna.it/index.en.html

Hi Pat. We just came back from Venice and had the same questions. I used www.veniceairporter.com to book my transfer. They are 85 euros and they pick you up in the arrivals hall, take you by Mercedes Van to the Island and then transfer you into a water taxi and take you to your address. You spend less time on the water taxi which is why this is a cheaper version then other transports you will find. We stayed at the Ca Zose Hotel and they had their own water landing which made it super easy. We encountered terrible northeastern weather, had long layovers and after about 36 hours finally made it to Venice. It was such a welcome sight to see our name in the arrivals hall and not have to think about anything! Again, there were 4 of us - so we just split the cost (including tip we gave $100 euros to make it an even $50 per couple). I thought it was well worth it! Have fun! I loved loved loved Venice :)

We'll be arriving in Venice on March 16 and plan to take the bus (with wheels) from the airport to Piazzale Roma and take a vaporetto from there to our destination. From reading travel blogs and notes it doesn't sound too difficult. Have to say that we travel light and will only have backpack/purse and one carry-on each. More baggage might call for a different method. Good luck!

Pat, there is no train from the airport. However, there are two great bus lines that take you from the front of the terminal to the Piazzale Roma (ATVO and ACTV). The Piazzale Roma is a major vaporetto stop. About 3E for the fare. Note that the vaporetto is called the water bus and is the primary Venice public transportation. The vaporetto typically can hold about 60+ passengers. The water taxi is a private taxi boat that is very expensive (90+ Euros for the ride). It holds up to 6-7 passengers. I can see the Campo San Barnaba on the web. It looks like you will have quite a walk from the vaporetto stop. I'm betting that the Ca' Rezzonico vaporetto stop could be the closest. If yes, only the #1 vaporetto stops there. Check with your hotel to be sure. From the Piazzale Roma you want the #1 vaporetto going to Lido. This vaporetto will approach from your left as you are looking straight down the Grand Canal. You can buy vaporetto tickets at the Piazzale Roma or I think you can buy them at the airport. Also, you can buy a pass in advance from www.veniceconnected.com.

And just to muddy the waters (pun intended), the Alilaguna is neither a vaporetto nor a water taxi. It's a private line that functions like a vaporetto in that they have regularly scheduled routes and stops.