We'll be in Venice with our nine-year-old twins for three nights, two days - what's the most cost effective choice for vaporetto tickets - are there discounts for children/families?
Thanks,
Marisa
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
64 posts
Check our www.veniceconnected.com. I didn't do a thorough search, but it looks like 9 year olds are charged the adult rate.
We got out money worth out of the Venice Connected passes because we used the vaporetto a lot, including out to Murano and back. However, you can easily walk where you need to go if you get a good map.
Incidentally, the WI-FI and restroom offerings are not worth it, in my opinion.
Posted by
Pa and Italy
4152 posts
We were in Venice for 3 days and never used the vaporettos. We walked everywhere. You need a good map and a good sense of direction. We never went out to the islands so if this is your plan just buy single tickets for that.
Donna
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15791 posts
I loved riding the vaporetto. I think the kids will too. And 9 yr olds may not be up to walking as much as determined adults.
The best is to grab the seats in the front. Being outside at the rear is 2nd best.
Posted by
St. Louis
49 posts
There are passes for 24, 36, 48, and 72-hour periods, I believe. They are much less than single tickets IF you take the vaporetti a lot. We walked most of the time and bought only 2 single tickets in 3 days, so I'm glad we didn't buy the passes.
Figure out where you really plan to go first, where those places are located from your lodgings, and then see if it makes sense to buy passes or just pay as you go.
Posted by
Carbondale, IL, USA
1201 posts
To answer your question, there are no discounts for children under 14 and over 2.
You may want to look at multi hour passes. a 72 hour pass runs 33 euro per person and allows unlimited travel on the vaporetto. You may be able to obtain a discount by purchasing in advance at www.veniceconnected.com
other timed passes are also available.
a single trip ticket is currently 6.50 euro
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Being that you are there 2 nights and parts of at least 3 days, you might consider the 72hr. pass as recommended above. You may be on the vaporetto the moment you arrive and it could be the last thing to do before departure.
In Venice, many citizens ride the vaporettos without paying anything (not legal). There are no ticket turnstyles or any ticket checking as you board or get off. However, every once in a while, the police conduct random checks on the vaporettos to see who has tickets and who doesn't. At least a 50Euro fine and they walk you off at the next stop and if you don't have the cash, they will accompany you to an ATM. It's not nice. We saw a report in the paper while we were there that said that about 6% of the passengers did not have tickets.
That being said, your children will love the water buses (vaporettos). They do get very crowded and there can be normal pushing and shoving as people get on and off. Nobody is mean or nasty, it's just that the vaporetto doesn't stop long and it can be 60-80 people off and 60-80 people on. On many segments, you stand but that's OK also. As I said, your children will love the experience. Just keep them close by.
You can easily travel with your luggage but we were sure to back up against a wall and keep our hands on our luggage. Everything was fine. We were just being cautious.
Posted by
New York
5 posts
I just returned from a tip with my wife and twin 15-year olds . The are lucky enough to stay in Italy for another week. We need received a discount for our daughters on the 72 hour pass. Believe it was about 20-25% off. We did walk a lot but also used the vaporettos quite a bit. We also went to Murano, to the island just off the coast and out to the beach in Lido.