Hi all. We are planning to take an Alilaguna water bus from Marco Polo Airport to St. Mark's where we will be catching a hotel shuttle boat to our hotel. I realize that several Alilaguna lines do stop at St. Mark's (Blue and Red) however, neither of these lines go down the Grand Canal. The Orange line DOES go down the Grand Canal but ends at S. Maria del Giglio and does not go all the way to St. Marks. I was wondering if anyone can tell me how far the S. Maria del Giglio stop is from St. Mark's and what kind of walk it would be for 4 weary travelers and luggage?? We will have been on an overnight flight getting into Venice in the morning, but in no hurry to go straight to the hotel. I just want to hit the ground running and thought going right down the Grand Canal when we arrived would give a really nice overview of the city and start to our short visit there (we are only there for 3 days.) Thank you kindly for any info!
Posted by
Charleston, SC, USA
922 posts
With 4 of you, I would just take a water taxi. The Aliligana boats don't provide great views from inside. The water taxi can take you down the grand canal at a nice leisurely pace to St. Mark's or straight to your hotel. We stayed at the Hilton on Guidecca Island and took a water taxi from the airport to the hotel. It was a bright, sunny day so we were in the sunshine for about 45 minutes. Great start on beating jet lag!
Posted by
Houston, TX
487 posts
The vaporetto stops show up on Google maps and are labeled so that is an easy way to see how far apart S. Maria del Giglio and San Marco are located. Unfortunately it looks like it would be a little bit of a walk, especially if you have luggage and are tired. I don't think there is a sidewalk along the water that entire way, so you would have to go in a few streets and Venice is not known for a straight, orderly layout. There would also be multiple bridges which have steps, not a smooth "street" which makes wheeled luggage difficult.
Are you staying at the Molino Stucky and that is why you need to take the shuttle? You could also take a bus from the airport to the Piazzale Roma and then catch a vaporetto from there that goes along the outside of Venice and down the Guidecca canal. I think those stop at San Marco or Zattere where I think the Molino Stucky shuttle stops.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thanks for the replies, good advice. We are staying at the JW Marriott on Isola delle Rose.
Posted by
Washington DC
27236 posts
That's a rather inconvenient location, I'm afraid. Any trip into the tourist core of the city seems to require a hotel shuttle to the Giudecca, a (short) walk across the Giudecca, then a vaporetto. And it looks as if there's nothing on the little island except the Marriott itself. Well, at least you won't be surrounded by the San Marco mobs.