Venice Vaporetto timetable and to Marco Polo airport

You can take an express bus to the airport from Piazzale Roma; a 5-minute walk from the St. Lucia station:

http://www.veniceairport.it/en/transport/venezia-santa-lucia-station.html

http://www.atvo.it/allegati/aeroporti/linea_35_dal_25.10.2015_al_26.03.20161255.pdf

What it says is that "from" 6:21 ( dalle) until 20:45 ( Alle), there is service every 12 minutes, at 9 minutes after each hour, then 21 minutes, 33, 45, and 57 minutes after the hour.

In other words, after 6:21 there will be a 6:33, 6:45, 6:57, 7:09, 7:21, etc. until 20:45 when it becomes less frequent.

As for getting to the airport from Santa Lucia station area without stairs, you could ride the vaporetto toward Piazzale Roma (next stop), get off there and catch the bus to the airport. If you walk from Santa Lucia to Piazzale Roma, you have to go up and over a large bridge---lots of small steps.

Here is a photo of the bridge (Ponte Della Costituzione):

http://blog.easytobook.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Ponte-della-Costituzione-001.jpg

and that bridge Lola mentions is a LOT longer than the photo suggests

And here is the schedule for the No 5 bus from Piazzale Roma and the airport.

http://www.actv.it/pdf/UM/U-5.pdf

"Feriale" means Monday-Saturday, "Festivo" means Sundays and holidays.

If you plan on getting a vaporetto pass, you can add a one-way or roundtrip airport bus fare on to the pass when you buy it that gives a small fare reduction.

Hi All,

thanks so much for the helpful info. oh my how could they built train station to St Lucia but no roadway from it .

Do we still need to take flight of stairs for reaching the vaporetto? well at least if there's any there'd be much better than the bridge but need to prepare my hubby for it since he'd have to lift 3 huge luggages by himself.

noted for the reduced fare if bought together w/ the vaporetto pass. still haven't decide whether the pass is of better value or not.

I have found the Vaporetto pass to be a good buy - remember to scan it every time you use it. It comes in handy when you just want to "cruise" for a bit between lots of walking, or if you mistakenly enter the wrong loading dock, have to exit and re-scan to get to the correct one.

Do you mean the staircase in front of the train station Venezia Santa Lucia? There are also ramps, more convenient for hauling luggage if it has wheels.

how could they built train station to St Lucia but no roadway from it .

There are no roads in Venice. That's why it is unique.

he'd have to lift 3 huge luggages by himself.

That's the problem isn't it? If you are using trains it will be awful trying to haul one huge luggage around let alone THREE!!!!!

There is definately a ramp down the stairs in the front of the station to the vaporetto, but that's not the problem. The big problem will be hauling those huge boat anchors on and off the trains. The stairs (usually 3 of them) are very steep and a long way off the ground.

Is there any way you can travel a little lighter?

oh yes i see there's ramp in the middle of the bridge. thanks Zoe :)

ha Nigel, we don't feel like travelling w/ lighter luggage :D the luggage most of the time is not full but i feel safe w/ the spacious luggage. i mean who knows what i'd bring back home. from the train station, no lift at all to the ground level?

btw aside from the ordinary EUR 7.50 and EUR5.00 and the travel passses that tourists mostly use, i find this extra fare info from this website
http://www.actv.it/en/movinginvenice/prices

what are these tickets booklets?
14,00 € - RETE UNICA TICKET BOOKLET – FOR 75 MIN TRIPS
The booklet contains 10 tickets. Each ticket gives the same rights as indicated for the single 75 minute Rete Unica ticket.

19,00 € - RETE UNICA TICKET BOOKLET – FOR 100 MIN TRIPS
The booklet contains 10 tickets. Each ticket gives the same rights as indicated for the single 100 minute Rete Unica ticket.

Jen, a little caution about travel in Italy? It usually involves being able to manage steps. Lots of steps. Not all train stations have lifts/escalators, or what they have may be out of order. Its not uncommon for hotels in older buildings to lack lifts as well. I've had to haul my bag up and down plenty of steps at train stations, throw it on and off of trains, and muscle it up/down a few floors to hotel rooms. That's not to mention long-ish walks to get from points A to B.

There's a reason why the RS forums see oodles of discussion about packing light in Italy and Europe in general. As Nigel suggested, getting the size and weight of your bag down to what you can easily manage yourself is a very, very good idea. :O)

Not only are there no 'roads' in Venice, historic areas of other city/town centers in Italy are often totally pedestrianized as well.

I believe the products you reference require you to have non-resident Venezia Unica Card which costs 50 euro. Read more here: http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/imob-cartavenezia.htm

What Sam said. Those RETE tickets are for use only by holders of a Venezia Unica City Pass which has been activated for transport. It costs 50€ for non-residents ---maybe worth it if you are staying for a week or more, but not for a few days.

http://www.actv.it/en/movinginvenice/prices#C4

Jen,
I cannot help but comment that packing light is essential to trip happiness. If you each bring a 21" rolling bag, a daypack/shoulder bag/messenger bag and maybe a collapsable bag for souvenirs like this one from Rick Steves, I think your husband in particular will be much happier and believe it or not, your trip will go smoother with less time spent worrying about clothes and packing.

As to the vaporetto, just buy a 48 or 72 hour pass, whatever covers your duration in the city. It's super simple.

My husband and I travel with 24"rolling bags but I make sure mine is packed as lightly as possible as I know I'll have to manage it. Yes, we do laundry, and never bring anything we won't use or wear multiple times.

They are heaviest when coming home - loaded down a bit with art/guide books from the museums - but not a big problem at that point.

I hope all 3 of you are strong, tall, athletic, and pushy so that you can quickly get up or down the stairs on the train, with each person carrying his/her own suitcase. Otherwise, getting 3 "huge" suitcases on or off the train at a stop that only lasts a few minutes will be nearly impossible. The stairs on most train cars are steep and narrow. And there are typically lots of people needing to get off and lots more needing to get on... all in the same few minutes. There isn't time for one person to get 3 huge suitcases on the train--without blocking access for others and making EVERYONE crazy.

You can carry a collapsible tote for any "extras" you acquire along the way.

If one person is planning to make two or three trips up and down the train carriage steps with three big suitcases, at a stop that may last a few minutes, you should have a backup plan for where to meet if you get separated. If the stop is the destination, you will probably have a little more time, but your husband will be swimming upstream for part of it.

If you plan on bringing an almost empty suitcase, just for what you might buy, consider a folding or roll-up bag or buy one when you need it. You can also send stuff home after a shopping spree (Mailboxes Etc. has never failed me).

would the vaporettos have ramp for suitcases? if there're only few steps of stairs, we could still carry each of our own especially if there're crowds waiting at the back. sometimes my hubby, being a gentleman he is, he'd prohibit me from lifting my own luggage.

Hi Lola and Sam,
thanks so much for the info. woww EUR50 and if i'm not wrong there's another EUR10 for the activation.

Hi Zoe,
i don't live in the US Dear and my local PO really sucks. i'm still waiting for a letter, only a piece of paper for 3weeks and have not received it. couldn't imagine if it's something w/ more value.

No ramps on vaporettos.

As Nigel said, no ramps for luggage on vaporetti but no more than three or four steps.

Jen, The vaporetti won't be your biggest challenge with luggage, the trains will be. Please take to heart what Zoe and Sherry have said. I almost missed a train once because a woman could not get her gigantic 50 lb. suitcase up the train stairs. And there is little room to store large bags in the train cars.

There is a ramp up or down onto the deck of the floating pontoon which goes up or down depending on the number of people on it and the state of the tide in the lagoon. The large vaporetto boats have a sliding door operated by a crew member and the deck near the door will be about the same height as the dock, again depending on how many people are on the boat and the state of the tide. So they are nearly the same height, and the captain keeps the boat up reasonably tight to the dock but one may be going up while the other is going the other way so you have to step over and up or down most of the time. Wheelchairs and baby buggies can do it.

Then from the deck there are several steps down to the main inside area with the benches. It is standing only near the door and the captain's wheelhouse.

On the smaller motoscafi everything is much smaller and tighter with more steps and higher steps and many fewer seats deeper down in the hull.

If you love to travel with big suitcases, lots of shoes or clothing choices and extra space, it's hard to be convinced otherwise. Having said that, I thought I'd pile on with my recent experience. My friend and I took two heavy 24-in spinner bags for a 3 week trip including Sorrento/Amalfi coast, Venice, Cinque Terre and Rome. This was my bag of choice even AFTER getting seduced at the RS store and buying a set of his super light bags. I like my creature comforts, certain products and clothing options.

What a nightmare! We splurged on private transfers and black cars many times. But the utter hassle of cobblestones, narrow streets, many trains, bridges and stairs convinced me to embrace minimalism next time.

Even hotel elevators aren't a given. We stayed at Marriott's Boscola Excedra in Rome and parts of the hotel require ascending five or six stairs with said giant heavy bag in tow. Yes we could've given our bags to a bellman but who wants to be totally dependent on others to move about? Just for the option of having my distressed leather Franco Suarto booties and crushable down jacket - both of which I used as the weather went from 80 to 50 - but could've lived without along with 9 other shoe choices? Maybe not.

I'm not any good with advice on how to pack lighter but many others on this forum are. The whole "rinse out in your hotel room sink" only works if your clothes dry before you leave town. Not a given in humid Italy! But I'm going to learn for next trip.

I will say that I used the RS roller carryon when vacating a temporary apartment in Seattle and that bad boy stretches to hold an amazing amount of stuff! I think with some judicious pruning I could've made it work.

And I think the feeling of freedom from towing a heavy bag around would've been worth it's weight in Michael Kors coated cotton houndstooth flats - in three colors!

Luann, you had me laughing out loud about your shoes! I love your post and appreciate your candor regarding your trip. Learning to pack lightly is a process and yes, sometimes experience is the only teacher. While things are fresh in your mind, write down a list of everything you took and what worked and what didn't. You think you will remember but, trust me on this, you won't!

To the OP, I do pack light but a friend and I helped a couple with 2 giant suitcases and a baby in a stroller negotiate the Paris Metro system. We helped by standing guard on the suitcases as he ran up and down the flights of stairs ferrying suitcases and baby up and/or down. What a pain! We were so concerned for them we wound up getting on the Metro going in the wrong direction!! Good Grief! So, just consider how you are going to go over the stepped bridges in Venice...you on one side standing with the cases, your Mom on the other while DH carries them over?

I can also understand people who don't want to pack light but give some thought in to how you and husband are going to manage. I can understand if your Mom can't handle her suitcase, BUT I'm 66 and will only pack as heavy as I can lift into the overhead bins on the airplane. Of course, I travel solo so I have to be able to manage on my own.

Hi fellow travelers! I'm currently traveling in Europe for 2 months, staying mostly in Angers, France. I recently took the train to Lyon, then a Flixbus to Turin (they are wonderful by the way! I liked it better than the train! ) then another Flixbus to Venice. It left us off at the vaporetto, which was an easy ride to the Piazza San Marco, near to where we were staying (a great airbnb place!). There is a ramp in front of the Hotel Danieli, which makes rolling your luggage much easier than carrying it.
The trip back to the Marco Polo airport was much more arduous, since the vaporetto lets you off quite a way from the terminal and you're all walking a very long way with your luggage. I couldn't help wonder what it would be like if it was raining...
I totally agree with everyone with the suggestions of brining more manageable luggage - I'm traveling with 2 suitcases - a 24" and a 21" - and I've found that it is really impractical! First of all, my large bag has spinner wheels but my small one has wheels that don't spin, making it really hard to manage both of them! I really recommend bringing less stuff and if you buy things on your trip, buy another suitcase to take it home! They are very cheap and will save you tons of hassle lugging things! I may be leaving my small suitcase here for my friends and get one here with spinner wheels! Honestly, I thought it would be easy but it isn't, so please rethink your determination to take so much luggage! There are few elevators and ramps and lifts to make life easier and you or your husband will be lugging stuff around! I brought much less than I planned on taking because I was staying so long and to be honest with you, I'm so glad I did! I wish I'd brought less!!! Bring solid colors, lots of black and scarves and accessories to make your outfits look interesting! Also bring a few sweaters - I've only worn 2 (sometimes over each other) with layers of other tops underneath and a warm jacket. Bring a warm hat and gloves and of course, really comfortable shoes! I ended up buying some here because the ones I brought with me were stylish and good for walking around home but not for travel.
Good luck! ;-)

Hi All,

i want to take the vaporetto from St. Marco to San Gregorio. I know there's only 1 line which is line 2. I find this fare info below. Is the ferry the same w/ the vaporetto or should i use the ordinary EUR7.50 for 75minutes travel ticket? if it's different, is it slower than the vaporetto?

and i also want to re-confirm that there's no direct vaporetto from San Giorgio Maggiore to Punta della Dogana. I have to take Line 2 back to St. Mark;s then continue w/ line 1 to Punta della Dogana

5.00 € - ORDINARY FERRY
This ticket only covers the following routes: Lido S.M. Elisabetta-S.Elena or Giardini; St.Mark’s S.Zaccaria-S.Servolo; St.Mark’s S.Zaccaria-S.Giorgio; Zattere-Palanca; Murano Colonna-Cimitero o Fondamente Nove and Chioggia-Pellestrina.

10.00 € - ORDINARY FERRY RETURN TRIP
This ticket only covers the following routes: Lido S.M. Elisabetta-S.Elena or Giardini; St.Mark’s S.Zaccaria-S.Servolo; St.Mark’s S.Zaccaria-S.Giorgio; Zattere-Palanca; Murano Colonna-Cimitero o Fondamente Nove and Chioggia-Pellestrina.

Jen

You find unusual items usually restricted to people with passes or in special circumstances.

Where did you find this one, please?

Are you not buying vaporetto passes for the number of hours you are there?

Nigel, the prices above are from:

https://www.actv.it/en/movinginvenice/prices

I think you are beginning to over think things a bit. They're may be a handful of one-stop routes with a reduction, but if you have a vaporetto pass, just go. And I think you are referring to San Giorgio. I know of no "San Gregorio" stops in Venice.

The No 2 vaporetto is the same type of boat as the No 1 vaporetto. It actually acts like an express boat on the Grand Canal making only 4 stops between San Marco (Giardinetti) and Ferrovia.
You could also take the No 2 from San Giorgio to Zattere and walk to Punta della Dogana.

Hi Nigel,
yes that's the website. thanks Kathy :)
i also look for the map route and the timetable from that website

Hi Sam,
ahh yes i mean san giorgio. it's late at night when i did the post. now i'm laughing to myself how could i get that gregorio name from :D

i try to determine if the individual passes is of better value to my trip since 1 pass could apply for 75mnts trip. From San Giorgio to Punta della Dogana, i could do the trip within 75mnts. I plan to walk from Punta della Dogana back to St Mark's so Zattere would be going backward forwards to me.
But i'll see as well the weather on the day since it's much more convenience w/ the pass.

and i think the ferry is different w/ the vaporetto. well based on what i got, the vaporetto that's going to Burano is of smaller type but i don't think it's a ferry.

i got this website too that's very useful for first timer like myself whom don't have any idea which direction to walk but likes to do DIY trip :D http://www.camminandoavenezia.com/
it provides very detailed path and cover landmarks across the lagoon.

Cheers