We're traveling to Italy arriving in Venice on Sep. 17 (am), and a friend of ours (a travel agent BTW) recommended that entering Venice by water taxi was the the 'only' way to go. Our hotel is apparently just down the street from the S. Maria Formosa stop, but I did not see any of the regular taxi lines that stopped there. So I was wondering if anyone had any recommendation or advise for taking a taxi from the airport.
Dave
A water taxi in Venice is like a taxi anywhere else in that it will take you wherever you wish to go as long as there are canals, it has no specific stops. That comes at a price and will be at least 100 euro, I am unsure of the exact price. It would be a great experience, but a more expensive option if there are only a few people. The other option would be a vaporetto which is more like a city bus, it travels along a predetermined route with scheduled stops. You can buy single trip tickets (7 euro?) or passes and it will take longer than the taxi.
I am not sure what you mean by " regular taxi lines"--- can you clarify?
There are two kinds of transport in Venice, as in elsewhere---public and private. Mthe public transport involves "water buses" known as the vaporetto (serving Venice and the islands but not the airport) and the Alilaguna, which provides transport across the lagoon to and from the airport. Both use designated named docks along the Grand Canal and Round the outside of the island. The Alalaguna also serves a side canal near the train station to get out to the lagoon.
Water taxis can get into the smaller canals and use other designated docks there. There are private and shared water taxis (cheaper) and S far as I know they both use the same docks. A private water taxi from the airport to a Venice hotel is around 100-120€. A shared one is considerably less but you may have to wait for fellow passengers.
Campo Santa Maria Formosa is a long walk from any vaporetto or Alilaguna dock. If you don't mind the price, a water taxi would be a good way to go.
All depends on how much luggage you have and how many bridges you will cross (usually 6 steps up & 6 steps down) from the stop to your hotel. A water taxi, though steep, may be your best bet.
When we left Venice from Giglio stop, all flat ground thank goodness, a combo ticket for eu$10 per person covered the waterbus to Piazzale Roma (train stn) then a bus shuttle to the airport. Being 4 of us, we would have preferred a water taxi but had so much trouble trying to secure one from an apartment address.
http://www.actv.it/en/movinginvenice/waterbusservicetimetable
http://www.alilaguna.it/en/lines/lines-map
The walk from the Rialto vaporetto stop to Campo Santa Maria Formosa involves only two bridges but a long walk with some route-finding. A water taxi could let them off right at the Campo---there is a small dock there.
We (four of us plus carry-on luggage) found the water taxi to be wonderful from the airport. We were able to share one with another couple...he was making two stops so the price was €80 for each stop... Our hotel was near the San Zaccaria stop...we used a water taxi a few days later from the hotel to the train station and it was €70. So nice to do with luggage if you can and such a great way to arrive in Venice!
