Water Taxi in Venice

• 75 euro from the station to any hotel within Venice.
• Walk in front of the station and you will see them in front on the Grand Canal.
• They are all part of various consortia (list below). They all look the same like in these photos

Coop Veneziana
tel. 041 71 61 24

Soc Narduzzi Solemar
tel. 041 52 08 38

Soc Marco Polo
tel. 041 96 61 70

Consorzio Motoscafi Venezia
tel. 041 52 22 303

Soc Serenissima
tel. 041 52 24 281

Coop Serenissima
tel. 041 52 21 265

Venezia Taxi
tel. 041 72 30 09
Soc Sotoriva
tel. 041 52 09 586

Here are links to two companies offering pre-booked water taxis from Santa Lucia train station to Venice hotels:
http://www.venicelink.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_biglietti&product_id=82&category_id=11&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=43&lang=english&vmcchk=1&Itemid=43

http://www.motoscafivenezia.it/eng/biglietto_1.php

The first ones says 59€ for four people. With the second, you will have to,work through the booking form to get the price.

You can also just walk out to the dock ( to the right as you exit the station) and get one there for the price Roberto quoted.

Note that the public transport ( vaporetto) will cost about half as mulch (€7 per person) but is a lot less convenient.

Just in case your not interested in paying that much money, the bus from the airport to Venice was very easy (and cheap). Of course, you would then have to take a water taxi or boat from the train station area to your hotel.

Are all the companies equally reliable, or are some better than others? Looking at one for departure to airport.

We are arriving via train from Florence.

It's a fun way to arrive, especially if you're splitting the bill four ways. And according to my Venetian friend, do NOT tip them. (She says they make plenty without it.)

Or you could save some money and take the Vaparetto to the Salute stop.

Sue---they are not arriving at the airport but the train station in Venice. So the bus + vaporetto is not relevant. They could take the vaporetto from the train station, but with four people, the incremental cost of a prebooked water taxi might well be worth it. The vaporetti from the train station are very crowded and ticket lines are long.

Diane,

(Tuckahoe - a beautiful part of the world - in a former life I knew somebody from there, very nice )

I wouldn't necessarily count on Salute being the closest vaporetto stop. Depending on where in Dorsoduro (my favourite sestiere) the best approach may be either the Grand Canal or the Giudecca Canal.

Could you share where you will be for more precise advice?

If you are prebooking you will have to find your exact taxi; if you are not you can just wander down to where they are docked and find one you like.

I usually agree with Lola on most things but I have never been concerned with the lines to buy the vaporetto passes because I go into the tent just below the station and the queue in there hasn't been much more than 5 minutes....

Then again, with 2 couples and if you have lots of luggage (don't - the secret of train travel and other travel on a European holiday is to travel light, it makes things so much easier and nicer) then a private taxi may be a nice big splurge and perhaps a bit easier.

If you have one piece of luggage and one day bag each, the vaporetto is easy. If you're getting passes (recommended), then there's zero expense. Which line and which stop depends on where exactly your hotel is. The advantages of a water taxi, if your hotel has canal access: saves time and if your hotel is far from any vaporetto stop and/or requires walking over multiple bridges, a lot easier.

We ARE traveling light! Our hotel is Lacanda Ca'Zose, Dorsoduro 193/B (Calle del Bastion).

Diane

Oh Diane,

that would be so easy by vaporetto. Salute is the stop, and a very short one bridge walk back towards Accademia to where the calle del Bastion reaches the Rio de la Fornace (Fondamenta Cá Balá). A lovely area.

I remember so well a couple of years ago stopping along there to speak with an artist who had stepped out of his house with a glass of wine and we spent nearly an hour talking about his friend Livio de Marchi - the artist who makes everything imaginable (even a floating car) out of wood.

The only vaporetto line which serves Salute is number 1.

Once you are settled in, you can take the number 2 to Accademia and walk behind the Peggy Guggenheim museum and garden over two fairly small bridges to the hotel.

Your hotel is between the Santa Maria Della a Salute church and the Guggenheim museum. There is a vaporetto stop at the Salute church from which you can walk back to the hotel in 5 minutes along the calle del bastion. Unless you have tons of luggage or money to throw away the vaporetto is very convenient and much cheaper than a taxi. I'm not even sure you would save any walking. The canal near the hotel is very small and don't remember if it is accessible to water taxis, so there is a chance the taxi might still drop you off at the Salute or at the traghetto of Santa Maria del Giglio so you wouldn't save much walking.

Vaporetto it is then. Thanks for all the advice. We leave in 3 weeks and sooo excited. Can't wait to come back and be able to contribute to this invaluable forum!

Diane

Forgot to ask - should we purchase a vaporetto pass and if so where do we purchase it? We will be in Venice for 3 days.

I would buy a 3 day (72 hour) €40 pp pass which allows unlimited use anywhere in the lagoon.

Individual tickets have gone up again, now to €7.50 per trip. It won't take you long to reach the pass price in individual journeys. 5 journeys. 1 into the hotel and one back means just 3 more rides and you are ahead.

As you come off your train from Firenze, you will go through the station at Santa Lucia, and you will find yourselves at the top of some wide steps with the Grand Canal spread before you.

Just down to the left is a white tent/ portable building. Go in there and tell them what you want. They will sell it, and you can use cards. They will also try to sell you other things but be aware and only take what you want. They all speak good English.

Look at the official website for an idea of other things they can sell, like museum passes, toilet usage and wifi. Read Rick's Venice book for his opinion on those things. My opinion is if you have to pay €1.50 to use a toilet or find one of the "official" ones they sell you passes for, forget it. Go into any bar and order a stand up coffee for one euro plus or minus, and go to the toilet downstairs or at the back. Ask, they'll tell you. So same price or less, convenient because there are bars on every campo, and you get a nice espresso out of the deal (to prime the pump for the next time!!!).

When you have your vaporetto passes be very sure to tap each one on the round reader, listen for the beep and look for the green light. Even though you have paid for it you must validate every time you board a boat, even if it is a transfer.

Just as a side note about VeniceLink...I booked (and prepaid) for 3 water taxis via VeniceLink for my group to take us from our hotel to the train station on our last morning in Venice. It was a Sunday morning after a big football (soccer) match the night before. Our hotel said the taxis would probably not show up. Sure enough - NO SHOW!

We scrambled to the vaporetto instead, and then contested the charge when I got home. The less than charming VeniceLink Water Taxi people wouldn't return any of my emails or phone calls UNTIL the charge was contested by me. INSTANTANEOUS communication after that. They claimed to have been there waiting on us and knocking on our hotel's door (I've been to Venice many times and know my way around). The scoundrels were no where to be seen that morning just as our hotel had predicted. No, I would NEVER NEVER book via VeniceLink again. Motoscafi is a totally different story and very reliable in all my dealings with them.

Just FYI - beware VeniceLink

Thanks Tim........Venice link was 1 Euro cheaper than Motoscafi and was planning on using them but have changed my mind. Rather have a more reliable company that someone has used before.

Don - that's the exact same reason I booked with VeniceLink...for that tiny savings. I've definitely learned my lesson and vow to help others to not make my mistake.

If you truly are traveling light, the vaparetto would be easy. I watched a group of women with absolutely GIANT suitcases and multiple smaller bags each on the vaparetto in July. It was embarassing - they were taking up prime seating areas with their enormous luggage. Several locals got testy with them (and I could not blame them one bit - this is, after all, their local public transportation). If you have a bag that you can fit on your lap, the vaparetto would be easy.

We booked a water taxi that picked us up from our apartment and took us straight to the airport when we left. It cost about 100 euros and was worth every penny - a fantastic way to travel! But I actually think that taking the vaparetto when you arrive might be an easier - and certainly cheaper - option.

Dosoduro is so wonderful!

Tim---I remember your report of the pre-booked water taxi that failed to show to pick you up at your hotel, but did not realize that was VeniceLink. I will not suggest them again.