Water Taxi or Vaporetto #1

I'd rather pay 7.50 EUR than 100 EUR (buy-in-advance fare is 87 EUR). Arriving at 5 pm, all the traffic will be going the other way. I just squeeze myself on with luggage. You can keep it up by the wheelhouse. And the only people on the boat when it gets to Ferrovia are the people who boarded at Piazzale Roma.

Vaporetto. If it's really crowded you can walk back to P. Roma which I believe is the first stop.

Over a good sized bridge with lots of steps.

Frank,
Personally, I would check out the vaparetto. If one is super crowded, just wait (be at the head of the line) for the next one, PROVIDED you travel with just carry on. If you have more luggage than that, then I'd suggest the water taxi.

And, if it looks like an unbelievable zoo of crowds at the vaparetto dock at the train station, you can then just jump over to catch a water taxi instead. One of those decisions I'd make on the spot.

Husband and I took our two RS rollaboards and two totebags on the vaparetto from San Marco to San Basillo (sp?) to catch our small ship last October, and we had no issues with space, etc. We simply waited for the next vaparetto so we could be at the front of the line for boarding (to get our suitcases situated...and certain seats (the front) provide a spot away from the on/off path for other passengers. And, as Sam noted, lots of stairs in certain locations, but since you've been to Venice before, you likely recall that.

The money you will save will fund a decent dinner :)

(NOTE to others that may be reading:. If arriving from the airport, we highly recommend the shared water taxi....a lovely way to see Venice for the first time. From the train station, though, where Frank is arriving, I have no idea how easy it would be to catch a shared water taxi. If a shared water taxi is easy to catch there, I'd likely choose that just for the charm of it all and the more reasonable cost (vs. a private water taxi).

Have fun in Venice!

If you have a large group of people traveling together then Water Taxis can actually be more affordable than Vaporettos. Of course nothing is quite so easy as jumping on the water taxi and being delivered directly to your hotel's private water taxi door!

My wife and I commented only yesterday on how empty the vaparettos were heading up the Grand Canal in the afternoon / evening. And since you walk out of the station and the Ferrovia stop is straight in front of you I'd say it has to be the water bus. Spend the savings on a nice meal!

Frank II,

I'd suggest using the Vaporetto as it will be much cheaper than a water taxi. At that time of the afternoon, the day trippers should be heading out of Venice and presumably the boats going into Venice won't be as crowded.

As it's been awhile since you were there, don't forget to validate your Vaporetto ticket on the electronic machine. If you get a green light and a beep, you're good to go.

If you have time, have a look at the price lists for some of the swanky restaurants around Piazza San Marco that have outdoor patios and high brow orchestras. I'd be interested to know what the prices are like since my last visit. As I recall, a coffee was about €40 for those that sit at the patios.