Water Taxis from Venice Airport

You may not get much of a response as there are not many people on this site willing to pay $125 or more to get to their hotel when much cheaper options are available.

Yeah, we're pretty cheap here. :-) Have you tried googling "venicelink" to see if there are any other bulletin boards that might discuss them? Best wishes.

Thanks for the idea to google venicelink more extensively. Individuals on this site seem to have so much great experience I thought it was worth trying here first. Just for the record this trip is a honeymoon and we only have a limited time in Venice. I was trying to maximize our time; my husband and I live in New York and have taken public transport/shared shuttles to/from the airport along wih the subway many a time and maybe it's just New York but it's always given us a giant headache and we wanted to avoid that on such a special trip after a long flight.

You should not have a problem, the service is run by the same folks that run Alilaguna. You are essentially getting about a 20 euro discount as the normal price is 105 euro for 6-8 people. If you were to wait unitl you arrived in Venice and wanted a water taxi from the airport the process would basically be the same except you would pay then rather than show your confirmation info for the prepay. the office is the same spot and the taxis are at the same dock. The only problems that I have seen reported online are with the shared water taxi. The complaints I have seen on those is there was too much waiting for other passengers to arrive and get to the docks. So if you are considering it, you might want to stick to the private transfer.

What about from the hotel to the airport. We are staying at the Westin Regina Europa and have been told it will be 100€ for up to 5 people. Our flight is 9:30 a.m. so need to leave by 7 a.m.. Is a private water taxi better? What would that cost?

Nancy - what you have been quoted is a private water taxi. As I recall your hotel has a dock, so you will board directly at the hotel. It will probably take about 30 minutes to get to the docks at the airport. It is an easy 5-10 minute walk from the docks to the terminal. The water taxi boats can usually hold from 5-8 people with luggage. The price is for the boat trip, so it should be the same whether there is one person or six. currently the price is around 100 euro (some sites say 100, some say 105) there is usually a surcharge for very early or very late departure times, like before dawn or after midnight. there are cheaper ways to get to the airport at 07:30 but the water taxi is very glamorous and exciting.

I used Venice Link last August and they were wonderful! Our luggage did not arrive with us (left at JFK) and the Venice Link agent was very patient as we kept postponing our water taxi. Because my husband (and our two friends) had never been to Venice before, I went ahead and booked the water taxi with the tour of the entire Grand Canal. It was priceless. We went through Murano and then down the Grand Canal, and the driver did whatever it took for us to get great photographs. All in all it cost 130 euros and worth every penny. It took about 35 minutes. Venice Link also arranges you sharing a water taxi, which is half the price. Yes, it's a splurge, but I can't think of a better one to welcome you to Venice!

We used the watertaxi but we were with four persons so we divided it by 2. So I thought it was reasonable and worth it. It is always beautiful riding in a smaller boat outside looking in toward the city of Venice ffrom the water. If you are outgoing you can always try to hook up with somebody on the airplane or at the airport and se if they want to split the cost and pay you directly and split the cost.

The lagoon can become so foggy that taxis are cancelled till it clears. I booked a ride from V to the airport very early in the morning. When I got to the taxi he told me that it was too foggy to "drive", so I had to do a mad scramble to Pz Roma for a bus.

Beware of safety issues. This is becoming a rip-off! We just returned from Venice and used the shared water taxi option to get from the airport into Venice. The web site clearly states up to 6-8 passengers per water taxi, which is reasonable. Instead they were cramming 11 to 12 of us on to every boat with our luggage piled in front of the only exit door. It was fast yes, thank goodness as we were sweltering in the enclosed space. At 21 EUR per person, they are making 231 to 252 EUR per trip. A private taxi would have cost us 70 EUR, only 28 EUR more for a much safer and pleasant ride. Two days later we took the Allaguna to the cruise port. It is comfortable, roomy with large windows and while slower, you get a chance to enjoy the view of Venice from the water.

Thank you for your information, Faye. As this thread has been asleep for 2 and a half years there is a chance that Angela has gone and returned, especially as she said that she would be traveling in July of 2011. Rants, and especially with safety concerns, are best put in Trip Reports and on the Graffiti Wall.