Will be riding one on May 21th, a saturday. I intend to take one in the morning (7:30-8:30) from the Ca d'Oro pier to San Marco, and then another one back at night (21:00-22:00) from San Marco. I want a decent spot to take some pictures, especially at night. Are these good hours or should I go earlier/later?
Thanks
Saturday is a work day, especially in the morning, so your morning ride may be more crowded. I would take one even earlier than 7:30.
I usually take an evening/night vaporetto ride, between 2100-2300, but on the Canale Grande the vaporetto is not always close enough to the buildings to get good night photos (but I have a point-and-shoot camera). Over the past several years, it seems to me that fewer buildings are lighted at night (although still plenty for some good photos).
If you want a good seat for pictures, try to find one of the older boats with a handful of seats in the front of the boat. Most of these have been taken out of service on the No 1 line, but the last time there, they were still in use on the No 2 line. In order to get the best seat, travel from Ca d'Oro to Piazzale Roma, get off and wait for a a No 2, direction San Marco Giardinetta and you can snag one of those front seats if you are one of the first on board. Just don't stand while the boat is moving as the capitano can't see and will let you know to sit down. According to the current winter schedule, these boats do not go past Rialto until the 8:43 from Piazzale Roma.
That may change in the summer.
The outside seats on the back of the boat are also a good photo spot on the No 1 boat. Again, go to Piazzale Roma and board there where you will be one of the first people on the boat and grab one of those seats.
That's a good idea. My schedule isn't too tight on any day in Venice, I have plenty of time to dispose of so I think I'll do just that. I just have a couple of questions that may sound dumb (sorry):
You use the same pier for both directions, correct?
How do I distinguish new and old boats? Google Image is not helping much.
The older boats have about 10 seats on each side of the boat in the bow, in front of the pilot house where the capitano drives the boat. As such, he is constantly rapping on the the window to get eager photogs to sit down so he can see ahead and not run over any hapless gondoliers and their paying clients.
The newer boats, built under the consultation with said callused knuckled capitani, have no such seats or passenger access in front of the pilot house. These are mostly on the No 1 line.
I think it is at different docks at Piazzale Roma, but they are clearly marked and there is also an electric sign board showing which boats departing in which directions from which docks and their departure times.
Thank you. I have one last question, about the validity of the ticket: If get into a boat on the 55th minute of a 1 hour ticket, will it be valid for the entire ride or just for 5 more minutes? If the conductor asks to see my ticket on the 61st minute do I get fined?
Your ticket or pass must be valid for the entirety of your trip aboard the vaporetto, so in your example you'd have to be off the boat in five minutes.
The tickets are good for 75 minutes for a one direction journey. It does not include a round trip, even if it within the 75 minute duration of the tickets. A single ticket is now 7.50 euro, but a 24 hour pass is 20 euro, so 3 rides and it has paid for itself. It is 30 for 2 day, and 40 for 3 day, 60 for 7 days. I always get a pass for as long as I am there. You can also add a one-way bus to the airport for 6 euro, and round trip for 12 onto the pass.
You scan your ticket in the machine and walk onto the dock. It is actually illegal to stand on the dock without a validated ticket.
Well in that case I better not take a vaporetto to Piazzale Roma first, because that way I'll likely blow up the time limit. I could walk there instead. Hopefully it will be worth it.
