When first arriving in Venice from U.S....

You can buy bus/vap tickets at the counter in the airport, near the exit. They do accept credit cards. (There are also vending kiosks for those tickets, but they often don't work with American credit cards.)

I don't remember seeing any ATMs in Marco Polo Airport but I bet someone else who weighs in will know.

The ATM is on the wall on the right hand side as you exit the building.

Is there a branch of an international bank at your departure airport ?? It might make you feel more secure to have 100 EUR in hand when you get off the plane. (I did this at BofA at SFO when I had forgotten to get currency beforehand.)

For the reasons you mentioned, we always have a 100 E or so when we enter the country. A hundred Euro will get you through the nickel, dime stuff the first day. Generally we have saved Euro from the previous trip but if I did not have any, then I would just go to my local bank and get a 100 Euro. It will cost up upwards to 10% but that is only $10 or a bit more and well worth the convenience of not having to find a working ATM.

There's a strong comfort level in having a few Euros in your pocket when you arrive in Italy or other EU country that uses the Euro (or pounds Sterling in the UK or Swiss Francs in Switzerland - you get the idea). Wherever you attempt to get Euros in the USA or other countries, there is usually a service charge. For major USA banks, it's a least 5%. So, 5Euro ($7.00) is not bad for the comfort level. One other option I have used for Euro gifts to family members is the Travelex ATM that is found in many International terminals. Not the Travelex window but the ATM. The one I usually use at SFO dispenses Euros, Yen and one other currency. For 200Euro (100Euro for two relatives), my service charge was $2.00 according to my checking statement. The exchange rate of 1.35Euro was close to market. I have my own Euros from previous trips but every time I loan mine out to friends because they don't have any, I never get Euros back. I get dollars.

Susan, I agree with the others, you'll rest easier with 100 or more euros in your pocket when you arrive. You will probably be able to get euros when you arrive at the airport in Venice, but what if? What if the ATM is out of order or out of money when you arrive? What if you're rushing because your bus is about to leave, and there's a line at the ATM? What if you are having some problem getting your card to work right? I don't know where you are located, but your own bank branch, or a nearby branch of your bank, probably has euros for this very purpose. The rate will be a little worse than you'll get in Italy, but what is your peace of mind worth? I am traveling to Italy in about a week, so I went to my own little Wells Fargo branch and got some euros in about five minutes, and they gave me just the bills I wanted, 20s, 10s and 5s. Try to avoid big bills in case you need to make a small purchase at first. I don't know if all branch banks would provide this service to someone who is not their customer though.

Not all banks have foreign currency on hand (my bank doesn't), so if you decide to get euro before you go, allow a couple of days - the euro will be FedExed to your bank (or your home in some cases, but the bank is safer). A friend did this last week, it took two work days to arrive. You can order the denominations you want - get several fives and tens, nothing larger than twenty.