Venice train station to Venice academia bridge

The vaporettos are lined up on the water right in front of the train station. There are many docks, you want the "E" dock which is to your right as you exit the train station. You want the No 1 vaporetto direction "Lido", and it will take 32 minutes to get to Accademia, and they go every 12 minutes. There is a ticket booth right there. If you want a multi-day pass, get that. 1-day is 20 EUR, 2-day is 30 EUR, 3-day is 40 EUR, 7-day is 60 EUR. A single ride is 7.50 EUR. Validate your ticket at the scanner as you walk onto the floating dock.

PS - Great trip right down the Grand Canal. Download Rick's audio guide on this website and get a guided tour on you device as you cruise down the canal.

At the prices on vaparettos, t's great that the city is compact and walkable for those that lack light.

That would indeed be a challenging walk if you have not been there in 45 years, but Venice streets have not changed appreciably in 600 years, so yes, it could be done. But the No 1 vaporetto is such a nice ride. Worth the price of admission.

I (62) would walk and enjoy all the scenery. If you get tired you have the best excuse for a cup of caffee while you people watch.
Since the route to the bridge is clearly signposted (or was last time I looked) finding your way is no problem.

Google maps tell me it is 1,8 km and takes 22 minutes - YMMV

Personally, I think the Vaporetto ride on the Grand Canal is an attraction in itself. The architecture and the melding of the buildings and the water adds to the charm of the city. It's also an interesting way to people watch; a mixture of locals and tourists going about their daily business.

Once settled in to your apartment, and your bags stored, it is easier to explore the back streets of Venice rather than trying to lug them up and down the steps of the numerous little bridges that are encountered or past the throngs of tourists. (I know, the walkers say that is why the bag is on their backs. But not everyone wants to travel that way.)

The Accademia Bridge has its own stop and is hard to miss. It's the bridge after the Rialto when coming from the train station.

To catch the Vapporetto, walk out the front entrance of the station, down the steps--or if you have wheels down the ramp to your right--and go straight ahead to the ticket office. There is a ticket machine to the right of the ticket office but be careful as it is a target for pickpockets. (I was targeted there but they got nothing.) If there are two of you, one buys the tickets and the other keeps an eye out.

The problem(s) with walking the yellow sign-posted walk are that that walk is the one trodden by the vast proportion of all visitors to Venice so it is particularly crowded, has many places to trap unwary or uninformed visitors, such as a big McDonalds (travel all the way to Venice for a Big-Mac?) and is not especially scenic. The walk takes much longer than the mapping apps show because they do not account for getting out of the way of people coming the other way, stopping for a Big-Mac or window shopping, or getting a tiny bit turned around. Also there is the not insignificant problem of dragging luggage.

On the other hand, from the deck or cabin (I like either bow seats outside - don't stand up or you will incur the wrath of the Captain - , or stern seats, or standing and balancing on the small open but covered deck where the boarding areas are - move out of the way when the deckhand opens the gates) of a vaporetto going down the Grand Canal you are immediately plunged into the water world of Venice - its many beautiful palaces, the chandeliers, the barber pole docks, all the different boats going past from gondolas to taxis to police and fire boats, ambulance boats and mahogany and teak taxis and official boats - all the way to the garbage boats and luggage boats. You may even see a kayak. And you can put in the headphones and listen to Rick's guided tour of the Grand Canal. And your luggage stays happily behind the Captain's cabin.

Your choice entirely.

I love walking all over Venice, but never with luggage. The bridges, the crowds, the convoluted pathway. . . Much better to take the vaporetto for this and enjoy the view from the boat.

Which side of the Accademia bridge---that determines which vaporetto stop you should use.

With regard to "...directions are rather sketchy...", go to googlemaps.com and type in the address of the apt. It has map views, aerial views, and (best of all) street views. It might take some experimentation, but once you get the hang of it you can virtually walk the route before you ever leave home. Give it a try