Water taxi San Marco Polo airport to Venice

You might check at the water taxi desk inside the airport after you exit the luggage area. Taking public transportation will cost you at least 15 EUR per person, so paying about 40 EUR per person for an exclusive water taxi is not that bad of a deal. If you book a shared taxi, you might not be the first person to get delivered, so take that into consideration. And you might have to wait a while at the water taxi dock for your sharing partners show up. In light of the fact that it costs 7.50 EUR simply to step onto a city bus (aka vaporetto), its just your first taste of Venice sticker shock.

There are shared water taxis you can book in advance for €25 pp, but you may have to wait up to 40 minutes for the other parties to show up ( or they may wait for you).

http://www.venicelink.com/en/products/shuttle

I have read of people waiting near the taxi dock to find others to share a private taxi, but I do not know how well that works out. The driver may be unwilling to make two stops without extra charges. But it doesn't hurt to ask.

I had the exact same question before our trip to Venice last October. I thought about booking in advance, but decided to just arrive in Venice and feel it out then.
We wound up taking the shared taxi, and it worked out great. We checked at the desk, signed up on the spot, and we were told we needed to wait until the taxi filled. Since most planes arrive in the morning, after about a 30-40 minute wait, the man at the desk had two different groups for two different water taxis (based on locations). I noticed some people had pre-paid vouchers, and others (like us) signed up and paid on the spot.
I think I recall there were a total of 7 passengers in our water taxi, and I don't recall what we paid for the two of us, but it was significantly less than booking a private water taxi for two, and it was nice to have the company of the other passengers.
I asked at the desk before leaving re: tips, and I was told tips were not customary and the driver did not seem to even hint at such.
My husband was sooo glad we wound up taking the water taxi instead of the water bus, and he considered the experience one of the (several) highlights of our trip. He had a blast riding in it, really enjoyed the views coming into Venice, and the driver went up some of the small canals en route to our drop off point near San Marcos....and that was a delightful experience arriving in Venice. We had to be careful when standing (to take photos) while going thru the small canals to duck when going under some of the pedestrian bridges, though, and the driver kindly reminded us until we got the hang of it.

Another day we took the Vaparetto loop on the Grand Canal (recommended in the RS guidebook) and that was also a delightful experience. We did as recommended in the book and waited for a vaparetto that offered a seat in front of the wheelhouse (where the views were best). A wonderful, inexpensive way to see so much of Venice and such lovely views.

That is excellent information, Maggie. Thank you for posting that.

Thank you so much. This sounds good to me! Getting excited!

We took the shared water taxi, and signed up inside the airport. We were placed with two other parties (4 people) on board that were dropped off before we were. It was my first trip to Venice, so I thought of it as a bit of a tour, happy to be on the boat as long as I could. I was glad to see where the others were dropped off, and see the sites since I was in no rush! The driver happily picked up my luggage and put it where we docked so I did not have to lift it. So much better than a crowded water bus.

Note that Marco Polo is not a saint.

San Marco - Saint Mark as in San Marco Basilica
Marco Polo was an explorer and a merchant