Wed, 15 June 2016, 3:00 pm: When you land at Venice’s airport, you’re six miles away from the actual Venice. To get to the island city you’ve seen in your dreams, you’ve still got to take a bus or a boat. And you haven’t come all this way to get this close to Venice to choose asphalt over ocean, have you?
There are two boat options: private or public. From the airport’s dock (itself a half mile or so from the terminal, and that you have to walk) you’re going to board either a water taxi or an Alilaguna boat.
The water taxi starts at 110 E. for the approximately thirty minute ride directly to the closest dock to your hotel. That price is for you alone or for you and up to three other people in your party. Got a larger group? Price goes up.
The Alilaguna boats cost only 15 E. per person, but they’ll take between an hour and ninety minutes to go the same distance because they make multiple stops. It’s on you to disembark at the stop closest to your hotel, so have your walking plans mapped out. Or hire me to plan your Venice travels and I’ll make your vacation easier.
After a long cramped plane journey I’m thrilled to spend as much time on the water as possible, and since a water taxi is really just the same experience but takes a lot more money, I always say “alley oop” to Alilaguna.
Line up at a dock for the red, orange, or blue line (depends which stop you’re aiming for) and wait for the next boat. There’s usually one every half hour.
If you luck into perfect timing, the line will be short and the next boat will be just pulling in. If it’s midday and peak tourist season, though, you might find a super long line and the boat just pulling away. THAT means you and the entire back half of the line won’t fit on the next boat (thirty minutes from now), so you’ll be standing here until the boat after that (an hour from now). That’s the only scenario wherein I’d opt for the water taxi, to save that hour AND avoid the needless extra stops. But if it’s that crowded, there’s probably a queue to catch a water taxi as well. Venice does get mobbed by daytrippers during the summer. You have been advised.
For this Matt Take Me adventure, we want the blue line, which takes passengers in the direction of the San Marco stop. You can climb off at any stop along the way, but the ride terminates at the stop nearest St. Mark’s Square.
There’s room for you in a boat dock selfie! When are you letting Matt Take Me take YOU to Venice?