Venice travel guide

Walking

Central Venice is compact and walking is the main way to get around: St Mark's Square to the Rialto Bridge is about ten minutes, and the railway station to Rialto about 25 minutes. Lanes are narrow and many bridges have steps, so travel light; yellow signs painted on walls point the way to Rialto, San Marco, the Ferrovia (station) and Piazzale Roma. Only four bridges cross the Grand Canal, so a traghetto, a gondola ferry at fixed crossing points, can save a detour.

Waterbus (vaporetto)

ACTV runs the waterbuses, sold through AVM Venezia. A Rete Unica ticket costs €9.50 and is valid for 75 minutes, including changes in one direction. Passes cost €25 for 24 hours, €35 for 48 hours, €45 for 72 hours and €65 for seven days; young people aged 6 to 29 with a Rolling Venice card can buy a 72-hour pass for €27. Buy at machines, ticket offices or in the AVM Venezia app, and validate before every boarding. Line 1 runs the length of the Grand Canal stopping everywhere, line 2 is quicker, and lines 4.1 and 4.2 circle the centre. For the islands, line 12 goes from Fondamente Nove to Murano Faro and Burano, line 9 links Burano and Torcello, and lines 1 and 5.1 reach the Lido. Airport routes are not included in ordinary tickets and passes.

From Marco Polo airport

Marco Polo airport (VCE) is on the mainland, about 13 km from the historic centre. The cheapest option is the bus to Piazzale Roma, where the road ends: the ATVO express takes about 20 minutes, from about €12 single, and ACTV's Aerobus line 5 has a combined ticket with 90 minutes of waterbus travel for €18. Alilaguna boats run from the airport dock, about eight minutes' walk from arrivals, across the lagoon: the Blue line via Murano, the Lido, San Zaccaria and San Marco to Zattere and the Giudecca, and the Orange line via Madonna dell'Orto, Guglie and Rialto to Santa Maria del Giglio, taking around an hour and a quarter to the centre. A water taxi from the airport dock goes direct to many hotels on the water; the municipal fare to the historic centre is reported as €110 per boat for up to four people, and quotes are often higher. A land taxi to Piazzale Roma costs about €40. From Treviso airport, ATVO express buses run to Mestre and Piazzale Roma.

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Trains and cars

Venezia Santa Lucia station sits on the Grand Canal, with waterbus stops outside. Trains also stop at Venezia Mestre on the mainland. Cars stop at Piazzale Roma or the Tronchetto car parks, from where you continue on foot or by boat.

Tourist tax

Tourist tax (imposta di soggiorno)

Venice charges a tourist tax on overnight stays in every kind of accommodation, payable for the first five consecutive nights. The full rate is between €1 and €5 per person per night, depending on the season (high season from 1 February to 31 December, low season in January), the area (the historic centre and islands, the Lido or the mainland) and the type and category of accommodation. Children under 10 and disabled guests are exempt, and children aged 10 to 16 pay half. The tax is usually collected by the hotel or host and is often not included in the price shown when you book.

The city has announced plans to raise the tax from 1 April 2027, with reported rates of up to €9.50 per night in hotels and €7.50 in tourist rentals in the historic centre. The new regulation still has to be approved, so check with your accommodation for stays from April 2027.

Access Fee for day visitors (contributo di accesso)

On set days, day visitors aged 14 and over who enter the historic centre between 8.30am and 4.30pm must pay an access fee and carry a QR code from the official site, cda.ve.it. People staying overnight in the municipality are exempt but must still register through their accommodation; residents, workers, students and residents of the Veneto region are among the other exemptions.

In 2026 the fee applied on 60 days from 3 April to 26 July, at €5 if paid at least four days ahead and €10 after that. From 27 July 2026 no fee is due, and none applies this winter. The fee returns in 2027 on 72 days: 26 to 29 March; 2 to 4, 9 to 11, 16 to 18 and 23 to 30 April; 1 to 2, 7 to 9, 14 to 16, 21 to 23 and 28 to 31 May; 1 to 6, 11 to 13, 18 to 20 and 25 to 27 June; 2 to 4, 9 to 11, 16 to 18, 23 to 25 and 30 to 31 July; and 1, 6 to 8 and 13 to 15 August. The maximum is €10; the exact 2027 tariffs, exemptions and booking arrangements are due to be published by 31 December 2026.