VCE - Alilaguna vs. vaporetto?

[Infi]

I am trying to settle a debate with my daughter over how we should get to our hotel in Venice. Which way would be the least hassle (least walking, dragging luggage, etc.) to get to St. Mark's square from VCE?

 

1. Walk to the Alilaguna/water taxi docks and take Alilaguna to St. Mark's

or 2. Take bus from airport (or cab, is that possible?) to Piazzale Roma and take the Vaporetto to St. Mark's.

 

Our hotel is right off of St. Mark's square so once we arrive there it won't be a problem. On our last trip, we did option #1 and I found it to be a very long walk between the airport and water taxi docks. I am trying to avoid the long walk by going to Piazzale Roma. DD thinks the bus to Piazzale will be a hassle and the Vaporetto to St. Mark's from Piazzale Roma will be too crowded with regular tourists and will not have room for luggage like Alilaguna does.

 

Are there cabs from VCE to Piazzale Roma? Which option is less hassle? Thanks in advance for any advice.

[tartanexile81]

I agree with your DD that it isn't easy to take luggage on and off the vaporetto. You would have to walk across the square to the vaporetto station - maybe 200 yards.

When we are on the vaporetto with luggage, we feel we have to stand as it's too busy onboard to get the luggage into the seating area. It takes about an hour to get to St Marks Square as the vaporetto stops a lot. I know there's one with less stops but still takes a while. We usually arrive by train so we have no option but if I were arriving at the airport, I'd use the alilaguna, which never seems as busy as the vaporetto.

[Carolyn R]

You can take a taxi to Piazzale Roma for about 35-40 euros. If you decide to go that route, I highly recommend checking your large bags at the luggage check there right next to the People Mover you would take to board your ship. That way you only have to take your carryon to ride the vaporetto and get to your hotel especially if you will have bridges to cross.

[chaz2010]

By far the easiest way is to take a water taxi. It is also the most expensive. We paid 90 euros, but it was worth it because we had a lot of luggage. You follow a guided path from the arrivals area of the airport to the airport dock. Water taxi drops you ff just east of St. Marks. Zachariah is name of stop. We reserved the taxi before we left. I believe the link is on the VCE website. I think only one company does the taxi service.

[zqvol]

By far the easiest way is to take a water taxi. It is also the most expensive. We paid 90 euros, but it was worth it because we had a lot of luggage. You follow a guided path from the arrivals area of the airport to the airport dock. Water taxi drops you ff just east of St. Marks. Zachariah is name of stop. We reserved the taxi before we left. I believe the link is on the VCE website. I think only one company does the taxi service.

 

 

I have to agree here. Unless you are pinching pennies why worry with all of the public transportation.

[euro cruiser]

I think the Alilaguna is the best alternative if you don't want to spend the money for a private water taxi.

 

One of the most important factors for "ease" of transport is minimizing the number of connecting points and/or changes of type of transport. Both the private water taxi and the Alilaguna require only one - just the boat ride. Both require you to walk to the boat dock at the airport and from the boat dock at San Marco, so the only differences are that one is for you only and the other is shared with others, and with the Alilaguna you'll need to get your own luggage on and off, while with the private water taxi the boatman will do that for you.

 

If you are going to a hotel that has its own dock or was not located near a public dock like San Marco, a private taxi would lessen or eliminate the walk from the dock to the hotel, and that would alter the balance of the decision. If not, all you'd be getting for the significantly higher price of the private water taxi is privacy and moving some bags.

 

I don't the difference is "pinching pennies"; for two people a one-way trip from the airport to San Marco by Alilaguna is 30 Euro, by private water taxi it is 100 Euro. That's a significant difference (more than three times the cost), even though for some of us the absolute amount of money (about $90 US) is a drop in the bucket.

[chaz2010]

You also need to check how far away your hotel is from the nearest dock. Some hotels are right on a canal with their own dock, some are not on a canal. Ours was about 2 blocks from St. Marks. Most hotels without a dock offer porter service to the nearest dock. So if you are not by yourself, send one person ahead to the hotel and have them come back with the porter to take your bags, or call if you have international cell service. Even 2 blocks pulling your own bags can be tough- narrow streets, alot of other people to avoid coming in the opposite direction, etc.!

[Infi]

Thank you all for the replies. It looks like the Alilaguna is the best option and the least hassle so that is what we will do. I was not aware of the infrequency of the Vaporetto from Piazzale Roma or the cost to get there. The idea of more crowds on the Vaporetto scares me as well so we will go with the Alilaguna.

 

Yes, I know about the water taxi option, but what I was really trying to avoid was the long walk from the airport to the docks. Choosing the water taxi means we'll still have to do that walk. Personally, I only think the water taxi is only worth the price difference if you're staying at one of the hotels deep in the heart of Venice (i.e. not near a public transportation stop) or only accessible by canal. Our hotel is just a block off of St. Mark's with no bridges or canals to cross, so our walk from the Alilaguna stop won't be that bad.