Venice transportation on the cheap

[hsaroya]

I've been reading the threads on transportation from the Venice airport to P.Roma and then on to Venice and I'm more confused than ever. :eek:We are a family of 4 with 2 mid to late teens and are in Venice one night pre-cruise in a hotel. We will be travelling with 3 middle sized suitcases and napsacks and are all very able bodied.

 

I understand the ATVO bus is more comfortable and faster? Their site has a price if 6e one way from airport. I thought the public bus, ACTV, was cheaper, but it also has 6e listed on their site. Am I reading it wrong?

 

I would like to purchase a vaporetto pass for 24 hr for each of us as we plan to use the vaporetto to get to our hotel which is close to the Rialto Bridge, then later to get to Murano and Burano, as well as around the Grand Canal. Once we embark, our ship is docked overnight, so we do have two nights in Venice.

 

Does a 24 hr pass seem worth it for our plans?

 

Is there a combo pass for vaporetto and bus 5 from the airport?

 

Has anyone had experience taking luggage in a vaporetto? How was it?

 

Thank you!

[Cornishpastyman1]

I've been reading the threads on transportation from the Venice airport to P.Roma and then on to Venice and I'm more confused than ever. :eek:We are a family of 4 with 2 mid to late teens and are in Venice one night pre-cruise in a hotel. We will be travelling with 3 middle sized suitcases and napsacks and are all very able bodied.

 

I understand the ATVO bus is more comfortable and faster? Their site has a price if 6e one way from airport. I thought the public bus, ACTV, was cheaper, but it also has 6e listed on their site. Am I reading it wrong?

 

I would like to purchase a vaporetto pass for 24 hr for each of us as we plan to use the vaporetto to get to our hotel which is close to the Rialto Bridge, then later to get to Murano and Burano, as well as around the Grand Canal. Once we embark, our ship is docked overnight, so we do have two nights in Venice.

 

Does a 24 hr pass seem worth it for our plans?

 

Is there a combo pass for vaporetto and bus 5 from the airport?

 

Has anyone had experience taking luggage in a vaporetto? How was it?

 

Thank you!

 

The bus form airport - PR is easy with luggage as that's stored in the hold, i.e. not with the seats.

 

I would say the 24 hour pass is definitely worth it for you, as a single ride costs about €7 so you only need ride a vap 4 times to be 'ahead', and knowing you have it will allow you to be more flexible and save time as you be able to take short hops here and there. You're going to take two rides at least from Piazzale Roma - Rialto and back, then at least 2 more to Murano and Burano, and another back to your hotel, so that's five for a start.

 

We travelled the length of the Grand Canal with more luggage than you will have and it was no problem. I suppose it could be more awkward in the absolute rush hour but the worst that can happen is that one of your party has to stand guard over the 3 suitcases in the standing area of the gap, and that journey will be only about 20 mins. All the best, Tony

[hsaroya]

Thank you, Tony! I think the pass is the way to go then.

[Hlitner]

I've been reading the threads on transportation from the Venice airport to P.Roma and then on to Venice and I'm more confused than ever. :eek:We are a family of 4 with 2 mid to late teens and are in Venice one night pre-cruise in a hotel. We will be travelling with 3 middle sized suitcases and napsacks and are all very able bodied.

 

I understand the ATVO bus is more comfortable and faster? Their site has a price if 6e one way from airport. I thought the public bus, ACTV, was cheaper, but it also has 6e listed on their site. Am I reading it wrong?

 

Although the ACTV is a bit cheaper, it is a local bus with no luggage storage (other then in a small overhead) and might even deny boarding to anyone carrying luggage. The ATVO is a very comfortable "coach bus" with nearly unlimited luggage storage under the passenger compartment.

 

I would like to purchase a vaporetto pass for 24 hr for each of us as we plan to use the vaporetto to get to our hotel which is close to the Rialto Bridge, then later to get to Murano and Burano, as well as around the Grand Canal. Once we embark, our ship is docked overnight, so we do have two nights in Venice.

 

Does a 24 hr pass seem worth it for our plans?

 

A good rule of thumb is that if you plan on taking 3 or more vaporetto rides...then the pass makes sense. You can purchase them at ACTV vending machines (located near most of the vaporetto piers) or from an ACTV Office (there is one at the Piazale Roma).

 

Is there a combo pass for vaporetto and bus 5 from the airport?

 

I believe they do sell a combo pass, but as we said before, it is not recommended to take the ACTV public bus if you are carrying luggage.

 

Has anyone had experience taking luggage in a vaporetto? How was it?

 

It just depends on how crowded the vaporetto is. If its rush hour and packed, then carrying lots of luggage can be hassle. Also be advised that technically, they can charge you an extra fee if you bring more then one piece of luggage on a vaporetto (this fee is often ignored).

 

Thank you!

 

Hank

[hsaroya]

Thanks, Hank, as always, for your input. I think you're right, the coach is the way to go.

[Cornishpastyman1]

Thank you, Tony! I think the pass is the way to go then.

Yes, I'm sure so. You'll also want to go down to St Mark's Square at some point, and back, so there's another couple of rides. Or maybe sneak over to San Giorgio Maggiore... Here's a video from my trip to whet your appetite

[Av8tor]

Keep in mind that the ACTV is a regular city bus, not a coach type bus. There's no under floor luggage storage on the ACTV and it's a local bus so it makes other stops on the way to P. Roma. ATVO is a coach and bags go underneath and the bus goes directly to P. Roma. If those ACTV "drawbacks" are OK with you then I agree that the pass is the way to go since you also get vaporetto use with it. Since you'll actually have two nights in Venice, you might want to consider getting 48 hour passes so you can explore both days.

 

Depending on how long your trip from home is, you might also consider that you'll be tired once you get to the hotel and will be ready to "crash-out" for a while on that first day. If that's a possibility, you might not want to get the ACTV passes until the next day and just go with 24 hour passes just for the vaporetto. Then you'd use individual ATVO tickets from the airport to P. Roma and a water taxi or single ride vaporetto to the hotel.

 

Just food for thought...

[CathyCruises]

Depends on where your hotel is. There are lines that I would take luggage on, and others that I would not. I would not, for instance, take luggage on either #1 or #2 unless it was way off season and the middle of the night!

 

Once you have a hotel, consider Alilaguna, which is a private water transport that goes from the airport to several places in town on the Blue Line IIRC. That might easier and just as cheap. Venice is a walking town, so unless you want to go super-long distances or out to Murano/Burano, the vap pass may not be necessary. It's not like you'd be house-bound without it. Or maybe you'd just need it for 12 hours, etc. No sense in paying for more than you'll use.

 

Hotel first, then transport!;)