Getting to Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) by Alilaguna waterbus (vaporetto) is a cheap, romantic, and fun transportation alternative to luxury water taxis or transfer shuttle buses.
Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) in Italy is located on the edge of the Venetian lagoon only around twenty minutes drive from one of the most romantic cities in the world. Getting to Venice Airport is fastest by car and cheapest by bus. Many first-time visitors prefer to arrive romantically by water. Water taxis and shared shuttle boats provide fast access from Venice Marco Polo Airport but are fairly expensive. An Alilaguna waterbus (vaporetto) is a much cheaper alternative at ticket prices only €5 more expensive than regular buses. Buy waterbus ticket online.
Cheap Alilaguna Water Bus (Vaporetto) to Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) in 2025
The cheapest way to travel by boat from Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) to central Venice is by waterbus (vaporetto). A one-way ticket on the Alilaguna waterbus from Venice to Marco Polo Airport can be as cheap as €15. Shared water taxi services are around €35 and water taxis easily exceed €200. (A standard airport bus ticket is around €10.)
The airport dock, from where these waterbuses depart, is around a ten-minute walk on a moving covered walkway from the baggage claim in the terminal building at Venice Marco Polo Airport. Follow the “Water Taxi Motoscafo” or “Water Bus Alilaguna” blue signs. Luggage trolleys may be used from the airport terminal to the water transport dock. Such help will not be available upon arrival in the city of Venice.
Alilaguna Water Bus (Vaporetto) Routes from Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE)
Alilaguna has several water boat routes with generally at least one Alilaguna airport service per hour per route between around 8 am and 8 pm. The Blue Line has some services through the night as well.
Traveling time from Venice airport to San Marco (St Mark’s) by Vaporettp is around 75 minutes.
Alilaguna operates three main waterbus routes with scheduled services to and from Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE):
- Alilaguna Linea Blu (Blue Line) waterbuses connect Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) with Ferrovia (Vaporetto stop at Santa Lucia railway station). Intermediate stops en route include the islands of Murano (Colonna), Bacini, Lido, San Zaccaria, San Marco (St Mark’s), Guidecca Stucky, and Tronchetto (people mover to the Venice cruise terminal and Piazzale Rome bus stop).
- Alilaguna Linea Arancio (Orange Line) water buses connect Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) with San Marco via M Dell Orto, Guglie, Rialto, and S Angelo on the Grand Canal.
- Alilaguna Linea Rosso (Red Line) is seasonal with its water buses connecting Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) with San Marco via Murano Museo, Bacini, and Lido.
Tickets for the Alilaguna Water Bus (Vaporetto) from Venice Airport
The ticket price for travel on any of these waterbus vaporetto lines from the airport to San Marco, train station, or Lido is generally €15 (€27 return) with slight discounts for vouchers bought online (but note that the voucher must be exchanged for a real ticket before boarding the boat).
Online tickets are valid for travel on any boat on the booked day.
For other routes, the fare depends on the distance traveled. E.g. San Marco to the train station / Lido / Murano is €8 (€15 return).
The standard single Alilaguna waterbus ticket includes one piece of hand luggage — buy a €3 “extra luggage” ticket to cover additional fees for larger suitcases from ticket machines or ticket desks at the airport and larger stops.
If ticket windows are closed, Alilaguna tickets may also be bought on the boat itself but at a surcharge of €1 per ticket (and find the ticket seller before s/he finds you). Return tickets are valid for 30 days.
As this public waterbus service is operated by a private company, a regular Venice ACTV ticket or transportation pass is generally not valid.
See Alilaguna for timetables, maps, and ticket prices for waterbuses to Venice Marco Polo Airport in Italy.
Ground and Water Transportation to Venice Airport in Italy
Buses are the cheapest way to travel to Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) (€10 online) but waterbuses (only €15!) or other boats are more romantic. Small groups may consider boat transfer services or even a private water taxi service for the convenience of going directly to a Venetian hotel’s private dock.
- Best Transportation Options to Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE)
- Cheap Public Bus Transportation to Venice Marco Polo Airport
- Waterbus and Taxi Boat Shuttles to Venice Marco Polo Airport
- Cheap Alilaguna Vaporetto Water Bus to Venice Marco Polo Airport
- Cheap Public Bus Transportation to Venice Treviso Airport (TSF) — the airport used mostly by low-cost airlines such as Ryanair and Wizz
Online skip-the-line tickets for top sights in Venice such as the Doge’s Palace, the Basilica di San Marco, and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection are great time savers while museum passes also allow for fast-track admissions and may give small savings.
