Getting to Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) by Alilaguna waterbus (vaporetto) is a cheap, romantic alternative to water taxis and transfer shuttle boats.
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 but many visitors prefer to arrive romantically in Venice by water. Water taxis and transfer shuttle boats provide fast access from Venice Marco Polo Airport but are expensive. A waterbus (vaporetto) operated by Alilaguna offers a cheaper alternative at prices that are well worth considering even by budget travelers.
By Cheap Alilaguna Water Bus (Vaporetto) to Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE)
The cheapest way to travel by boat from Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) to central Venice is by waterbus (vaporetto) operated by Alilaguna. A one-way ticket on the Alilaguna waterbus from Venice to Marco Polo Airport can be as cheap as €15 while water taxis can easily exceed €160 while shared water taxi services are around €32.
The airport dock, from where these waterbuses depart, is around ten minutes walk by covered walkway from the terminal building at Venice Marco Polo Airport. Follow the “Water Taxi Motoscafo” or “Water Bus Alilaguna” – luggage trolleys may be used from the airport terminal to the dock but bear in mind that such help will not be available upon arrival in Venice.
Alilaguna Water Bus (Vaporetto) Routes from Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE)
Alilaguna has several water boat routes with generally at least one 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 the airport to San Marco (St Mark’s) is around 75 minutes.
Alilaguna operates three main waterbus routes with scheduled services to and from Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE):
- Linea Blu (Blue Line) waterbuses connect Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) with Tonchetto stopping en route at amongst others Murano Colonna, Bacini, Lido, San Zaccaria, San Marco (St Mark’s), and Molino Stucky.
- Linea Rossa (Red Line) waterbuses connect Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) with Lido via Museo and Certosa.
- Linea Arancio (Orange Line) water buses connect Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) with San Marco via M Dell Orto, Guglie, Rialto and S Angelo in the Grand Canal.
Tickets for travel on any of these lines from the airport to San Marco, cruise terminal, or Lido are generally €15 (€27 return) with slight discounts for vouchers bought online. For other stops the fare depends on the distance traveler, e.g San Marco to the cruise terminal / Lido / Murano is €8 (€15 return).
If ticket windows are closed, Alilaguna tickets may also be bought on the boat itself but at a surcharge of €1 per ticket. Return tickets are valid for 30 days.
As this public waterbus service is operated by a private company, regular Venice ACTV transportation passes are generally not valid.
Buses to Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) are the cheapest way to reach Venice’s main airport but water boats offer a much more romantic alternative that is not exorbitantly expensive. Small groups may consider boat transfer services or even water taxis for the convenience of going directly to a Venetian hotel. Buses to Venice Treviso (TSF) are the best public transportation option to Venice’s second airport, which is popular with low-cost airlines.
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.