Matino

Venice's waterbus routes change from time to time. This means that map and guidebook descriptions of the vaporetto lines are frequently out of date. Although we try to keep the route table in this article up to date, please note that routes are subject to change and seasonal variation. When in doubt, check the timetables at the vaporetto stops.

Things to know:

1. At smaller stops, boats will come from both directions. Pay attention so you'll board the right waterbus!

2. Occasionally, a boat will ignore certain stops or will terminate its run before the end of the line. The placard or electronic signboard on the boat will indicate any such deviations. (Either that, or the conductor will shoo you off.)

3. Some lines are defined as "summer only," but "summer" usually means April through October on the Venice tourist calendar.

4. Routes marked with the icon are easily wheelchair-accessible (e.g, with vaporetti that have flat or single-level decks) Routes marked * have at least some wheelchair-accessible boats (e.g., new motoscafi on the circolare routes that have covered wheelchair positions and belts on the entrance deck).

orario5. Actv (the Venice public transportation system) has a printed timetable or Orario booklet that you should be able to get at any ticket booth unless stock has run low or the clerk is in a surly mood. Actv also has a Web site with a journey planner that's reasonably convenient if you know your departure and arrival stops.

6. If you board at a stop that doesn't have a ticket office, approach the conductor immediately after boarding and ask for a biglietto. Otherwise, you could be fined heavily for traveling without a ticket.

7. Be sure to validate your ticket before boarding the boat. Simply insert it in the yellow ticket machine near the floating platform, and the ticket will be stamped automatically. If you're using an Actv travel ticket (see below), validate the card the first time it's used.

8. You can save money on public transportation by purchasing a 12- to 72-hour Actv tourist travel card from any vaporetto ticket booth. A more expensive option is the tourist office's Venice Connected pass (formerly the Venice Card) which has a complicated pricing scheme but offers services beyond transportation. We recommend the Actv tourist travel cards, which are easier to buy and are a better value for most visitors. (They're easy to use, too: Just hold your card up to the electronic "Mobi" reader and wait for the beep before stepping onto the vaporetto platform.)

9. For convenience, "vaporetto" is often used as a generic synonym for "water bus," but technically there are three types of boat: the "vaporetto," a flat-decked boat used on routes such as No. 1 (Grand Canal) and No. 2; the "motoscafo" (used for routes that go into the Lagoon; see photo at top of page); and the "motonave" (a large double-decked vessel that looks like a ship and is used for commuter service to the Lido, Punta Sabioni, and Treporti).

Also see: Arriving in Venice

The ACTV runs the public transit system of Venice, and includes both land buses and water transport (the larger craft are called vaporetto, and were once steam-powered). The system can be confusing even for locals, owing to the extensive routes and schedules created to serve both residents and tourists, combined with the lack of available published information in various languages.

This is hopefully the essential info required to navigate the system: enough to be complete, but not too much to be overwhelming.

Keep in mind that due to the nature of the system, anything here is subject to change, for an hour, a day, or longer, including stops, lines, and landings. Develop the habit of verifying your destination with attendants as you board.

Addio, paper vaporetto tickets, the ACTV is adapting the most advanced smart card ticketing system in Europe, according to the announcement: one magnetized pass will take you anywhere in the system, land or sea, depending on the options you’ve purchased, and can be topped up at will. We won’t show them to anyone as we board, we’ll just be sliding and beeping, like the Paris Métro without the stairs. And it won’t be just for transport: they have plans to include options for museum entrances, events, and more.

The name’s Imob.venezia, thank you very much, and was introduced with much fanfare last week. The system will be phased in little by little, operational from November and paper eliminated by the end of March, 2008…it can’t come too soon for me.

Of course, this doesn’t make figuring out how to get from the Zattere to San Zaccaria without going to Giudecca any less confusing…but it’s the little things. Bravi, bravi.

Read Italian? Check out the article in the Gazzettino.

If you didn’t pre-book discounted transit passes via VeniceConnected.com (purchase them 7 or more days in advance) or need to retrieve a VeniceCard, you can avoid long lines waiting to buy vaporetto tickets and passes by taking advantage of the Automatic Ticket Points located at the major vaporetto stops (Piazzale Roma and the train station as of this writing, with more locations to come).

They may not be obvious, but they are big, and it will likely take some studying to understand precisely what to do to get what you want. But they are in the shade, speak English, and even with whatever amount of orientation they might require, in high season you’ll still likely get your tickets quicker than standing in the long (and they can be long), sometimes too-sunny lines leading to the ticket booths.

Some additional notes:

* You’ll be guided through the steps of how to choose and pay for your ticket(s) by a touch-screen in the language of your choice;
* You can pay with a debit or credit card, or cash;
* You can buy a single fare, but if that’s all you intend to purchase, best to buy it directly on the vaporetto (tell the attendent as soon as you board, though). There is no advantage to purchasing in advance;
* If you have an Imob CartaVenezia, you can top it off there as well, although you cannot buy a month’s pass from the machine at this time;
* If you pay with cash, note that the maximum change available is €9.95.

For any question on this and any transport-related services, contact HELLOVENEZIA: on there website or by calling +39 041 2424 from 8a – 8p daily.

When traveling between Lido and Venice proper, you’d normally choose one of many vaporetto options: Line 1 for Sant’Elena, Giardini, the Riva and Grand Canal, Lines 41/2, 51/2 that encircle the city, or even Line 62 to Piazzale Roma via the Giudecca Canal.

There’s another alternative that occurs to too few people, but sometimes is just the ticket, especially to avoid jam-packed boats at the end of an event or day at the beach.



ACTV Line 17 is not a vaporetto, but a traghetto, also known as the Ferry-boat. It’s a good deal larger because it’s able to transport motor vehicles between Lido and the main car park at Tronchetto (unlike Venice, Lido has roads, and cars). You don’t have to have a car to board, though; and although its form is not what we might classify as attractive, if Lido or Tronchetto is your destination (or even your transfer point), the Ferry-boat can be a valid, even preferable option.

Come mai? And why might that be?

* First, because it’s non-stop. If returning from Lido, you’ll board at San Nicolò (a few hundred meters north of S.M. Elisabetta, also reachable by bus) and arrive at Tronchetto.
* Second, because there’s a second level, the upper deck offers an immensely gratifying view of the lagoon, the Riva, San Giorgio Maggiore, and the Giudecca Canal, even (or perhaps especially) at sunset or after dark.
* Third, there’s even a bar, so you could enjoy a panino and a caffè, a prosecco, or even a Spritz, should you be so inclined.
* Finally, because passage is included in your ACTV vaporetto transit pass. Of course, if you have a car or bike or kayak or some other mobile thing, you can take it along with you…but it’s not a requisite.

The passage is thirty-five minutes, and from Tronchetto you can pick up Line 2 and continue on your normal vaporetto way (or vice-versa, of course).

It’s the little things…yes?

Just in time for Easter, the ACTV announces the arrival of ten new eco-sustainable vaporetti (water buses). As you can see in the photo, they don’t look much different than the models they’ll be replacing; in fact, they’ll carry the same number of passengers.

The improvements, according to the Ufficio Stampa (Venice press office) are on the inside. They promise added comfort in the form of heating and air-conditioning, and the number of wheelchair spaces has been increased from two to four.

The most welcome news, though, is their eco-friendliness: they implement a new generation of engines that reduce harmful emissions by 30%. The engines are also quieter; the boats are designed to make fewer waves. And according to the announcement, these new vaps cost less to produce than the last generation, always a positive note.

Little by little, the new shiny vaporetti will enter service for Lines 1 and 2 that travel up and down the Grand and Giudecca canals; the first immediately, three in May, three more in September, and the last three in November.

An eco-friendly, air-conditioned vaporetto. Pensa. (Think of that.)