Travelling to &
Within Venice
Here you will find information on the recommended best route for traveling to Venice, navigating the city, and suggestions for additional sites to explore around this stunning island.
Travelling to Venice from Abroad
The easiest and most reliable way to travel to Venice
is via the Marco Polo International (VCE) Airport.
It’s fairly well connected with direct flights to/from the US, London, Scotland, and Dubai.
For low cost, short haul flights, Venice is also served by Treviso Airport (TSF).
TRAVELLING FROM SCOTLAND
There are many direct flights from Edinburgh and Glasgow but on some days you may need to transfer, likely through London or Munich.
TRAVELLING FROM THE US
Direct flights operate between Venice and
the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport &
New York JFK airports.
You can also connect in either Amsterdam Schiphol or Paris Charles de Gaulle Airports.
Travelling into Venice
As you may already know, Venice is an island.
Thus, the best way to get to the island from the Marco Polo International Airport is, you guessed it, by water!
There is also a bus option, but this does require more walking. Keep in mind, there are no roads for automobile travel within the island.
If you wish to rent a car to travel around Italy,
click here to jump to available options.
TRAVEL BY PUBLIC WATER BUS
Vaporetto
This is the easiest cost effective way to travel
from the airport to the hotel.
From the Arrivals Terminal, follow signs for
“Water Transport” to find moving walk-ways that lead
to “Alilaguna” for the boating docks.
You will take the ‘Blue Line (B)’ water bus to the “San Marco” stop – 7 stops, around 1 hour 20mins.
This is the closest water taxi stop to the Hotel Monaco
– a short 2 minute walk!
For a faster, more direct service you can arrange a private water taxi (best booked online in advance) and a Chauffeur will meet you in airport arrivals with a personalized sign stating your name and take you to the port to board your private boat directly to the hotel.
A third, more cost effective & private option
is a Ride Share Taxi. While we have personally never done this (Billy prefers private taxis as you can imagine), this service comes highly recommended from several of our friends! The website ‘Get your guide’ is the most convenient way to book this.
TRAVEL BY BUS
The ATVO Airport Shuttle bus operates from the bus stops just outside the terminal to the “Piazzale Roma” in Venice. Tickets can be purchased from machines at the bus stops.
From here, you will cross the large glass bridge
(Ponte della Costituzione) into Venice.
A short walk will bring you to the Venezia Santa Lucia Train Station, the main train station in Venice.
From here, you can follow the directions below under “From Venezia Santa Lucia Train Station”
to get to the Hotel Monaco.
FROM TREVISO AIRPORT
The easiest way to transfer from this airport will be to take either a taxi or the ATVO airport shuttle bus from outside the terminal to the ‘Piazzale Roma’ bus station in Venice.
From here it is just a short walk over the glass bridge (Ponte della Costituzione) to Venezia Santa Lucia Train Station and you can follow the directions below to get to The Hotel Monaco.
FROM VENEZIA SANTA LUCIA
TRAIN STATION
It is possible to walk to the hotel from the train station, however it takes around 30 minutes and would be difficult with bulky luggage due to Venice’s narrow alleys and multiple (often steep) bridges.
If you’re really gunning for some strenuous exercise, go for it!
Otherwise, there is a water bus (vaporetto) stop just outside the train station called ‘Ferrovia C.’
From here you can take the number 5.1 service to stop ‘S. Marco – San Zaccaria F’ (4 stops, about 25mins).
Once you arrive, it is just over a 5 minute walk to the Hotel Monaco.
The short walk route is down a wide pathway which takes you past the Bridge of Sighs and San Marco’s Square.
If you’d like a direct private taxi transfer to the hotel from the train station, exit down the main steps and take a slight left.
Just before the large stone arch bridge across the Grand Canal is a taxi stand.
Car Rentals
So you decided to hire a car! That’s certainly a choice!
If you are a UK or EU citizen over the age of 21, all you will need is a valid driver’s license, passport, and active credit card. If you are not a UK or EU citizen, will you need to apply for an International Driver’s Permit in your home country before you travel.
For US citizens, this is most easily accomplished through AAA.
Otherwise, just google “International Driver’s Permit” to see several options to complete this step.
There are several car rental companies available at Marco Polo airport. If you plan to drive into Venice from the airport or other locations around Italy, there is a vehicle bridge onto the island where you will find a few long-term multi story covered garages:
Autorimessa comunale
Garage San Marco
Tronchetto Parking
Here you can leave your rental car while you’re in Venice and then pick it up again after the wedding.
There are also car rental companies which can be found near the Piazzale Roma where you can hire a car following the wedding to travel around Italy. However, we would highly recommend travelling by train rather than driving where possible!
Travelling around Venice
The easiest way to explore Venice is simply by foot.
It’s a very walkable city, taking less than an hour to get from one side to the other.
Be sure to pack some comfy walking shoes as there are hundreds of bridges to navigate while crossing the canals. Bear in mind, there are only four bridges over the largest of all the canals, the Grand Canal.
Google Maps likes to suggest hopping on one of the public water buses (vaporetto) to get from one side of the Grand Canal to the other.
While this is fine, there can be delays waiting for water buses and tickets can become costly.
We would recommend walking a little further to cross the Grand Canal by bridge if you’re not going far.
For travelling longer distances through the city or between islands, buying a day pass is an excellent alternative to walking!
You can tap in and out at the Vaporetto stations with your contactless bank card to pay for tickets.
As noted above, if you want to travel in luxury with a more direct route, many private water taxi ranks are placed throughout the city. Some finer establishments can arrange to have you picked up directly from their private pier, including the Hotel Monaco.