WATER BUSES
"vaporetti"
There is an extensive waterbus service linking the whole city and all islands of the lagoon. These waterbuses are called “Vaporetti”. You can download the map to see routes from the waterbus company “ACTV”.
Tickets
All prices quoted here are from 2018 (note that prices may change). Tickets can be bought at the ticket booths in many of the main points of interest (San Marco, the train station, Piazzale Roma, Lido) or from automatic machines (instructions are available in English). They can now also be bought online via the ACTV App. Single tickets are quite expensive (€7.50) and last 75 minutes. Alternatively, there are various different day, weekly, and tourist ticket options. You can buy tickets that last 24 hours as well as ones that last 2, 3, and 7 days.See the ACTV website for details.
Children. Kids are free until age 6.
Venezia Unica card
If you are planning to come back to Venice often, or are here for a long time, it can also be worth getting the Venezia Unica City Pass card. This costs €100 Euros and lasts 5 years. It gives you discounts on water bus travel and the Alilaguna airport transfer. You need to take a photo ID to register. Ask for a “Venezia Unica City Pass per i residenti al di fuori della Regione Veneto”. Once you have this, each 75 minute journey on the waterbus costs only €1.50. Alilaguna tickets are also discounted to €8 for a one-way trip to the airport.
Waterbus times App
We advise getting the phone App called “CheBatteo?” which is available in English, French, Spanish, Italian, and even in the Venetian dialect! It’s very user friendly and you can easily find out which line to take and when the next boat leaves. To use it, enter your start and end stations and it will provide the waterbus line number and departure times. Alternatively, you can look for timetables on the ACTV website.
How to use the waterbus
Waterbuses depart from floating white and yellow pontoons. These pontoons rise and fall with the tide so that you can get onto the boats easily at the right level. At some stops there are different pontoons for different lines or for different directions, so make sure you check the signs to ensure you are taking the right boat. Departure times and destinations are also listed on electronic screens on most pontoons.
Ticket readers
Electronic ticket readers can be found before the bridge to the floating pontoon. Before you get on the pontoon you must hold your ticket up to the machine until it beeps and turns green. Please don’t forget to validate your ticket. There are often ticket inspectors who jump on the boats issuing on the spot fines for anyone without a valid ticket. If you forget to validate or buy a ticket before you get on the boat you can immediately tell the seaman and he can issue you a ticket.
On the waterbus
When the waterbuses dock at the bus stop the seaman throws a rope to a poll on the pier. This rope secures the latter part of the boat to the pontoon. The driver then steers the front part of the boat towards the pontoon and this force keeps the boat against it. So, in fact, the boats are not actually secured at both ends – this means there sometimes is a small gap, which can be dangerous for little feet. So please make sure you hold your child’s hands (or carry them) and watch their feet when getting on and off the waterbuses.
On busy lines it can be difficult to find a place for prams. Lines 1 and 2 have the biggest boats, but are often crowded as they go down the main tourist routes. Most of the other lines (such as 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 6) run on smaller boats where there is space for only one pram, which is next to the drivers cabin. Luggage can be left at the small space down the stairs before the cabin doors.
Waterbus safety
-Prams should be left next to the door of the drivers’ cabin.
-When getting on and off the waterbus, always hold on to your child and watch their feet carefully. The boat often rocks up and down and it is easy for a kid to get their foot or leg hurt if you don’t pay attention.
-The moving walkway that connects the floating pontoon to the land is quite dangerous for tiny feet (or exposed toes in flip-flops). The walkway moves backwards and forward slightly with the waves, and if your foot gets caught under it, it can be very painful. The danger points are usually painted yellow.
Waterbus safety
Don’t let your kids lean on or lean over the gate on the waterbus. They are often tempted to look over at the water.
Waterbuses are very crowded and it is quite common for tourists to get off the boat and leave their child behind in the chaos.
Don’t get in the way of the seaman when they are opening the gates and mooring the waterbus.
Keep your kids’ fingers and hair away from the ropes that the seaman uses to dock the waterbus. They tighten quickly and can snap your fingers off!
On the busy water buses, such as number 1, watch out for pickpockets.
Fogs & Strikes
One advantage of taking local transport in Venice is that there are never traffic jams! So everything is always on time. However, transport can be affected by a number of things.
Fog: When there’s a heavy fog, some waterbus lines are cancelled for safety reasons.
Regatta: If there is a boat regatta, some of the lines will be redirected or cancelled for a few hours.
Strikes: Industrial strikes occur regularly. A strike is called “sciopero” in Italian. During a strike they have to guarantee a minimal service, so some lines still run, especially to the islands like Lido and Murano. Getting information in a strike is difficult but try to ask one of the staff in the ticket booths (if you can find one!) It’s usually easier to just walk…
High tide: When the tide is particularly high, the boats cannot pass under the bridges, so some of the waterbus lines are either cancelled or diverted. Take this into consideration if you are arriving to or leaving Venice as it might be difficult to get to the airport, train station etc.
Winter on the water bus
In winter months, local Venetians will get extremely annoyed if you do not close the doors when you enter the cabin. Italians believe that wind and cold air cause illness, and often do not see the irony of sitting in a crowded closed cabin with people sneezing and coughing all over each other… we prefer to stay outside, but be warned, it can be very cold, so make sure kids are wrapped up well.