Venice Airport to the city: bus, water bus, water taxi or transfer
Four ways from the arrivals hall into Venice — how each one works, where to find it and what it costs.
Last checked on 15 September 2026
One thing decides everything else about arriving in Venice: the road stops. Buses, taxis and private transfers cross the causeway and end at Piazzale Roma or the Tronchetto car island, because vehicles cannot pass beyond those terminals. Inside the historic city you walk, take a vaporetto or take a boat. So the choice is between a wheeled leg that ends at Piazzale Roma — the airport buses, a taxi, a private transfer — and a boat from the airport’s own dock, either the scheduled Alilaguna water bus or a private motorboat that carries you to a canal-side landing.
Everything below was checked against the airport operator, SAVE, the two bus companies ACTV and ATVO, Alilaguna and the Venice taxi cooperative. Fares and timetables are set by those operators and can change, so the official page for each option is linked underneath it.
Airport bus to Piazzale Roma
Two companies run buses to Piazzale Roma, and the airport lists both: ACTV urban line 5, the Aerobus, and the ATVO express line, which runs to Venice without intermediate stops. Both end at the Piazzale Roma terminus, where Santa Lucia station is about a five-minute walk away across the Calatrava Bridge.
- Where to find it
- The bus stop is on the second lane outside the airport arrivals area. ATVO uses Exit D, second lane on the left — stop 3 for Venice and stop 4 for Mestre.
- Fare
- ACTV’s 75-minute Aerobus ticket costs €10.00, or €18.00 return; an Aerobus ticket combined with the 90-minute Rete Unica ticket, which also covers the city’s waterbuses, is €18.00. The ATVO airport express costs €10.00 single and €18.00 return, luggage included.
- How to pay
- Ticket machines in the baggage reclaim area near carousels 3 and 5 and at the bus stops, the public transport ticket office in the arrivals hall, the operators’ websites, or on board ATVO buses.
- Timetable
- ATVO publishes a downloadable timetable for each airport line on its website (linked below).
- Best for
- The lowest fare into the city if your luggage travels easily and you continue by vaporetto or on foot.
- Good to know
- Every ATVO express passenger may carry unlimited baggage at no extra cost, and the buses have free Wi-Fi. ACTV line 15 and the ATVO express also serve Venezia Mestre station.
Alilaguna water bus
Alilaguna runs scheduled boats from the airport’s dock into the lagoon. The Blue Line calls at Murano, Fondamente Nove, the Lido, San Zaccaria, San Marco, Zattere, Giudecca, Tronchetto and the railway station; the Orange Line runs through the city’s canals to Guglie, Rialto and Santa Maria del Giglio; a seasonal Red Line runs in summer.
- Where to find it
- From the airport dock. Alilaguna ticket offices are in the arrivals hall (07:30–23:00), at the moving walkway entrance (08:00–21:00) and at the Darsena dock (06:00–00:20).
- Fare
- Airport to Venice is €18.00 single and €32.00 return; airport to Murano €10.00 single and €18.00 return. Every ticket includes one large bag and one piece of hand luggage, and each additional bag costs €4.00.
- How to pay
- Online, at the Alilaguna ticket offices at the airport and in the city, or from authorised retailers.
- Timetable
- Alilaguna publishes the timetable and the map of each line on its website (linked below).
- Best for
- Landing close to your address without changing at Piazzale Roma, and for Murano or the Lido.
- Good to know
- Children up to the age of six travel free with an adult who holds a ticket, and pushchairs are carried free. Alilaguna is a separate company: ACTV tickets are not valid on its boats.
Water taxi
Private motorboats leave from the same dock and run without stops to the landing nearest your address. The airport names the companies that operate them: Consorzio Motoscafi Venezia, Venezia Taxi, Venezia Turismo, Venice Water Taxi and Cooperativa Serenissima Taxi.
- Where to find it
- From the airport dock, through the lagoon and the canals to a canal-side landing in the city.
- Fare
- The airport publishes no prices for private motorboats: it says to contact the operators directly, or to ask a member of staff before boarding.
- How to pay
- Not published by the airport either — agree the price and how you will pay with the operator before you board.
- Best for
- Arriving at the door with heavy luggage or a group, when avoiding the change at Piazzale Roma is worth the cost.
- Good to know
- The boat reaches the nearest landing your address allows; many hotels have their own water door, others are a short walk and sometimes one bridge away.
Taxi
The taxi service at Marco Polo Airport is provided by Cooperativa Artigiana Radiotaxi, on +39 041 5964, 24 hours a day. Like every vehicle, a taxi can only take you as far as Piazzale Roma.
- Fare
- Fixed rates apply to and from the airport: €40.00 to Venice (Piazzale Roma), €35.00 to Mestre centre and €45.00 to the cruise ship terminal.
- How to pay
- The airport does not publish payment methods for taxis. The cooperative also sells trips in advance through its own shop, where the fare is locked and paid by card.
- Best for
- Piazzale Roma, the cruise terminal or a hotel in Mestre when you have not booked anything.
- Good to know
- A car taxi ends where the road ends. For an address inside the historic city you carry on by foot, vaporetto or boat from Piazzale Roma.
Private transfer with HolidayCab
Book before you fly and a driver meets you in the arrivals hall with a name sign, follows your flight if it is late and takes you across the causeway to Piazzale Roma, where Venice’s roads end. The price is fixed per vehicle and paid when you book, so there is nothing to sort out on arrival. If you need to reach a door inside the historic city instead, choose one of the Venice destinations that include the water taxi.
- Meet & greet with a name sign
- Flight tracking — the driver waits if you are delayed
- Fixed price, no hidden fees
- Private vehicle — no shared rides, no detours
from €62.50 per vehicle, taxes included
See vehicles and pricesTravelling on a package holiday?
If a transfer is part of your package holiday, check your travel documents for the meeting point before you queue for a taxi.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can a taxi or a transfer take me to my hotel inside Venice?
- No vehicle can. The causeway from the mainland serves the cruise terminals, Tronchetto, Piazzale Roma and the railway station, and vehicles cannot pass beyond those terminals. From Piazzale Roma you continue on foot, by vaporetto or by water taxi.
- How much is the bus from Venice Airport to Piazzale Roma?
- When we checked on 15 September 2026, ACTV’s 75-minute Aerobus ticket cost €10.00 (€18.00 return) and the ATVO airport express €10.00 single and €18.00 return with luggage included. Fares are set by the operators, so check their websites before you travel.
- Is there a boat from the airport into Venice?
- Yes. Alilaguna runs scheduled water buses from the airport dock: the Blue Line to Murano, the Lido, San Marco and the railway station, the Orange Line through the canals to Guglie, Rialto and Santa Maria del Giglio. Airport to Venice costs €18.00 single and €32.00 return.
- How much is a taxi from Venice Airport?
- Fixed rates apply: €40.00 to Venice (Piazzale Roma), €35.00 to Mestre centre and €45.00 to the cruise ship terminal. The service is run by Cooperativa Artigiana Radiotaxi and operates 24 hours a day.
- What is the easiest option with children or a lot of luggage?
- A pre-booked private transfer, and a water taxi for the last stretch if your address is inside the historic city. With a transfer, the vehicle is chosen in advance for your group and luggage, and the driver waits for you in the arrivals hall.
Photo credits Mariordo (Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz) (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Kihij (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Marc Ryckaert (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Peter K Burian (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Threecharlie (CC BY-SA 3.0)