Venice Marco Polo Airport (LIPZ/VCE)
Venezia (VE), Italy
Venice Airline Crew Layover Guide
Reviewed by Captain AL
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The VCE crew card
| Fastest into town | ACTV bus line 5 from outside the terminal to Piazzale Roma, the road head of the old city: 24 minutes for a single fare of EUR 10,00. Buses leave the airport every 15 minutes from 06:55 to 21:10 Monday to Saturday, every 20 minutes from 07:10 to 21:10 on Sundays and public holidays, and every 30 minutes at both ends of the day, from 05:10 to 06:40 in the morning and from 21:10 to the last bus at night |
|---|---|
| First and last | Line 5 covers almost the whole clock and keeps the same first and last on every day of the week: first bus from the airport 04:08, last 01:10. The water route stops much earlier, with the last Alilaguna Blue Line boat leaving the airport at 00:20 and the last one back from San Marco Giardinetti at 21:46 |
| Payments | Airport bus tickets are a separate product from ordinary city tickets. The ACTV airport fare is EUR 10,00 single and EUR 18,00 return; the EUR 1,50 city bus ticket and the EUR 9,50 city travel ticket both exclude any journey to or from Marco Polo, and a 1, 2, 3 or 7 day pass only covers the airport if you buy the supplement of EUR 7,00 one way or EUR 13,00 return at the same time |
| Tap water | Safe to drink |
| Emergency | 112 (Italian national and Veneto regional numbers, plus the two airport desks at VCE) · non-emergency +39 041 2692411 |
| Solo & at night | Road taxis wait at the terminal entrance on the ground floor, run by Cooperativa Artigiana Radiotaxi on +39 041 5964, a service available 24 hours a day, and the fare to Piazzale Roma is a fixed EUR 40,00 rather than a meter reading |
| Crew knows | An ordinary city ticket does not work on the airport run. The plain bus ticket and the city travel ticket both exclude every journey to or from Marco Polo, and a day pass covers the airport bus only if you bought the airport supplement at the same time as the pass, never afterwards. Watch the way back as well. The last boats to the airport leave the centre in the evening, hours before the last bus out of Piazzale Roma, which runs past midnight. |
| Crew deals | Verified car rental and hotel rates for airline staff: on this page, right below this guide. |
airlinecrewdiscount.net · VCE crew card · Checked Sep 2026 · Next check Sep 2026 · Screenshot this card for offline
Every number on this page comes from an official source. Where no official source gives a number, we say so instead of guessing.
Getting from Venice Marco Polo Airport into Venice: the Aerobus to Piazzale Roma, the Alilaguna water bus, or a fixed-rate taxi?
Venice splits the airport run into two completely different products. The land route ends at Piazzale Roma, where the road stops and the city begins, and it is quick and cheap. The water route sails you into the lagoon and drops you nearer the sights, but it costs more and takes two to three times as long. Pick one before you leave the terminal, because the tickets are not interchangeable. On Sunday 6 September, boat services are changed or suspended from 14:00 to 19:30 for the Regata Storica, with no navigation in the Grand Canal or St Mark’s Basin.
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| Mode | Time | Cost | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bus (ACTV line 5, the Aerobus, to Piazzale Roma) | 24 minutes from the airport to Piazzale Roma, the same on weekdays, Sundays and public holidays every 15 minutes from 06:55 to 21:10 Monday to Saturday, every 20 minutes from 07:10 to 21:10 on Sundays and public holidays, and every 30 minutes at both ends of the day, from 05:10 to 06:40 in the morning and from 21:10 to 01:10 at night. The first bus of the day leaves at 04:08 and the next one is the 05:10; the last leaves at 01:10 |
EUR 10,00 single and EUR 18,00 return, each journey valid 75 minutes from validation with transfers on the mainland road and tram network. A separate EUR 18,00 ticket buys one airport journey plus 90 minutes on the whole urban network including the waterbus; the EUR 18,00 return does not cover the waterbus. | Line 5 is the cheapest way into the old city. Buy before boarding at the ticket machines in the baggage claim area, at the public transport ticket office in the arrivals hall or at the stop, and validate at the start of the journey and again each time you change vehicle. Piazzale Roma is where the road ends; from there Venezia Santa Lucia station is a walk of about 10 minutes over the Ponte della Costituzione. Line 15 runs the same fare to Venezia Mestre station instead. |
| Bus (ATVO Venice Airport Bus Express, line 35 to Piazzale Roma) | 20 minutes, run as an express with no intermediate stops every day. From the airport first 06:00, then 06:50 and every 30 minutes to 23:50, then 00:20 and a last departure at 01:10. From Piazzale Roma first 04:20, last 00:40 |
EUR 12,00 single and EUR 20,00 return, luggage included. A regional fare table still prints EUR 10,00 single and EUR 18,00 return for the same trip, so carry the higher amount and expect either. | Board at Exit D, second lane, on the left, stop number 3 for Venice and number 4 for Mestre. Buy from the ATVO machines in the baggage claim area, from the ticket office in the arrivals hall, open 08:00 to 23:45, or on board. Baggage is carried at no extra cost and the airport buses have free Wi-Fi. Line 35b is the sister run to Venezia Mestre station, also 20 minutes. |
| Water bus (Alilaguna Orange Line, airport to the Grand Canal) | 57 minutes from the airport to Rialto and 73 minutes to Santa Maria del Giglio on the daytime sailings; the late evening sailings add a call at Fondamente Nove and take about 64 minutes to Rialto every 30 minutes from the airport, first 08:35 and last 23:05, with a gap between 21:05 and 22:05; the last sailing back to the airport leaves Santa Maria del Giglio at 19:15 |
EUR 18,00 single and EUR 32,00 return between the airport and Venice, including one hold bag and one piece of hand luggage; each extra bag is EUR 4,00 | This is the line that puts you on the Grand Canal, calling at Madonna dell’Orto, Guglie, San Stae, Rialto, Sant’Angelo, Ca’ Rezzonico and Santa Maria del Giglio. It is a scheduled service and not a transfer: the operator states the boats make every stop on the route, and a single ticket covers one continuous journey only, so you cannot hop off and rejoin on the same ticket. |
| Water bus (Alilaguna Blue Line, airport to Murano, Lido, San Marco and the railway station) | 81 minutes from the airport to San Zaccaria and 85 minutes to San Marco Giardinetti; the run through to the railway station takes 114 minutes hourly from the first sailing at 05:20, then every 30 minutes from 09:50 to 22:20, then 23:20, 23:50 and a last sailing at 00:20. Last sailing back to the airport leaves San Marco Giardinetti at 21:46 and the railway station at 21:15 |
EUR 18,00 single and EUR 32,00 return between the airport and Venice; the airport to Murano leg alone is EUR 10,00 single and EUR 18,00 return | The long way round, calling at Murano Colonna, Fondamente Nove, Ospedale, Bacini, Lido, Arsenale, San Zaccaria, San Marco Giardinetti, Zattere, Giudecca Stucky, Tronchetto and finally the railway station. Worth it only if Murano or the Lido is the point of the trip; for the centre the Orange Line or the bus is faster. A summer seasonal Red Line covers a shorter version of the same water, leaving the airport at 08:50 and then hourly from 10:10 to 17:10. |
| Taxi (road) | 24 hours a day | fixed rates apply for journeys to and from the airport: EUR 40,00 to Venice (Piazzale Roma), EUR 35,00 to Mestre centre and EUR 45,00 to the cruise ship terminal | The rank is run by Cooperativa Artigiana Radiotaxi on +39 041 5964 and sits at the terminal entrance on the ground floor, with the bus stops just beyond it. A road taxi can only reach Piazzale Roma, so it is a fixed price to the edge of the old city and not to your door. Private motorboats are a separate business run by named operators. The airport does not publish motorboat prices and tells passengers to contact the operator or ask a member of staff before boarding, so agree the fare before you step on the boat. |
Best Areas for Crew Stays in Venice, from Piazzale Roma and San Marco out to Mestre on the mainland
Piazzale Roma and Santa Croce: Where every bus and taxi from the airport stops and the old city starts on foot; functional rather than pretty, but it is the hinge of any short layover.
San Marco: The basilica, the campanile and the square everyone pictures, plus the densest crowds and the highest prices in the city.
Cannaregio: The long northern quarter the Orange Line reaches first, with the old Jewish quarter, canal-side bars and streets people actually live on.
Dorsoduro: The gallery side of the Grand Canal, quieter in the evening, with the Zattere waterfront for a walk that is not shoulder to shoulder.
Mestre: The mainland town by the airport, where most of the affordable hotel stock sits, but not the Venice you came to see.
What to Do on a Layover in Venice, from a short sit airside to a full day between San Marco and Dorsoduro
Under 5 hours: Stay airside. The bus is quick, but Venice is slow once you land in it, and the walk from Piazzale Roma to anything worth seeing eats the margin. Terminal Wi-Fi is free and there are free water points.
5 to 9 hours: One clean move: bus line 5 to Piazzale Roma, walk in as far as Rialto or the Frari, and the same bus back. Fix the return departure in your head before you cross the first bridge, because the alleys will happily take an extra half hour off you.
9 hours plus: Now the water is worth paying for. Take the Orange Line in along the Grand Canal, spend the day on foot between San Marco and Dorsoduro, and come back on the bus, which runs far later than the boats do.
Crew Tips for Venice and Marco Polo Airport: the separate airport ticket, the visitor access fee, and what high water does to the boats
The airport bus fare is a separate ticket: Do not buy an ordinary city ticket and expect it to work. The standard EUR 1,50 bus and tram ticket and the EUR 9,50 combined city ticket both explicitly exclude any journey starting or ending at Venice Marco Polo. The airport fare on ACTV routes 5 and 15 is EUR 10,00 single or EUR 18,00 return, each journey valid 75 minutes with transfers. If you already hold a 1, 2, 3 or 7 day pass, it only covers the airport bus if you bought the supplement of EUR 7,00 one way or EUR 13,00 return at the same time as the pass. Validate at the start of the journey and again every time you change vehicle: being on board without a valid ticket means paying the fare plus an administrative penalty.
The boat is not a fast transfer: Alilaguna is a scheduled water bus, not a shuttle. The airport operator states plainly that the service is not direct and stops everywhere on its route, and that a one-way ticket is valid for one continuous journey only, so you cannot get off at Rialto and rejoin later on the same ticket; for that you need the 24 hour ticket at EUR 40,00 or longer, and those are sold at ticket offices only. Airport to Rialto is 57 minutes on the Orange Line and airport to San Marco is 85 minutes on the Blue Line, against 20 minutes on the ATVO express and 24 minutes on ACTV line 5 to Piazzale Roma. Take the water because you want the arrival, not because you are in a hurry.
Venice charges visitors an access fee on set dates: The city charges an access fee to the historic centre on certain days, set and collected by the Municipality of Venice and not by any transport operator. The only officially published 2026 window ran from 3 April to 26 July and has closed, and no later dates are published by any official source we can read. The city can set new ones, so check the city’s own access fee portal before you head in, and do not take a number from a booking site.
High water and fog stop the boats, not the buses: The water network is weather dependent in a way the road network is not. AVM and ACTV state that in fog, or when the tide runs above 95 cm above sea level, the waterborne services are modified according to a plan agreed with the city. Changes go out through the operator’s Infomobility page, the panels at the landing stages and the call centre on +39 041 041. If you have a report time to make and the forecast is ugly, take the bus to Piazzale Roma and walk, because the bus keeps running when the boats are rerouted.
Left luggage at the airport: There is a luggage store on the ground floor outside the terminal building, next to Entrance 1, run by the Trasbagagli cooperative rather than by the airport. Book it on +39 041 4581667 or by email to [email protected]. The airport publishes no price and no opening hours for it and refers passengers to the operator, so call ahead rather than turning up with a full crew bag and an hour to spare.
Connectivity and refills in the terminal: The airport runs a free network called Venezia Airport Free WiFi across every area of the passenger terminal, with no time limit and no registration: pick it from the list and a welcome page opens by itself. Free drinking water dispensers, microfiltered and available chilled or at room temperature, are in Schengen and non-Schengen departures and in the arrivals area, so fill the crew bottle before you go anywhere near a Venetian cafe price list.
Emergency Numbers for Venice, the Veneto Region, and Italy
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| Emergency (police, Carabinieri, fire, coast guard, ambulance) | 112 |
| Non-urgent medical care and out-of-hours doctor, Veneto region, free and 24/7 | 116117 |
| First aid station, Venice Marco Polo Airport | +39 041 2605385 |
| Border Police at Venice Marco Polo Airport (theft or documents, non-emergency) | +39 041 2692411 |
| Italy country code (calling from abroad) | +39 |
Save these before you fly; numbers work from any phone.
How do I get from Venice airport to the city centre?
Take ACTV bus line 5, the Aerobus, from outside the terminal to Piazzale Roma, where the road ends and the old city starts. The ride is 24 minutes and the single fare is EUR 10,00. Buses leave the airport every 15 minutes from 06:55 to 21:10 Monday to Saturday, every 20 minutes on Sundays and public holidays, and every 30 minutes early in the morning and after 21:10. ATVO also runs an express coach on the same corridor that takes 20 minutes. If you would rather arrive by water, Alilaguna sails from the airport dock instead, but it takes 57 minutes to Rialto and costs EUR 18,00.
How much is the bus from Venice Marco Polo airport to Venice?
The ACTV airport fare is EUR 10,00 single and EUR 18,00 return, each journey valid 75 minutes from validation. The ATVO express is EUR 12,00 single and EUR 20,00 return with luggage included, while a regional fare table still prints EUR 10,00 and EUR 18,00 for the same trip, so budget for the higher figure. Ordinary city tickets do not work: the EUR 1,50 bus ticket and the EUR 9,50 city ticket both exclude the airport.
How long does the Alilaguna water bus take from Venice airport to Venice?
It depends on the line. The Orange Line reaches Rialto in 57 minutes and Santa Maria del Giglio in 73 minutes. The Blue Line takes 81 minutes to San Zaccaria, 85 minutes to San Marco Giardinetti and 114 minutes through to the railway station. Both cost EUR 18,00 single and EUR 32,00 return, including one hold bag and one piece of hand luggage, with EUR 4,00 for each extra bag.
How much is a taxi from Venice airport to Venice?
Road taxis run on fixed airport rates rather than the meter: EUR 40,00 to Venice at Piazzale Roma, EUR 35,00 to Mestre centre and EUR 45,00 to the cruise ship terminal. The rank is at the terminal entrance on the ground floor and the service runs 24 hours a day on +39 041 5964. Private motorboats are a different business and the airport publishes no price for them, so ask the operator before you board.
Is tap water safe to drink in Venice?
Yes. Veritas, the water utility for Venice, states that its drinking water comes largely from wells reaching 300 metres, is closely monitored and safe, and that all measured parameters comply with the legal limits, with independent checks by the regional environment agency and the local health authority. The airport also has free drinking water dispensers in departures and arrivals.
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