What is the distance from Venice Airport to the centre of Venice and Mestre?
Venice was built on small islands. The only access road is the Freedom Bridge (Ponte della Libertà) which connects the city with the mainland of Italy. A ride to and from the airport takes 15 to 20 minutes, the distance is 13 kilometres / 8.1 miles. Travel time to Mestre is 15 minutes, the distance is 10 kilometres / 6.2 miles. Mestre is on the mainland and belongs to the municipality of Venice, it is a less expensive alternative to Venice.
From VCE Airport to Venice City centre by Taxi
Public transport
Bus to Venice
There are two popular bus connections between Venice Airport and the Piazzale Roma square in Venice. Bus line 5 of Actv runs every 15 minutes, whereas Venice Airport Bus Express of ATVO (Linea 35) leaves every 20 to 30 minutes to and from Venice Airport. Actv is the public transport company of the city of Venice, while ATVO is responsible for public transport in the province of Venice. Buses of Actv run a little more often, but don’t offer a direct service (non-stop) like the bus provider ATVO. Travel time with bus line 5 is 25 minutes, it’s only 20 minutes with Venice Airport Bus Express. The price is the same for both bus services, € 10.00 for a single ticket and € 18.00 for a return. You can buy tickets from the ticket counters and machines at the airport. However, buying tickets online is faster and easier.
The two transport companies also offer a bus service to the railway station of Mestre, namely bus line 15 of Actv (23 minutes) and bus Mestre Express of ATVO (17 minutes). The price for a single ride is € 10.00, sharing a taxi with a few people is not much more expensive. The bus stops at Venice Airport are located in front of the terminal, a 2-minute walk from the Arrivals hall. If you have any questions, you can contact the Public Transport Tickets Office at the airport and employees of the bus companies present at the bus stops. Please consult timetable bus line 5 Actv and timetable Venice Airport Bus Express for more information. No stress, book tickets for the Venice Airport Bus Express to Piazzale Roma ahead of time.
Bus stops at Venice Airport, from right to left:
A – Pordenone, operated by ATVO
B – Beaches (including Lido di Jesolo), operated by ATVO
C – Venice, operated by ATVO (Venice Airport Bus Express, line 35)
D – Mestre, operated by ATVO (Mestre Express, line 35B)
E – Mestre, operated by Actv (bus line 15)
F – Venice, operated by Actv (bus line 5)
G – Ca’ Noghera – Favaro, operated by Actv (bus line 45)
H – Sottomarina and Chioggia, operated by Arriva Veneto
I – Padua, operated by BusItalia Veneto (bus E015)
Boat to Venice (Alilaguna water shuttle)
Do you want to arrive in style, then you can choose to travel with the orange, blue or red line of the Alilaguna water shuttle. From the terminal it’s a 7-minute walk to the airport dockyard (Darsena Docks, 12A and 12B), Alilaguna water shuttles leave from here. There are several places in Venice where you can get off the boat and the journey time varies from 30 minutes (Madonna dell’Orto) to 70 minutes (San Marco). The red line of Alilaguna is a seasonal service and doesn’t operate during the winter months. It is wise to take some time beforehand to consider what stop is closest to your hotel or apartment and which line stops there.
Tickets for the boat can be purchased online and at the airport, you can save time by buying tickets online. Children up to 5 years travel for free when accompanied by an adult. Every passenger is allowed to bring one piece of hand baggage and one piece of checked baggage, an extra suitcase costs € 3.00. You can also choose for the Alilaguna water shuttle if you want to travel to the islands of Murano (€ 8.00) and Lido (€ 15.00). Return tickets are valid for 30 days. Please consult website and timetable Alilaguna water shuttle for more information. You can quickly and easily book tickets for the Alilaguna water shuttle to your hotel via Tiqets.
| Prices | Single | Return |
| Adults | € 15 | € 27 |
| Children from 6 years | € 15 | € 27 |
Public transportation in Venice
Venice is a car-free city. Buses, trams (T1 Mestre – Venice), trains and taxis run to the city, but not in the city. In Venice, you can go on foot, by water taxi or public transport (Vaporetto water shuttle lines). The most frequently used boat lines by locals and tourists are on Canale Grande, namely line 1 between Piazzale Roma, San Marco and Lido S.M.E. and line 2 between Piazzale Roma and San Marco. Some popular stops are Piazzale Roma (bus and train station), Rialto, San Marco and Tronchetto (car park). The price of a ticket for 75 minutes is € 9.50. Day tickets for public transport (Vaporetto and bus) in Venice, Murano, Burano, Torcello, Lido and Mestre are available for 1 day (€ 25), 2 days (€ 35), 3 days (€ 45) and 7 days (€ 65).
How expensive is a gondola ride in Venice?
The price for a private gondola ride of 30 to 35 minutes is € 80 during the day and € 100 in the evening (after 19:00 hours). Usually, six people can fit in a gondola, so you have to take into account € 15 per person. You can also get into a public gondola (Traghetto) at various places in Venice to go from one side of Canale Grande to the other. This does not take more than a few minutes, the price for tourists is € 2.00, residents of Venice pay € 0.70.
Top 5 activities in Venice
1. Airport transfer: Venice Airport Bus Express
2. Doge’s Palace and St Mark’s Basilica skip-the-line Tour
3. Unique half-hour gondola ride
4. Teatro La Fenice – ticket with audio guide
5. Boat trip to the islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello
Bus services
BusItalia Veneto to Padua
It is possible to travel directly by bus from Venice Airport to Padua. Padua, also known as Padova, is one of the larger cities in Italy and like Venice located in the Veneto region. Every half an hour to an hour a bus of BusItalia Veneto departs from Venice Airport (Tessera Aeroporto) to the central bus station in Padua (Padova Autostazione), next to the main railway station. Bus E015 runs via Piazzale Roma in Venice and some stops in Marghera to Padua. Travel time from Venice Airport to the bus and train station just north of Padua’s city centre is 1 hour and 5 minutes. The penultimate stop after about 60 minutes is the exhibition centre PadovaFiera. The price of a bus ticket is € 10.00. Please consult website and timetable bus E015 for more information.
Car sharing
There is no car sharing service available at the airport. If you are planning to rent a car in Venice, take a look at our car rental tips and see the full list of car rental companies at Venice Airport!
