Venice has two airports. Marco Polo is on the mainland, 12 km from Piazzale Roma, while Treviso is around 30 km north of the city and mainly serves Ryanair and Wizz Air. From Marco Polo, you can either cross the bridge to Piazzale Roma by road or arrive by boat across the lagoon.
Cars and buses can’t go any further than Piazzale Roma. From there, you walk or take a vaporetto, so the best transfer depends on where in Venice your hotel is.
ATVO’s airport bus fares increased on 1 September 2026 and now cost €12 from Marco Polo and €14 from Treviso. Here, I cover the options from both airports, including prices, journey times and my advice on which to choose.
Contents
1. ATVO bus to Piazzale Roma
ATVO’s route 35 express bus runs non-stop from Marco Polo to Piazzale Roma in 20 minutes. It’s the quickest and simplest option if your hotel is in Santa Croce, San Polo, Dorsoduro or Cannaregio, where you can walk or take a vaporetto for the last part of the journey.
Prices and tickets
A single ticket costs €12 and a return costs €20. Luggage is included, and the price is the same if you buy your ticket on the bus.
You can buy tickets from ATVO’s machines by the baggage carousels, the ticket office in arrivals, the machines by the buses or the ATVO app. You can also buy your ATVO bus ticket here, so it’s on your phone when you land.
Departures and journey time
Buses leave the airport at 04:20, 05:00, 05:40 and 06:20, then every 30 minutes from 06:50 to 23:20. The last departure is at 00:40. The buses stop in the second lane outside arrivals; just follow the ATVO signs.
The timetable changes several times a year, so check ATVO’s airport bus page if you’re arriving very early or late.
2. ACTV bus route 5 (Aerobus)
Public bus route 5 follows the same route to Piazzale Roma in around 25 minutes, with stops along the way. A single ticket costs €10 and a return €18. The airport isn’t covered by ordinary ACTV tickets or day passes, so you need a specific airport ticket.
The advantage is the combined ticket. For €18, you get the bus journey followed by 90 minutes on the vaporetto. A separate vaporetto ticket costs €9.50, so you save €3.50 compared with the ATVO bus plus a vaporetto ticket.
Route 5 runs every 15 minutes during the day on weekdays, every 20 minutes on Sundays and public holidays, and every 30 minutes in the evening. The first bus from the airport leaves at 04:08 and the last at 01:10. You’ll find the fares on ACTV’s website.
If you’re buying a vaporetto day pass anyway, you can combine it with your airport transfer through Venezia Unica. Without the airport transfer, a pass costs €25 for one day, €35 for two and €45 for three.
3. Alilaguna: the boat across the lagoon
Alilaguna is the airport water bus, taking you into Venice without a change. It’s the best option for staying near San Marco, in Castello, on Lido or on Murano, and it’s a lovely way to arrive in the city.
From arrivals, go up to the departures level and follow the signs for Darsena, the airport boat terminal. The covered walkway with moving walkways takes 7 to 10 minutes.
The routes
- Blue line (Linea Blu): Murano, Fondamente Nove, Lido, San Zaccaria and San Marco. Allow around 30 minutes to Murano, 40 minutes to Fondamente Nove, just over an hour to Lido and almost an hour and a half to San Marco.
- Orange line (Linea Arancio): Madonna dell’Orto, Guglie in Cannaregio, San Stae, Rialto and Santa Maria del Giglio. Allow around 40 minutes to Guglie and an hour to Rialto.
- Red line (Linea Rossa): A seasonal route running from April to November to Murano, Lido and San Marco.
Prices and tickets
A single ticket between the airport and Venice costs €18 and a return €32. The journey to Murano costs €10. One large suitcase and one item of hand luggage are included; extra bags cost €4 each, and children under 6 travel free. You’ll find the fares on Alilaguna’s website.
You can buy your Alilaguna ticket here or at the ticket office by the quay.
The boat isn’t quick. Rialto and San Marco take an hour or more, and the bus plus vaporetto is often just as fast. But you won’t have to change with your suitcases, and you’ll arrive near your hotel.
4. Water taxi
A private water taxi is the most expensive but also the most memorable way to arrive in Venice. It leaves from the same boat terminal as Alilaguna and drops you at your hotel’s own landing stage, or as close as the canals allow. The journey takes 30 to 40 minutes.
The airport doesn’t publish a fixed fare, but allow around €190 or more for the whole boat. At Consorzio Motoscafi Venezia, which the airport itself recommends, the price covers up to four people with four suitcases. Each additional passenger costs €10, and there’s a €15 night supplement between 22:00 and 07:00.
You can book a private water taxi from the airport here. Prices start at around €215 for a boat carrying up to six people.
For two people, there’s also a shared water taxi from the airport, with prices starting at around €39 per person. You’ll share with other travellers, so the journey can take up to an hour and a half.
5. Taxi to Piazzale Roma
An ordinary taxi has a fixed fare from Marco Polo: €40 to Piazzale Roma and €35 to central Mestre. Piazzale Roma takes around 20 minutes. The fares are listed on the airport’s taxi page.
For four people, a taxi is actually cheaper than the bus, and there’s no wait for the next departure. Just remember that taxis can’t go any further than Piazzale Roma either.
6. To Mestre and onwards by train
For a stay in Mestre on the mainland, or an onward train journey, ATVO route 35b reaches Mestre station in 20 minutes for €12. You can buy your ticket for the Mestre bus here. ACTV route 15 covers the same journey in around 25 minutes for €10, but only runs every 30 minutes and finishes early in the evening.
There are no trains to the airport itself yet. The railway is under construction, and the Italian state railway says on the project page that it will open in stages from 2027.
From Mestre, trains continue across northern Italy. For travelling north or west after Venice, I’ve written guides to where to stay in the Dolomites and where to stay in Lake Garda.
7. From Treviso Airport to Venice
Treviso Airport is officially called Antonio Canova. There are no boat services from here, so you’ll need a bus, train or taxi to Mestre or Piazzale Roma.
The ATVO bus
ATVO route 351 reaches Mestre station in 30 minutes and Piazzale Roma in 40 minutes. Since 10 August 2026, the bus has used the motorway, making the journey shorter than older guides suggest. A single costs €14 and a return €24.
Departures are timed to match flights, so a bus is usually waiting when you come out. On 1 July 2026, the stop moved to Via delle Canevare; follow the signposted path across the footbridge from arrivals. You can buy your ticket for the Treviso bus here or check the timetable on ATVO’s Treviso bus page.
Barzi Service
Barzi Service is the cheaper alternative. A single costs €10 and a return €18, and children under 10 travel free. The bus reaches Mestre station in around 30 minutes and Tronchetto in around 40 minutes. The timetable is on Barzi Service’s website.
From Tronchetto, take the People Mover, a small driverless train, to Piazzale Roma. It takes 4 minutes and costs €1.50.
Bus and train via Treviso
The AirLink bus runs every 30 minutes from the airport to Treviso Centrale station, taking around 10 minutes. From there, a regional train takes just over half an hour to Venezia Santa Lucia, with train tickets from around €4. It’s the cheapest option, but also involves the most changes.
A taxi from Treviso Airport to Piazzale Roma costs around €76.
Which option should you choose?
Here’s what I’d recommend for the most common situations:
Staying in Santa Croce, San Polo, Dorsoduro or Cannaregio: Take the ATVO bus to Piazzale Roma for €12. For an onward vaporetto journey, ACTV’s €18 combined ticket is cheaper.
Staying near San Marco, in Castello, on Lido or on Murano: Take Alilaguna for €18 to Venice or €10 to Murano. It’s slower, but gets you almost to the door.
Travelling as three or four people: A taxi to Piazzale Roma costs €40 and is quicker than waiting for the bus.
Visiting for a special occasion: Book a private water taxi. It’s expensive, but arriving through the canals is an experience in itself.
Arriving late: The last ATVO bus leaves at 00:40 and the last ACTV bus at 01:10. After that, a taxi is the realistic option.
Landing at Treviso: Take the ATVO bus to Piazzale Roma. It takes 40 minutes, with departures matched to flights.
Practical tips for Venice airport transfers
Include the vaporetto in your budget. A single costs €9.50 and is valid for 75 minutes. For more than two boat trips in a day, a €25 day pass can pay off.
Pack light. Venice is full of bridges with steps, and there are no cars or road taxis in the city. Choose a hotel near a vaporetto stop if you’re travelling with large suitcases.
The access fee isn’t currently being charged. In 2026, Venice’s day-tripper fee applied only on selected dates up to 26 July, and no decision has yet been made for 2027. Check the city’s official access fee website for updates.
Choose your hotel with the transfer in mind. Near Piazzale Roma, you could be at your hotel half an hour after boarding the bus. You can see places to stay near Piazzale Roma here. Hotels in Mestre are usually cheaper; you can see places to stay in Mestre here.
For help choosing the right area, I’ve written a guide to where to stay in Venice.
Travel ressources & websites I use all the time 👇
• Booking.com has the best offers on hotels and unique places to stay
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• Welcome Pickups is the best & safest place to pre-book airport transfers
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