Getting To Venice

Venice is one of the country’s most accessible cities and wherever you are beginning your journey from, you should be able to find a relatively easy means of getting here. Air travel to Venice Marco Polo Airport is the most popular means of arriving at the city, while other visitors choose to get here by train, bus or car. Good road connections make travelling by bus or car decent options, while rail connections to a large number of national and European cities also make the train a viable option.

By car

Travelling from east or west of the city, the A4 motorway provides principle access to Venice, connecting Turin with Trieste and going via Milan and Mestre. From France, the Mont Blanc tunnel at Chamonix provides the main point of entry, while from Austria, it’s the Brenner Pass, and from Switzerland, the Grand St Bernard tunnel. Cars drive on the right hand side of the road in Italy and visitors are warned that parking in the city is astronomically expensive.

By rail

Rail connections are available between a large number of Italian cities and some European cities, with Venice's station being the Stazione di Santa Lucia. Services from Verona, Bologna, Padua and Milan as well as from Switzerland and France operate regularly and provide speedy and efficient services. From Paris, the journey via Milan takes a total of 9 hours, 30 minutes. Services are also available from Slovenia, Croatia and Hungary and require a change at Trieste. It’s also possible to take the train all the way from London, although changes are required en-route.

By bus

Buses operated by Eurolines connect a large number of European cities with Venice; visit their website at: www.eurolines.it for more details. ATVO, a local Italian company, provides services from regional cities such as Treviso, Verona, Padua and Milan; more information is available at their website: www.atvo.it.

By air

Venice Marco Polo Airport is the chief air facility serving the city and it handles a large number of flights by many major international airlines. Major airlines operating from Venice include Alitalia (Italy’s national carrier), British Airways, Continental Airlines, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, American Airlines, Thai Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines, Malaysia Air, Qantas, United Airlines and US Airways.

By ferry

Ferries operated by Venezia Line are available from the Croatian ports of Pirano, Pula, Porec, Rabac, Rovinj and Opatija; for more details, visit their website at: www.venezialines.com. Alternatively, there are services from the Greek port of Patras operated by Minoan Ferries; from Corfu with Anek and services from Igoumenitsa operated by both companies. Services from the Italian ports of Rimini, Rovigno and Lussino are also operated by Venezia Lines. If you are brave enough, you can take the ferry from the UK to France then drive to Italy, but this is a long journey to say the least.

Venice Marco Polo Airport

Venice Marco Polo Airport is situated about 13kms from the city centre and is a busy facility, which is considered among northern Italy’s most important airports. Flights at Venice Marco Polo Airport operate to and from a large number of EU cities such as London, Paris, Barcelona and Vienna as well international destinations. There is a single terminal in which the ground floor is dedicated to handling arrivals and the first floor to departures; a third floor offers VIP lounges and a business centre. The airport is well equipped with passenger facilities, which include essentials such as a bureau de change and cash machines as well as a bank and a full service post office. Cafés, restaurants, fast-food outlets and bars provide food and beverages, while both duty-free and regular shopping outlets are on hand.

Venice airport transportation

Train services connect the airport with the city, with the Leonardo Express operating every 30 minutes to Termini and the metropolitan train FM1 operating to Fara Sabina, Poggio Mirteto and Orte. A boat service is operated by Alilaguna hydrofoil and runs to the city via Lido with a journey time of about an hour.

Taxis are available from outside the arrivals area of the terminal building and are easily recongnisable by their yellow colour. The journey by road into the city also takes about an hour. By hire car, you can take the A4 into the city, with the route being well signposted.