From Venice’s airports to the centre
1 h route4 stopsBest: All yearUpdated July 2026
In Venice there’s one thing to understand before deciding how to arrive: there are no cars. None. The airport buses, the road taxis and private cars all end at Piazzale Roma, which is literally where the tarmac stops. From there it’s either the vaporetto or on foot.
That changes the calculation compared with any other city: what matters isn’t how long the transfer takes, but how far your hotel is from the last point your chosen transport can reach, and how many stepped bridges lie between.
The route, stop by stop
4 STOPS- 01
The bus, quick and cheap
From Marco Polo there are two road services, the ATVO express and ACTV’s Aerobus, and both do the same thing: reach Piazzale Roma in about twenty to twenty-five minutes with frequent departures. It’s the fastest and cheapest option.
The detail to weigh is what comes next. If your hotel is in Cannaregio or near the Rialto, from Piazzale Roma you can walk or take one vaporetto stop.
If it’s in Castello, at the far end, the walk with a case over stepped bridges can be considerable: better to add the vaporetto.
- 02
The Alilaguna, which arrives by water
The Alilaguna, a scheduled boat service, leaves from the airport dock, about seven minutes’ walk from the terminal, and crosses the lagoon to several points in the centre: St Mark’s, Rialto, Fondamente Nove, Murano, depending on the line. It takes between an hour and an hour and a half. It’s considerably slower than the bus and not always cheaper, but it has two advantages: it drops you near your hotel without going via Piazzale Roma or changing transport, and arriving in Venice by water, watching the city appear out of the lagoon, is a way of arriving you don’t forget.
- 03
If you land in Treviso
Several low-cost airlines fly to Treviso and sell it as Venice. It’s some forty kilometres away, in another province, and the ATVO bus transfer to Piazzale Roma takes its time.
That isn’t a problem if you know when booking: the bus is coordinated with flights and works well. What you don’t want is to land thinking you’re on the lagoon.
And mind the timetable: frequency is far lower than at Marco Polo, so if your flight is delayed, check the last departure.
- 04
The water taxi, the indulgence
The mahogany launches leaving the airport dock are the only transport capable of putting you literally at your hotel door, if the hotel has a canal entrance. They go direct, in about thirty minutes, with the luggage aboard and not carried over a single bridge. It’s by far the most expensive thing in the city and is booked at the official desk on the dock or in advance. For a group of four with cases, split between them, it stops being so disproportionate, and plenty of people do it once, on arrival, and go back by bus.
Frequently asked
How do you get from Venice airport to the centre?
From Marco Polo, by bus to Piazzale Roma in about twenty to twenty-five minutes, the fastest and cheapest, or on the Alilaguna boat, which takes an hour to an hour and a half but comes in across the lagoon and calls at several points in the centre. The water taxi is the only thing that reaches the hotel door.
Is Treviso airport in Venice?
No. It’s some forty kilometres away and is used by several low-cost airlines that sell it as Venice. There’s an ATVO bus to Piazzale Roma coordinated with flights, but frequency is far lower than at Marco Polo: check the timetable, especially the last departure.