Venice: Save on vaporetto tickets with a Tourist Travel Card
A Vaporetto pulling into station. Photo: Tom Meyers
By Monica Cesarato in Venice—
Transportation around Venice can be very expensive—and I’m not even talking about using water taxis, which have a pricing system (yikes!) of their own. I am talking about “public transportation,” which in Venice mostly means taking the “vaporetti” (water bus) up and down the Grand Canal.
A single trip on a vaporetto costs €6.50, whether you take the boat for one stop or for a whole Grand Canal tour. Fortunately, however, there is a system designed for tourists that will help you save some serious money.
Tourist Travel Cards
In the last few years ACTV (Venice’s bus and boat system) realized that they had to come up with a tourist transportation card, so they created seven different types of “tourist travel cards,” each valid for a different period of time.
Travel cards are available for 12 hours (€16), 24 hours (€18), 36 hours (€23), 48 hours (€28), 72 hours (€33), three-day youth card (for people between 18-29 years old – €18), and seven-day cards (€50). (Prices are accurate as of March 2010. Visit the ACTV website for current prices.)
With these travel cards you can hop on and off any vaporetto (including those to the islands of Murano, Burano, and Torcello) and on all buses travelling within the city of Venice (including to Mestre and Marco Polo Airport). These cards eliminate the need to queue every time to buy a ticket and to carry change with you.
The tickets are not exactly cheap, but considering you have unlimited use of the transport system, they are well worth it. Just think how much it would cost you if you wanted to visit Murano-Burano and Torcello and you had to pay for each single trip.
Where to buy Tourist transportation tickets
You can buy these transport passes at any vaporetto stop (there are usually ticket offices at the stops, otherwise you can buy on board and the almost always speaks English), in Piazzale Roma (in the ACTV ticket office), or in any tobacco shop that displays the “ACTV” sign.
Tip: Combine transportation and museums in one pass
In 2009, the Comune di Venezia introduced a combined card for transport and museums that can save you up to 25% on a variety of museum passes. The savings varies depending on the period (low season, high season, special events, etc.).
Unfortunately, the card can only be purchased online and must be purchased more than two days before your arrival date in Venice. So the earlier you book it, the greater the saving. For more information and to buy a card, visit http://www.veniceconnected.com.
About the author: Monica Cesarato runs her own B&B on the Riviera del Brenta, just outside Venice. She also blogs about life in Venice and the Italian lifestyle http://www.monicacesarato.com.
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March 9th, 2010 at 7:59 am
The VeniceConnected transport ticket is a bit of a scam to be avoided. They are timed from midnight to midnight and may not be picked up before the date they start, As a result, unless you are within walking didtance of a pick-up point, you have to pay for a full fare trip to get it.
And watch out; make no mistakes when ordering; they make no adjustments.
Also, I have been told that there is a cheaper ‘one-way’ ticket, but I don’t know the details. The website said “Contact Us”, but they did not reoly to my questions.
===gm===
March 9th, 2010 at 11:54 am
Hi GM,
Do you really think it’s a “scam”? I just returned from one week in Venice and wish that I had booked one of these. As it was, I paid 13 euros to get to and from the airport (26 total), plus multiple journeys up and down the canal for 6.50 each. So, I spent almost 50 euros on just a handful of trips on the vaporetti. Had I purchased a one-week pass, it would have cost the same and I would certainly have used the vaporetti more often (and saved some serious energy). I would have probably also headed to the islands.
As for cheaper tickets, it’s true that you can take a small “traghetti” to cross the Grand Canal. Those boats just shoot straight across the canal — not up and down it, and they only cost 50 cents. (The trip usually takes just a minute or two.) I took one of those and quite enjoyed it. It was a sort of “cheapo” gondola ride.
Thanks,
Tom
March 9th, 2010 at 11:55 am
The card is not a scam, it is organised by Venice city. The tickets are valid 24 hours a day. it is true they cannot be picked up before the day they start, but that is due to some logistical reasons to do with the booking system.
The pick-up point are well indicated in their website (so you can see where you can get them before booking) and they are at Marco Polo airport, at Piazzale Roma, At tronchetto and in San Marco. So if you arrive by plane you can collect it at the airport, if you arrive by train you go to Piazzale roma.
There is no cheaper option, the tickets are the same as those that you can buy on site when you arrive, but by booking in advance you get them discounted of up to 25% according to the period you are arriving and the days in advance you are booking.
ciao Monica
March 9th, 2010 at 11:58 am
I bought a tourist card and I didnt have any problems with it. We didnt buy it until two days into our 10 day stay and we used it all the time. We didnt have to wait to pick it up either. We purchased ous at the bus stop in Rialto. the only thing I wish we knew we could have used it for the buses also!! we might have ventured inland a bit!! I thought it was worth every penny!!! Those valporetto tickets are expensive for tourists!!!
March 21st, 2010 at 7:07 am
Hi Monica, could you please specify when the card becomes active? I mean when this hour-count actually starts? If I order a 72-hour card starting from 1 May and I pick it up on that day and I validate it let’s say around 2pm, does it mean that the card will be active until 2 pm on 4 May? Or is it timed from midnight to midnight as it says in the post above? In this case I would only be able to use it on 1, 2 and 3 May but not on 4 May. Many thanks for your reply in advance.
March 21st, 2010 at 3:47 pm
As far as I know it is valid from the first moment you use it, since you have to validate it through a machine. So if you pick a 72 H card at 8 am but only start using it at 2 pm, the card will be valid until 2pm of the day it was supposed to expire. And it does work 24 hours a day, for all the period you book. There are no time limits.
If you have any queries you can write directly to http://www.veniceconnected.com and I am sure they will be happy to answer all your questions.
March 21st, 2010 at 5:29 pm
I would avoid saying “tourist card”; Better be specific and say how you bought it.
I got seven day transport card ahead of time on VeniceConnected and lost half a day because it starts at midnight. For rules see VeniceConnected.com and Actv’s websit.
You might just as well but at any vaporetto stop. ===gm===
March 22nd, 2010 at 9:52 am
Hi Monica. Well, that’s the thing – there is no exact expiry date. There is only the start date and the number of hours you buy it for. And the big question is when this 72-h count starts. If it automatically starts at 00:01 am on 1 May regardless when you actually pick it up and start using it on that day (maybe not before 6 pm), then it will expire at 11:59 pm on 3 May. If the time does not start until you validate the card on 1 May (let’s say 6 pm), then it should be active until 6 pm on 4 May. And this makes difference. The rules on the http://www.veniceconnected.com are unfortunately not very clear if not tricky. But thanks anyway.
March 22nd, 2010 at 2:14 pm
Ok, I have called VeniceConnected myself on +39 0412424 and this is what they explained:
The card is valid from the moment it is picked up from the VeniceConnected Pick up point. So if you have a 72h card and you pick it up at 10.00 am it is valid from that moment for 72 hours or whatever period you have purchased it for.
I agree that the rules are not clear and I have told them they should put this info on their site. Whether they will implement my comment or not, I do not know.
I hope I cleared all doubts
Monica
March 22nd, 2010 at 3:12 pm
That was really helpfull Monica – many thanks. Very kind of you.
March 22nd, 2010 at 11:35 pm
“Signals Off”. I just visited VeniceConnected and the seven day and 72 hour cards are valid from “the time you get them”, so don’t buy ahead of time. It did not say how they count days on the seven day card, but hours are hours and that is clear. I searched for the rules I remember seeing and got a “Page Not Found”. Ditto for hellovenezia.
When I bought my seven day card last Fall, I was advised to keep the receipt in case I was challenged. At the time the card did not have to be validated. I hope the people who check tickes are told what we are told. ===gm===
March 23rd, 2010 at 7:54 am
I am not sure people are actually reading what I write here!!!
1- If you purchase the card on Veniceconnected it is the same card you can buy at the vaporetto in Venice, but by buying it online on their official site you get a discount on the normal price (the price you will pay if you purchase it when you are in Venice) that can arrive up to 25% off if you buy it in advance of a certain amount of days and according to which season you are visiting Venice. Example if a 48 hours card will cost you euro 28.00 if you purchase it in Venice, it will cost you less if you buy it online.
It is exactly the same card, but by buying online it is cheaper!
2- The card is valid from the moment you pick it up from the Veniceconnected point. Read my previous post!
It is valid 12-24-36-48-72 ot 7 days, according to which one you have purchased.
So if you buy a 24 h card and you pick it up at 3pm, it will be valid until 3pm of the day after and so on!
I know the Veniceconnected site is not clear ( I told them), but it seemed I cleared the validity of the card on my previous post!
Ciao a tutti monica
May 18th, 2010 at 5:13 pm
Thanks , the post are really very helpful.
Can you let me if the actv travel cards and venice connected cards are the same.
Also with which card can I combine the Rolling venice card.
May 18th, 2010 at 9:26 pm
I think I have identified a problem of definitions. Monica, would you please chech this for us.
Valid means you can use it.
Cards identifies for a number of hours are valid when you buy them; you can use the at once or later.
Cards identified by days are valid only for those days, measured midnight to midnight.
Cards identified for hours, are valid when you buy them, and their starting time is established when you first use them by “Authenticating” them at the machine on the dock or in the bus. That starts the clock for their use, and their validity will expire the set number of hours later.
Monica, please confirm or correct. ===gm===
May 19th, 2010 at 2:15 am
The Veniceconnected card is the ACTV card which can/must be bought in advance to get a discount on it. The rolling card is a card which can be purchased only for people 14-29, it cost 4 euro and allows the poeple who purchase it to get a 3 day youth card for 18 euros which cover the vaporetti and buses. So people who are 14-29 can use a 3 day transport card at the total cost of euro 22 (rolling card + transport card)
May 19th, 2010 at 9:55 am
Thanks again for your reply.
I suppose we will get the card in Venice itself, due to the ash could problem in Europe.
Can you let me if we can get the cards (Venice connected and rolling Venice) at Piazzale Roma or any tobacco shops with ‘ACTV’ signs.
May 19th, 2010 at 10:08 am
The Venice connected can only be booked online. The normal transport card (no discount) can be bought at any tabaconist which sells ACTv tockets and at any ACTv office and at any vaporetto stops. The rolling card can only be bought in piazzale Roma at the Hello Venezia shop.
July 1st, 2010 at 11:15 pm
Is there any discount for the transport card for an 11-year old child available?
July 20th, 2010 at 12:26 am
Hi!
Does the line#1 and line#2 vaporetto run 24 hours? If not, from what time to what time does it run?
Thanks.