As you know, Venice is an unusual city, it’s entirely built on water and it’s crossed by waterways, on which vaporettos, gondolas and other boats sail. Venice also has its public transport, which is definitely not on wheels!
Let’s face it, visiting Venice is a one-of-a-kind experience, not just because it’s an open-air museum itself, but because it’s the only city on earth where you can’t drive a car.

We know that it’s hard to believe, in fact, there are still many people asking how to get to St. Mark’s Square by car or bus, which is absolutely not possible. But don’t worry, in this article we will also answer this question.

What is a vaporetto?

Let’s start with the basics! As we said, Venice is surrounded by water and crossed by hundreds of canals and the only way to move around – if you have no intention to walk too much, of course – is by taking a vaporetto. What is a vaporetto? It’s the equivalent of a bus, but it has no wheels, and it floats!
You can take the vaporetto almost everywhere in the city, through those yellow docks we call “imbarcadero”.
Like on buses, you’ll need a ticket to take the vaporetto that you can purchase online, through the official website of Venezia Unica.

Venice Italy transportation system: the public transport pass

Venice public transport pass is called Venezia Unica, and it’s a virtual card that may contain different kinds of tickets. In fact, in addition to the vaporetto, you can purchase tickets for museums, temporary exhibitions, parking, and tours.
If you like planning your vacation in advance, you can make your very own Venezia Unica Card from home, before traveling to Venice, or if you prefer leaving everything to the last minute, you can just do it once you’re here.

What is the People Mover?

Have you ever heard about the People Mover? Maybe not, especially if you’re getting to Venice from Marco Polo Airport or by train. Essentially, it’s a short elevated train which connects the island of Tronchetto to Piazzale Roma.
Tronchetto is an artificial island that hosts a huge parking area, so if you come to Venice by car and you’re going to park there, People Mover is the fastest way to get to Piazzale Roma, from where you can access the rest of the city. Tickets are available on the Venezia Unica website too.

The Gondola ferry

Few people know that gondolas aren’t for tourists only. In fact, there’s a gondola Venetians usually take, the gondola ferry. Thanks to this public service, you can cross the Grand Canal in just a couple of minutes, and have the chance to experience how a gondola feels like, at the same time. The cost of a ride is 2 euros per person and you buy it directly at the stazio (this is how we call the place where you take the gondola ferry from). Not expensive at all, isn’t it?

From Piazzale Roma to San Marco Square

Now it’s time to answer this so awaited question: what’s the best way to get from Piazzale Roma to St. Mark’s Square with public transport? There’s nothing easier than this!
Once in Piazzale Roma, go to the docks area on the left side of the Calatrava Bridge (officially called Constitution Bridge) and take vaporetto line 1 – this isthe longest way to reach St. Mark’s, but it’s worth it because you’ll see la creme de la creme of Venetian mansions.
If you prefer a shorter way, you can take line 5.1 and get off at S. Zaccaria stop. It takes about 20 minutes, ten less than line 1.

Now that you know everything about public transport in Venice, it’s time to come here and test what you’ve learned! We’ll be more than happy to have you at our hotel and make your stay as much comfortable as we can.