Getting around Venice: vaporetto and ACTV tickets

There are no cars in Venice: you move around on foot and by vaporetto, the scheduled water bus that stands in for buses and the metro. Run by ACTV, it links the two sides of the Grand Canal, the lagoon and the islands. Here's everything you need to know — tickets, prices, where to buy them and the main lines — plus the handiest stop for reaching Cà Letizia, in Cannaregio.

🚏 What the vaporetto (and ACTV) is

The vaporetto is Venice's public water transport: it leaves from floating landing stages (the "stops") and follows numbered lines, exactly like a bus. ACTV is the company that runs it, along with the mainland buses. Tickets are bought through the Venezia Unica system and cover the whole urban network (islands included), but not the airport connections, which are priced separately.

🎟️ Tickets and prices

A single ticket costs around €9.50 and is valid for 75 minutes from validation, with changes allowed in the same direction. Buying single rides adds up fast: if you plan to use the vaporetto several times a day, a timed travel card is better value:

• 1 day (24h): about €25
• 2 days (48h): about €35
• 3 days (72h): about €45
• 7 days: about €65

The card gives unlimited rides for the whole period: with two or three trips a day it pays for itself quickly. If you're aged 14–29, the Rolling Venice card (a few euros) unlocks a heavily discounted 72-hour fare.

Fares are indicative and can change: always check the current prices on veneziaunica.it before you travel.

🛒 Where to buy tickets (and remember to validate)

You can buy tickets at the Venezia Unica ticket offices and points (station, Piazzale Roma, the main landings), from the automatic machines, at many tobacconists, or simply through the official AVM Venezia app, which also shows live timetables and lines.

One important detail: every time you board you must tap your ticket (or phone) on the yellow readers at the entrance to the landing. Even with a travel card, you validate on every ride: inspectors do check, and the fine is steep.

🧭 The main lines to know

• Line 1: the "scenic boat". It runs the entire Grand Canal, stopping at every landing — slow but beautiful, perfect for a first ride.
• Line 2: also along the Grand Canal but with fewer stops, faster, between Piazzale Roma, Rialto, San Marco and the Giudecca.
• Lines 4.1 / 4.2 and 5.1 / 5.2: the circular lines that loop around Venice, calling at Cannaregio, Fondamente Nove, San Marco and Piazzale Roma. Very handy for our neighbourhood.
• Line 12: from Fondamente Nove to Murano, Burano and Torcello, the lagoon islands.

📍 The handiest stop for Cà Letizia

Cà Letizia is in Cannaregio, in the quiet Madonna dell'Orto area. The most convenient landings are Madonna dell'Orto and Orto, served by the circular lines 4.1/4.2 and 5.1/5.2. A few minutes away you also have Sant'Alvise and Fondamente Nove, where the boats to the islands depart. After booking we send you exact, door-to-door directions, with the best stop depending on how you arrive.

🚶 On foot is often the best choice

Venice is small and entirely pedestrian: many distances that look long on the map are covered in 15–20 minutes on foot, often faster than waiting for the vaporetto. The locals' advice is simple: use the vaporetto for the Grand Canal, for the islands and when you're tired or have luggage, and for everything else walk — it's the loveliest way to discover the city. To cross the Grand Canal where there are no bridges, there's also the traghetto (a "standing" gondola), for a few euros.

In short: the useful tips

• More than two rides a day? Get a travel card, not singles.
• Always validate at the yellow readers, every time you board.
• Airport is separate: Alilaguna and buses to Marco Polo have their own tickets.
• Download the AVM Venezia app for timetables, lines and quick purchase.
• Walk when you can: it's often faster and always more atmospheric.

Want more? Read how to get to Cannaregio from the airport, where to park your car, and how to visit Murano, Burano and Torcello in one day. You'll find it all in our Venice guide from Cannaregio, too.

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