Buses in Venice

The bus system of Venice—or, more accurately, how Bus #5 usefully connects the airport, parking lots, and Mestre with Venice

I had been visiting Venice for 20 years before I ever actually got on a bus here. (And then it broke down and we waited by the side of the road for more than an hour; but that's another story.)

That's because buses—quite obviously—are only useful in Mestre, the landlubbing side of Venice, an area which smart travelers avoid entirely except to pass through en route to the historic, lagoon-locked Venice of canals.

Unless something goes terribly wrong with your vacation plans, there is only one bus you should even have a remote chance of using:

The Venice airport bus #5

Bus no. 5 goes from Venice's Marco Polo airport and stops a few times (including, handily, at the S. Giuliano parking lots in Mestre) before crossing the bridge to Piazzale Roma—the only part of downtown, insular Venice you can get to by land vehicle.

From Piazzale Rome, your only options for getting around the historic center are by foot, by vaporetto (public ferry—like a water bus system), or by water taxi (if you're made of euros).

However, unless you happen to be staying very close to Piazzale Roma (unlikely), you'll then have to take a vaporetto to get to your hotel, adding another €7 to the €6 bus ticket and thereby making it far easier to pay a tiny bit more (€15) for an Alilaguna ferry direct from the airport into the historic center Venice. » more

Also, this bus used to cost €1.30, so it was a modest savings. Now it costs €6—which is exactly what the express shuttle bus from the airport directly downtown costs, so there is no earthly reason to take this slower, local bus.

Venice bus fares & tickets

Venice buses used to be a reasonable €1.30. As of 2015, the price of a bus ticket in Venice has skyrocketed to an obscene €6. (Locals with a special pass pay much less.)

You must buy bus tickets ahead of time from a newsstand (not all sell them, but those near bus stops—and in airports and train stations—usually do) or a tobacconist (shops identifiable by a white-on-brown "T" sign).

Stamp one end of the ticket in the box on the bus to activate it avoid a fine.

Other (potentially useful) Venice buses

OK, I lied a little bit. There are a handful of other buses you might take, but only if you happen to decide to park in the S. Giuliano lot (way cheaper than the garages on Piazzale Roma).

Bus no. 5 is not the only line that ends its landlubbing journey by stopping at "Parco S. Giuliano" then continuing across the bridge into Venice proper.

You can also grab bus no. 12, 12B, 12L, or 24 between S. Giuliano and Piazzale Roma.

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