Venice is a magical city made of bridges, canals and splendid buildings, which for a long time has made Italians and others dream. Even if built in the middle of a lagoon to protect itself from invasions, getting to Venice from Italian cities is a lot simple and also economical that absolutely an Italian cannot miss the beauty of visiting this unique, considered city one of the most interesting and fascinating places in the world.
The part of the city located in the lagoon has retained its uniqueness, where traffic still flows today on foot or by boat. Venice is one of the few tourist destinations in the world that rarely disappoints the visitor.
Once in Venice you can choose to visit the city in these ways:
- a piedi: most of Venice can be experienced on foot.
- in gondola: very beautiful and romantic, but very expensive
- with sea taxi: fast but very expensive, unless you share the transport.
- in ferry: a very nice, economical and also comfortable solution
How to reach Venice
Let's see now which are the best solutions to get to Venice from various Italian cities and some useful tips.
By car
If you arrive by car from northern Italy it is advisable to take the A4 motorway which goes from Turin and Trieste, from the Belluno area better to take the A27 motorway and finally from the areas of central and southern Italy reach Bologna on the motorway and then take the A13 motorway.
In all cases, about 20 km from Venice it will then be necessary to take theHighway A57 leading to Mestre. From Mestre taking the Liberty Bridge you then arrive in Venice-Piazzale Roma, the extreme point of arrival by car.
Distances by car from Venice to some main Italian cities:
- Padua 60 km
- Vicenza 75 km
- Bologna 150 km
- Trieste 160 km
- Florence 250 km
- Milan 270 km
- Udine 125 km
- Turin 400 km
- Pescara 510 km
- Rome 525 km
- Naples 725 km
- Bari 815 km
- Reggio Calabria 1.200 km
- Palermo 1.400 km
Where to park your car in Venice
If you arrive in Venice by car it must be left in a parking lot, as there are no cars in the historic center of Venice, being a lagoon city.
The most convenient parking is that in Piazzale Roma, at the entrance to the historic center. At the exit of the car park there are shuttles that allow you to reach all places in the city, but it is quite expensive.
The best, and also the cheapest, solution is to park the car to Master and then take the bus or the vaporetto. There are many car parks to choose from and they are much cheaper. There is also a parking garage in front of the Mestre station, much cheaper than the one in Venice.
Search and book parking in Venice
By train
Venice is well connected with the national railway network to almost all major Italian cities. Venice has two railway stations: Venice Mestre located on dry land e Venice Saint Lucia located on an island in the lagoon city.
During the day i fast trains Freccia Bianca, Freccia Argento and Freccia Rossa connect the main Italian cities such as Milan, Rome, Naples, Florence, Bologna, Turin, Ancona, Pescara and Bari to Venice.
For example, with the Freccia Rossa trains the duration of the trip it is approximately 1 hour from Bologna, 2 hours from Florence and Milan, 3 hours from Rome and Turin and 5 hours from Naples. At the moment the Adriatic line is connected only by the Freccia Bianca and from Bari it takes about 7 hours.
During the night there are the express trains which take longer, but are cheaper than the fast trains Freccia Bianca, Freccia Argento and Freccia Rossa, and almost always arrive in the morning, allowing you to have all day to visit the city.
Not all trains stop in Venice Santa Lucia. If the last stop is Venice Mestre you can take one of the many every 10 minutes trains that connect Venice Mestre to Venice Santa Lucia.
By plane
The plane is definitely one good and quick solution to reach Venice if you come from the islands and central-southern Italy.
Find the best flight deals to Venice
The nearest airport is theMarco Polo International Airport located in Mestre, located on the mainland and 10 km from Venice. The cheapest way to reach Venice from Marco Polo airport is by bus: you can use the ACTV line 5 which leaves every 30 minutes or the blue ATVO shuttle bus which reaches Piazzale Roma. Instead, from the dock, located near the airport, you can take the Alilaguna lines or water taxis, they are faster but also more expensive.
Also very convenient and used is theTreviso airport, located 40 km from Venice. Almost all low cost flights to Venice land at this airport and with the convenient ATVO shuttle bus service you can reach Piazzale Roma in about an hour. Ticket prices are 12 € one way and 22 € return
There are direct flights for Venice from the following airports:
- Catania
- Palermo
- Bari
- NAPLES
- Olbia
- Alghero
- Cagliari
- Toast
- Lamezia Terme
- Trapani
- Rome
- Pantelleria
- Lampedusa Island
If you arrive by plane and land at Venice Mestre or Treviso airport, the car rent it is not the best choice to reach Venice. Car rental can be an interesting choice only if you have to visit other places and tourist areas in the Veneto region, otherwise it is better to take a bus or a taxi.
See all offers for car rentalBy bus
Buses are one convenient solution to reach Venice for those who do not want to drive or bear the costs of car parking. There are bus to Venice from: Milan, Bergamo, Rome, Naples, Genoa, Florence, Verona, Bologna, Turin, Ancona, Pescara, Bari and many other Italian cities.
Today with the various online portals you can find great bus deals to Venice from many Italian cities. If you want to look for a cheap ticket to go to Venice by bus we recommend the FlixBus site.
Find the best bus travel deals for Venice
