Venice Marco Polo airport (VCE) is the nearest airport to get to if you visit Venice. It is located on the mainland, just 14 kilometres away from the historic centre.
It’s one of Italy’s most important airports and connected to many cities in Europe, the USA with direct flights to New York and Dubai and Istanbul in the Middle East.
Marco Polo airport is one of the few airports in the world that can be reached both by car and public transport (shuttle bus), and boat (water bus and water taxi).
In this guide you’ll find up-to-date and detailed information on how to get from Venice to Marco Polo airport by land or water bus, land or water taxi, train and car.
Venice to Marco Polo Airport
Not only will I look at where Marco Polo airport is located, how far it is from Venice city centre and how to get to the airport by bus. I will also share options that include the Alilaguna water bus, private and shared water taxi, train and car.
Before I cover all the options, I’ll share exactly how to get from Venice to Marco Polo airport with an early morning flight and also some hotel options near the airport.
Where is Marco Polo Airport?
Venice Marco Polo airport is just 14 kilometres north of Venice and located in Viale Galileo Galilei, 30, 30173 Venezia, Italy. It’s 8 kilometres from Mestre, 30 kilometres from Treviso and 47 kilometres away from Padua by car.
To be more specific, the airport is located in the small town of Tessera where you can also look out for accommodation, if you need to catch an early morning flight.
I have created a guide that looks at all the airports near Venice if you would like to compare the distances, or, if you will be visiting other cities in the Veneto region.
How far is Marco Polo Airport from Venice?
Marco Polo airport is 14 kilometres away from Piazzale Roma, in Venice. This is the bus and tram station, but also one of the only areas in Venice where cars reach.
It takes around 20 minutes by car to get from Venice city centre to the airport and 20 to 30 minutes by bus.
If travelling by water bus it can take up to 1 hour and 15 minutes, whereas the water taxi can take around 30 minutes.
Early morning transport to Marco Polo Airport
Many travellers have to catch early morning flights. To make it easier and less painful for you getting a 6 or 7am morning flight, below I’ll list all the available options, from the best one to least ideal, to travel from Venice to the airport.
- Private or shared water taxi
- ATVO or ACTV bus
- Alilaguna water bus
- Taxi or Car
- Train
Out of the options above the Private water taxi is the fastest and most convenient option but if you’re on a budget, the shared water taxi is the best option.
I’ll also make some hotel recommendations that will come in handy if you prefer to travel the night before to save money instead of spending your last night in Venice.
Below is a shortlist of some of the best hotels near the Marco Polo airport:
Staying a hotel near Marco Polo airport makes sense if you prefer not to have to deal with public/private transport the same day you have to fly. That way, you can lay back and relax with minimal anticipation of your up and coming flight.
If you want to learn more, see my dedicated guide for detailed information on getting to Venice airport in the early morning so you can choose the best option for you.
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How to get from Venice to Marco Polo Airport
With no further ado, let’s see how you can get from Venice to Marco Polo airport by bus, water bus, water taxi, land taxi, train and car so you can make an informed decision and therefore choose the most suitable option for your personal needs.
Bus from Venice to Marco Polo Airport
The cheapest and fastest way to reach Marco Polo airport from Venice is by bus.
There are two airport shuttle bus services available:
- ATVO bus number 35. The bus connects Piazzale Roma in Venice to the airport Marco Polo. It runs every day, every 30 minutes and the journey lasts approximately 20 minutes. The first bus leaves at 4.20am and the last one leaves at 00.40am. The one way ticket cost is 10 euros and the return ticket is 18 euros. Simply just go here to purchase your advanced ticket. For the same price you can get the ATVO bus number 25A (line San Donà di Piave-Venice) and 10A (line Lido di Jesolo-Venice). These buses stop more times and take longer than line 35. It takes around 30 minutes to get to the airport.
- ACTV bus number 5. Even this bus connects Piazzale Roma to the airport. It runs every 30 minutes and the journey lasts around 25 minutes. The first bus leaves at 4.35am and the last one at 00.40am. The one way ticket costs 10 euros and the return ticket 18 euros.
- Bus number E015-V by Busitalia Veneto is another option you have to get to your destination fast. From Piazzale Roma it only takes 20 minutes to get to Marco Polo airport. Just so you know, this is the bus line Montegrotto-Abano Terme-Padua-Venice-Marco Polo airport, the most direct bus service going to Padua and the spa towns of Abano and Montegrotto Terme.
When want to travel with the ACTV, you can purchase your tickets in every ACTV ticket office around Venice or from one of the many automatic machines. You can see the complete ticket machine list here for more info.
If you want to travel by ATVO bus, then you can get your bus ticket:
- Online from the official website or purchase it here in advance;
- At the ATVO office in Piazzale Roma, near the Carabinieri station or the automatic machine just outside the office;
- At the ‘Edicola al Tram’ newsagent in Piazzale Roma;
- At the tobacco shop Botazzo.
See the map of the main ACTV and ATVO ticket points below for your reference:
Remember, you can also download this map to your phone and keep it handy.
Alilaguna water bus to Marco Polo Airport
You can also go to the airport from Venice city centre by Alilaguna water bus. The Alilaguna company operates a water service that connects the centre of Venice and islands of Burano, Murano and Lido to Marco Polo airport.
There are 2 water bus lines departing from the different locations in Venice and arriving to the airport dock:
- Blue line: this is the water bus line for you, if you want to leave from Murano, Ospedale (Venice’s hospital), Lido, San Marco, Zattere or even Giudecca.
- Orange line: this is the water bus line for you, if you want to leave from near Ponte delle Guglie, Rialto, Ca’ Rezzonico and Santa Maria del Giglio.
The arrival point is Darsena of Marco Polo airport, once you disembark the water bus, just walk to your left until you get to the lifts. Get to the 1st floor and walk all the way through the passageway until you reach departures.
The one-way ticket costs 8 euros from Murano and 15 euros from Venice or Lido.
There are also timed tickets:
- 24 hours at the price of 30 euros
- 48 hours at the price of 50 euros
- 72 hours at the price of 65 euros
You can check this link to purchase your ticket in advance.
The water bus can take up to 1 hour and 15 minutes to reach the airport from Venice, and that can change depending on where you leave.
The first blue line water bus leaves from Giudecca at 3.35am and the last one at 9.35pm and the first orange line water bus leaves from Santa Maria del Giglio at 6.35am and the last one at 7.15pm.
Private Water Taxi to Marco Polo Airport from Venice
There are many water taxi companies that offer a private transfer service by water from the city centre to Venice Marco Polo airport.
The journey lasts around 30 minutes, making the private water taxi one of the fastest and most comfortable options to get to the airport.
The price varies depending on the water taxi company chosen and departure location but generally starts from 110 euros. You can find more about the water taxi prices in Venice as well any learn about any extra charges by reading my guide.
If you want, you also have the option to book a standard or premium water taxi one way service. The premium service includes meet & greet with a representative at the lobby of your hotel or pick up point, the private boat transfer from the location in Venice you indicated, porterage to till the check-in desks at the airport.
The price for this water taxi service you can book in advance, it’s intended for a group of up to 6 people with a maximum of 8 pieces of luggage.
The water taxi will pick you up at your hotel’s private dock, but if your hotel doesn’t have private access, then the driver will pick you up at the nearest dock available.
Shared Water Taxi to Marco Polo Airport from Venice
If you want to get a water taxi to say farewell to Venice in the best possible way (while on a budget), why not book a shared water taxi as a way keep costs down?
The shared water taxi is around 35/40 euros per person and you can choose to depart from various locations in Venice city centre (including from Lido and Punta Sabbioni). Every departure point has a designated pick up point where you’ll board the water taxi with other travellers before moving to the next stop.
For this service, you can’t request to be picked up from your hotel in Venice or any other location that is not included on the list.
During the booking process you’ll be asked if you want to book the shared water taxi for day time, night or early morning, the last 2 with a slight increase in the price.
Private Transfer to Marco Polo Airport from Venice
If you want to travel in total comfort and don’t think about public transportation, you can book a private transfer from Venice Piazzale Roma to Marco Polo airport.
This is not the most expensive option but the second most expensive after the water taxi. This is a valid option if you don’t want to think about moving through crowds.
Your driver will be waiting for you at the pick-up point in the short-term parking lot near the public toilets in Piazzale Roma and drop you at the airport. It takes around 20 to 30 minutes to get to the airport.
This is one of the best solutions to get to the airport fast and with zero hassle. You can book your Private transfer from Venice, Piazzale Roma to Marco Polo Airport in advance today and can get 24 hours in advance cancellation included.
Taxi to Marco Polo Airport from Venice
The taxi service from Venice to Marco Polo airport is provided by the Cooperativa Artigiana Radiotaxi, the main taxi company authorised in the city of Venice.
You can book your taxi through their website, downloading the app, calling or sending an SMS. The closest location the taxi can pick you up from is Piazzale Roma. To get there you’ll have to walk from your hotel or get a vaporetto.
Take a look at this interactive map of Venice.
The fixed fare from Piazzale Roma to the airport is 40 euros including supplements, 35 euros from Mestre and 45 euros from the cruise ship station.
These prices are meant for up to 4 people with their luggage and the round trip motorway toll is not included. The taxi rank is located at the exit of the arrivals terminal on the ground floor.
Train from Venice Santa Lucia to Marco Polo Airport
Venice Marco Polo airport doesn’t have a train station, therefore you can’t get a train from Venice Santa Lucia to the airport. What you can do is get a train to Mestre Venice train station and from there a bus to the airport.
There are frequent regional and high-speed trains with stops in Mestre. The train ride only lasts 10 minutes. I suggest you get on a regional train because it’s a lot cheaper than the high-speed trains.
The buses you can get from Mestre to the airport are the ACTV lines number 4, 10 and 45 or the shuttle bus ATVO number 15.
The bus can take 20 minutes to 30 minutes. There should be no need to speak Italian for this journey but exchanging some pleasantries won’t go a miss.
I usually suggest this Italian phrase book for new visitors to Venice (purely to use a reference) and those who like the idea of practising some Italian on their trip.
To get to the bus station in Mestre, just go out from the main entrance of Venice Mestre train station and walk for around 100 metres to your right and you’ll reach it.
The bus arrives just in front of the arrival hall of the airport on the ground floor. Just get a lift to get to the first floor where arrivals are located.
Driving from Venice to Marco Polo Airport
If you’ve arrived in Venice by car or even rented a car here, it’s likely you parked your car in one of the parking lots around Piazzale Roma or on Tronchetto island. These are quite expensive parking spaces and are pretty much always full.
You always can read my guide to driving in Venice but my advice is to park in Mestre instead, that’s a lot cheaper and then get a train to Venice.
It only takes 15/20 minutes to get from Piazzale Roma to the airport, but as you can imagine, this can change completely based on traffic conditions.
From Piazzale Roma, you’ll have to drive towards the Ponte della Libertà and cross it. Once you’re on the mainland, at the first roundabout take the first exit onto via Orlanda/SS14. Keep driving on the road SS14 until you arrive at a roundabout where you’ll have to take the 2nd exit onto via Carlo Martello.
At the next roundabout, get the 2nd exit via Orlanda until when you will get to the roundabout in front of the airport, where you’ll have to take the first exit.
Getting from Venice to Marco Polo Airport
You have many options to get from Venice to Marco Polo airport and you can choose the most suitable for you based on your needs, travel plans and budget.
No matter whether you’re here for a day trip or a longer stay, knowing how and what transport options are available is key to be able to save precious time in Venice.
If you’re in the planning stage of your trip, I’ve also created a guide on how to get from Marco Polo airport to Venice city centre with all the available options to you.
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