Since 1926, Venice has been united with the mainland Mestre by a single bridge, the Ponte della Liberta, which is almost 5 km long. It is used by rail and road transport.
How to get to Venice from Mestre by bus
ACTV’s red buses are the most common form of public transportation from Mestre to Venice.
Routes: buses Nos. 2, 6, 7, 19, 4L, 24 run to the terminus of Piazzale Roma in Venice at intervals of a few minutes.
In almost any neighborhood of Mestre there is a bus stop, from which you can easily get to the island Venice in 15—25 minutes, if there are no traffic jams.
Tickets are sold at train station box offices and ACTV terminals:
- 1,5 € — single bus ticket;
- 3 € — single ticket bought from the bus driver;
- 14 € — ticket for 10 land trips.
These tickets are valid for 75 minutes from the time of validation.
Children under 6 years of age are entitled to free transportation within the city municipality, except for buses from/to the airport.
To Venice by streetcar
The new red ACTV streetcars have recently been running on the Mestre-Venice route. Streetcar No. T1 runs from the Favaro Monte Celo stop to Piazzale Roma with an interval of 3—15 minutes.
The single fare is €1.5 and tickets are sold in vending machines at the stations.
Schedule and list of T1 streetcar stops on ACTV’s website, see Tram di Mestre, Linea T1.
By Trenitalia train: Mestre — Venice Santa Lucia
It is possible to get to Venice by rail without connections, departing from the major Italian cities: Milan, Rome, Florence, Bologna. However, some trains only go as far as Venezia Mestre station on the mainland. There you can change trains to the Santa Lucia station in Venice.
Travel time will be 10 minutes and the fare will cost 1,35 € per person.
You can buy a ticket and check train schedules on the Trenitalia website.
Delays, strikes and train cancellations in Italy are legendary, so it’s better to re-insure yourself with both time and alternative ways to travel to Venice, although rail transportation is cheaper than bus.
Don’t forget to validate your ticket
Important: Tickets for public transportation in Italy must be validated. An uncomposted ticket (without boarding time) is equal to a fare evasion. Controllers in the country do not slumber, and fines for riding «hare» reach 100 €. How to ride Trenitalia trains
Validators are small machines located at train stations at ticket offices or terminals, bus platforms and railway platforms.
Validators sometimes do not work or are not visible at all. If the train/bus is leaving in a minute or two, in such a situation you should warn the conductor/driver during boarding that the ticket is not validated. He will write the date and time manually on the ticket.
To Venice by car
All wheeled vehicles are prohibited in Venice. Motorists will get from Mestre to Venice Island the same way as all public transportation — over the Ponte della Liberta bridge to Piazzale Roma, where the «wheeled» traffic ends. Personal or rented vehicles should be left in one of the paid parking lots.
Parking lots in the Santa Croce neighborhood:
- Garage San Marco Venezia (open parking lot)
Address: Piazzale Roma, 467, 30135 Venezia VE
Parking fee: 32 € per day
- Parcheggio S. Andrea AVM S.p. A. (covered parking lot)
Address: Piazzale Roma, 30135 Venezia VE
Parking fee: 7 € for 2 hours (favorable for short visits to Venice)
Parking lots in the Tronchetto neighborhood (Tronchetto):
- Venezia Tronchetto Parking (covered parking lot)
Address: Ramo Quinto Gallion O del Pezzetto, 30100 Venezia VE
Parking fees: 21 € per day, 3 € per hour; 6 € for 2 hours, 11 € for 3 hours
- P1 Ingresso 108 (covered parking lot)
Address: Direzione Porto Marittimo, 30135 Venezia VE
Parking fee: 40 € per day, 3 € per hour
Sometimes companies have promotions and discounts for advance booking, check the information on official websites.
PeopleMover Venice — Tronchetto
Venice has another form of ground transportation that takes passengers from the remote island of Tronchetto to the Santa Croce area, where all water transport to the historic center departs from. If you leave your car in a parking lot in the Tronchetto area or come to Venice by Flixbus, for example, this is the most convenient way to transfer from Tronchetto to Venice.
The People Mover di Venezia is a non-motorized carriage that runs continuously on a dedicated elevated track based on traction power (funicular principle). The cars run at 7-minute intervals and have only three stops: Tronchetto — Marittima — Piazzale Roma.
The fare will cost €1.5.
Getting around Venice
All tourists arrive at Piazzale Roma, and from there you have options: walk to the city center, take the vaporetto (river streetcar), or take a local cab (motorboat). I have had the pleasure of taking both the river streetcar and the motorboat. The second way is much more expensive, but more pleasant and much faster, especially if you have a large amount of luggage. And leaving the city, I walk from the center to the station at Piazzale Roma. The 35-minute walk allows me to enjoy Venice to the fullest before my next meeting.
