No cars, no buses, no traffic lights: Venice moves by water, and the vaporetto is the water bus that takes you everywhere - with a front-row seat on the most beautiful streets in the world.
Last updated August 6, 2026
Venice is one of the few cities on earth where cars simply don't circulate - the only motor traffic is in the water. The vaporetto (plural vaporetti) is the public water bus: a fleet of boats that stop at fixed docks (imbarcaderi) all over the city and the lagoon islands, running from about 5 a.m. to midnight with a reduced night service. It's the practical way to cross the city with luggage, in the rain, or when your feet give up - and it doubles as the most beautiful cheap sightseeing ride in Italy.
A single ride costs €9.50 and is valid for 75 minutes in one direction, transfers included. Passes: €25 for 24 hours, €35 for 48, €45 for 72, €65 for seven days - from about three rides a day a pass wins. You can buy at the machines at the landings or, right outside the station, at the ticket office and kiosk - no need to buy ahead. For the seasonal timetables, use the official ACTV navigation schedules. Full details in the vaporetto ticket guide, the vaporetto apps chapter and in You've arrived.
| Line | What it does |
|---|---|
| Line 1 | The Grand Canal local - every stop, station to the Lido, about an hour |
| Line 2 | The fast city loop - San Marco, the Giudecca, the station, back down the Grand Canal, 30 min |
| Line 3 | The direct Murano shuttle - Piazzale Roma/station to the glass island in about 20 min |
| Lines 4.1 & 4.2 | The Murano ring - opposite directions, about two hours |
| Lines 5.1 & 5.2 | The outside loop - Lido and Zattere via the rim, about 80 minutes |
| Line 6 | The Lido express - Piazzale Roma to the beach island, few stops |
And the smaller services worth knowing: line 7 links San Marco directly with Murano; line 9 connects Burano and Torcello; line 12 does the classic Murano–Burano–Torcello island tour from Fondamenta Nove; line 14 runs from the Lido toward Punta Sabbioni and Burano; and the night line N keeps the Grand Canal, the Giudecca and the Lido connected after midnight.