A water taxi in Venice costs about €15 to board plus roughly €2 per minute on a point-to-point ride, while the classic fixed routes run €70–130: the rail station to St. Mark's is about €70, and the airport transfer is €130 flat for up to four people. It is the fastest and most private way across the lagoon - and the most expensive. Here is the full picture, and when it is worth it.
Last updated August 8, 2026
In a nutshell: a water taxi costs about €15 to board plus roughly €2 a minute, with classic fixed routes running €70-130 -the splurge is worth it for a handful of moments. See how it stacks against the gondola, and learn the vaporetto alternative that does the same run for a few euros.
The short answer: water taxis charge a base fee plus a per-minute rate for point-to-point trips, with fixed flat fares for the main routes. The tariffs are set by the city (official water taxi tariff page - Comune di Venezia) and posted at the municipal taxi stations: roughly €15 to board plus about €2 per minute when you hire the boat from one point to another, and a fixed price per destination for the classic runs. Fares are per boat, not per person, up to the boat's capacity - so a group of four splits the same fare four ways. Always agree the route and the price before you step in, and settle only at the end of the ride.
| Route | Typical fare | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Point-to-point within the city | about €15 + €2/min | Base fee plus per-minute rate, set by the city's tariff |
| Rail station → St. Mark's | about €70 | The classic 20-minute run along the Grand Canal |
| Station area → central hotels | about €70–80 | Dock-to-dock, luggage included in the fare |
| Cruise port → centre | from about €70–80 | Or take the Alilaguna red line when it is running |
| Airport (VCE) → any hotel dock | €130 flat | Up to 4 passengers, +€10 per extra person (max 9); night and extra-bag surcharges apply |
| Option | Price | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Water taxi | €15 + €2/min; €70 station–St. Mark's; €130 airport flat | Private boat, door to door, airport run in about 30 minutes |
| Gondola | €80 by day, €100 from about 19:00 (up to 5 people) | A fixed tour loop - the experience itself, not transport |
| Vaporetto | €9.50 single ride; €25 for 24 hours | The public water bus, scheduled stops, passes available |
| Alilaguna airport boat | €18 one-way | The public airport water bus - a separate company from ACTV |
The three boats are not interchangeable: a gondola is a loop tour that brings you back where you started; a vaporetto is the city bus on water, cheap and scheduled; a water taxi is the only one that takes you door to door, at any hour, straight to the dock closest to your hotel. Water transport is the biggest daily cost premium in Venice - the reason the city feels expensive - as our why Venice is so expensive chapter explains.
Ranks sit at the main docks - Piazzale Roma, Santa Lucia station, Rialto, St. Mark's, the Zattere and Tronchetto. You can hail a passing boat (they cruise the Grand Canal) or ask your hotel to call one. For airport runs, book a day ahead through the hotel or the Consorzio Motoscafi - the association of licensed water-taxi drivers - which applies the fixed €130 airport fare and handles night and luggage surcharges transparently.
Per boat, up to its capacity. The €130 airport fare covers up to four passengers, with €10 per extra person up to a maximum of nine; point-to-point hires are priced the same way no matter how many people are aboard.
A gondola is a fixed tour loop - €80 by day, €100 from about 19:00, up to five passengers - that returns to its starting point. It is the experience itself, not a way to get somewhere. A water taxi is private, point to point, and drops you at the dock closest to your door. The gondola guide has the full picture.
Compared with the vaporetto, yes - a single vaporetto ride is €9.50 and a 24-hour pass is €25. But for a group with luggage and a deadline, a €130 airport flat fare split four ways (about €32 each) is competitive with four Alilaguna tickets (€18 each) and far faster.
For airport transfers, yes - book a day ahead via your hotel or the Consorzio Motoscafi. Within the city you can usually take one on the spot at a rank, though evening and festival nights are busier and night surcharges apply.