WATER TAXIS the limousines
of Venice
These small and speedy launches can take
several people and their luggage (the Venetian equivalent of your own
personal limo) the fastest way around Venice. When it rains, taxis are
especially convenient since they have a closed cabin. They are the most
expensive mode of transportation via water.
At Venice's Marco Polo Airport, you'll find
a water-taxi ticket booth near the end of a covered walkway from the
arrivals hall.
(The fare between Marco Polo Airport and a hotel in central Venice averages
€100, depending on location.)
You can
also get a taxi at one of the water taxi docks, or have the hotel
call it for you. Often you'll be able to pay for the taxi at the hotel.
Extra is charged for luggage, night service as well as waiting time. Italian
taxi drivers do not expect a tip.
Figure 25 to 30 minutes for the
trip
between Venice Marco Polo Airport and a waterside hotel in the city
center. Licensed water taxis have a yellow stripe with a license number. Be
cautious in dealing with unlicensed taxi operators (especially on the
parking island of Tronchetto, where crooks posing as "official" water-taxi
drivers prey on unsuspecting tourists).
If you're getting a bit creaky or have some sort of a
disability, be aware that boarding or disembarking from a water taxi at high
or low tide can be tricky.
Water Taxi Stand at the Rialto Bridge
THE VAPORETTO (Waterbus)
Waterbuses in Venice come in various different
sizes. The standard vaporetto is the most
common - these ply their trade up and down the Grand Canal, around by the
Zattere, and out to the Lido. Vaporetti have open sections at the front and
back, a standing platform in the middle and a seating cabin at the back -
the open seats at the back are recommended for the best views. The smaller
Motoscafo is used on the circular routes that
go around the main Venetian island and out to Murano and Burano - these have
enclosed front and back cabins and a standing platform in the middle. Most
fun if you're in the holiday mood are the bigger
steamers which go between San Zaccaria and the Lido and outlying
islands, and these have open air decks on top. There are also craft that go
out from the Fondamenta Nuove to Burano and Torcello, somewhere between a
steamer and a vaporetto in size.
The waterbus, is how you will
get around Venice, besides walking. You'll need to buy a ticket ( at ACTV
offices, the nearest tobacconist, or at most vaporetto
docks) After purchasing, you must stamp your ticket in the machine
to validate it before boarding. Note that not all
stations sell tickets after dark; if you haven't bought a pass or extra
tickets beforehand, you'll have to settle up with the conductor onboard
(you'll have to find him -- he won't come looking for you) for an extra .50€
(70¢) per ticket or gamble on a 21€ ($30) fine, no excuses accepted.
If you're at a vaporetto stop without a ticket
counter, buy a ticket from the
conductor as soon as you board to avoid a fine.
They do check! Please have the right coins
ready. A one-day return water bus ticket may be bought for
6.5 Euros and is valid until midnight on the day it is first
stamped, and only along the Grand Canal. If you plan to use public
transportation often, the Venice Card (16 Euro for a day) can be a worthwhile investment.
For visitors who want to see many of the
old, beautiful, historic buildings, take
the slow Vaporetto #1 down the Grand
Canal. The Vaporetto does not do a
full circle, so get off at St. Mark's
Square or else you'll end up at Lido and
have to pay for a return ticket back to
the main island!! (See my "On Our Own
Tour of the Grand Canal")
The
Gondolas are flat-bottomed boats that allows the captain to navigate over
countless shifting sand bars that he must stand up to see. They have no keel
or rudder. The gondolier pushes the boat along with a single long oar,
deftly steering it through narrow stretches, under low bridges and arches,
between a number of other gondolas---almost reminiscent of a crowded lane!
He is a pretty picture in a striped jersey and beribboned straw hat! True
to the movies, most gondoliers sing lilting and sometimes soulful Italian
songs while they row, adding to the image of Venice as a prime romantic
destination!
Perhaps the ultimate in
romantic adventures, and an opportunity to travel down some of the tiny
canals that are inaccessible to other craft is in a gondola.
Gondolas are
not cheap, ($80-$100 per 50 minutes) and you will have to pay even more if
you want the privilege of a singing gondolier! But will you ever have a more
cherished picture of your Venice visit?
If you're a romantic and want to take a
tour on a gondola,. don't think about
being ripped off! Think of
the great experience and opportunity of
seeing the houses of Marco Polo,
Bonaparte, Casanova, Goethe, Mozart...
that we cannot see on the main routes.
The rides provide you with opportunities
for photographs that you would be
hard-pressed to get otherwise. If you've
managed to save up a little and have
room to splurge, go for it. Note:
At these ridiculously inflated prices, there is no need to tip the
gondolier.
Buy a cheap bottle of wine and some cups (give some
to your gondolier too -- he might just take you somewhere out of the norm)
spend the money... and enjoy! It's worth it.
Gondolas are tied up in a line (almost like a line of
waiting cabs!) near St. Mark's square
and the Doge's palace, but you will
probably get a better deal a bit off the
beaten path--so go a bit beyond the San
Marco area (San Tomà, for example, or
near the new Hard Rock Cafe) as
there will be fewer gondolas jamming the
narrow canals. ...And, be sure to
confirm the rate before boarding.
One important thing to keep in mind is
that the prices for a gondola ride are
supposed to be per gondola and not (as
is commonly thought) per person. So
whether you ride solo or bring five
friends along, a 40-minute ride before
7pm should be (as of 2009) €80 plus tip-
if inclined to tip.
There are 12 gondola stations
around Venice, besides those at Piazza
San Marco, they include Piazzale Roma,
the train station, the Rialto Bridge.
There are also a number of smaller
one-man stations, with gondoliers
standing alongside their sleek black
wonders looking for passengers. They all
speak enough English to communicate the
necessary details.
TRAGHETTO
If you just have to have a gondola ride but can't
afford the price, there is a cheaper alternative - public gondolas
known as traghetti (ferries) that cross the Grand Canal at certain points
between the bridges. The places are usually marked on maps, and can be
identified by a small landing stage and a sign sponsored by 'Paul & Shark
Yachting'. These gondolas are functional and lack the comfy cushions of the
tourist ones, but let you cross the
Grand Canal at a fraction of the price. They are said to be very convenient
and allow you to experience a ride in a gondola, if only for two minutes. It is customary to stand during the
crossing! (Not for me...I either sit--or fall!)
History of the Gondola: Over
time, the gondola evolved into the elegant boats that are recognizable
today. The "ferro," the decorative iron work on
the front of the gondola, according to the Venetians, gets its shape from
the Doges' crown, and the six fingers in it represent the six sestieri (
neighborhoods ). The gondolas are built under strict rules; they have to be
painted black and the same materials must be used in their fabrication.. Yet
each one of them is a unique masterpiece, a work of art. They are built
using eight different kinds of wood (fir, oak, cherry, walnut, elm,
mahogany, larch and lime) and are composed of 280 pieces. The wood is still
mostly worked by hand.
Canal-side buildings, famous,
infamous, and always interesting...
Weather beaten
dwellings rising out of the water.
Typical scenes in the
"streets" of Venice. A street where there is no soil and all is water. These
photos depict private entrances to a homes. The owners come home in their
boat, just like you do with your car. Park it at "curbside, and enter their
homes!
The
"vaporetti" can host up to 3 wheelchairs at the same time. All the "vaporetti"
stops are accessible.
