INTBAU "The Venice Charter Revisited" conference travel

Venice vaporetto
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Travelling to Venice

By Air

Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE)
Many airlines fly to Venice Marco Polo, from a huge number of European and other locations. There are scheduled flights from Amsterdam, Atlanta, Barcelona, Bari, Brindisi, Bristol, Brussels, Budapest, Cagliari, Catania, Cologne, Copenaghen, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Friedrichshafen, Geneva, Hanover, Lamezia Terme, Leeds, Lisbon, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Lyons, Madrid, Marseilles, Milan Malpensa, Monaco, Naples, New York (JFK), Nice, Olbia, Oslo, Palermo, Paris Charles De Gaulle, Paris Orly, Pescara, Philadelphia, Prague, Reggio Calabria, Rome Fiumicino, Timisoara, Tirana, Toronto, Warsaw, Vienna and Zurich, with connecting flights from Los Angeles, Trapani and Lamezia Terme.

Venice Treviso Airport (TSF)
For those on a budget, Ryanair flies to Treviso - just north of Venice - from London Stanstead and Liverpool in the UK, Paris Beauvais, Frankfurt Hahn, Shannon and Dublin in Ireland, Rome Ciampino in Italy, Amsterdam in Holland, and Malaga and Gerona in Spain to Treviso airport (TSF) just north of Venice. There is also a charter flight from Goose Bay in Canada to Treviso.

Other nearby airports
You can also fly to nearby airports in Italy, including Bologna (2 hours by rail), Verona (1 hour 30 by rail), Brescia (2 hours 15 by rail),Milan Malpensa and Milan Linate (3 hours by rail). Note that these travel times are from city railway stations; you will need to add time to travel from the airport to the station in each case.

From Venice Marco Polo Airport into Venice
The motorboat (motoscafo) is said to be the most romantic way to arrive in Venice. In reality this is a noisy, fast boat with a lot of sea spray and you don't see much on the way, but the great advantage is that it takes you direct to the St Mark's Square end of the island, only one stop from the Teatro Piccolo Arsenale. The Alilaguna service departs hourly between 06:15-00:10 and takes about an hour.

Much cheaper (and faster), if less romantic, are the ATVO airbuses to Piazzale Roma, which depart every 20-40 minutes and takes 20 minutes. If you really want to save money, take the ATVO bus No. 5, which leaves every 15-30 minutes between 05:10-23:10 and takes only 30 minutes to Piazzale Roma. Taxis also leave from here for Piazzale Roma, but you will have to travel by water from there.

By Train

Trenitalia runs very cheap and efficient trains to and from Venice S. Lucia station. A recent trip from Bologna (2 hours) cost us only EUR 7.50! Best of all, fares are calculated strictly according to the distance traveled, with supplements added to fares according to the type of train, though most normal services (EC, IR, Diretto, etc) are remarkably good value indeed. You can buy tickets from very straighforward ticket machines - with a choice of languages - to avoid queueing. Remember to validate your ticket in the yellow machine before boarding, or you will be fined.

Direct trains to Venice run from Bologna, Milan, Verona with regular international services from Germany, Austria, Ljubljana and Zagreb. There are also regular services to Paris and London on the famous Orient Express, if you can afford it. A more practical alternative is top take the TGV from Paris or an express from elsewhere in Europe to Milan and a connecting train to Venice S. Lucia.

By Car

You can drive to Venice, but you must park in one of the huge car parks at Piazzale Roma. Italian autostrade are expensive, and you might do better - and get closer to the centre - by train or by air.

Public Transport in Venice

Venice is small enough to walk around easily, if you have the time, but getting lost or jostled in the narrow streets can be a problem when you are in a rush to get to a conference! Fortunately the ACTV network of water bus (vaporetto) services is very efficient and inexpensive.

Tickets are valid for 90 minutes and there are a variety of single fares, depending on whether or not your route uses the Grand Canal. If you are going to be in Venice for a while, and your hotel is at a distance from Teatro Piccolo Arsenale, there is a 24-hour pass available and a good value three-day ticket that both allow the holder to travel on the Grand Canal. Large bags also require their own tickets, as boat space is limited. You can buy tickets at most landing stations and newsagents. These should be punched in the machine before boarding. While the conductors are reasonable and friendly and speak good English, not having a ticket will be punished.

Taxis in Venice

Water taxis are a very expensive but wonderfully stylish and exhilarating way to travel in Venice, and can take you practically door to door. Don't expect much change from a 20 Euro note though.

Water Taxis (motoscafi), can be ordered on tel: (041) 541 5084. Water Taxi stands (floats?) are located at the station, Piazzale Roma, Rialto, San Marco and the Lido.