Alilaguna, the waterbus between Venice airport and the city

A public line run by a private company

Alilaguna S.p.A. is the only private company running scheduled public transport on the water in Venice. It links Marco Polo airport with the historic centre, Giudecca, the Lido, Murano and the cruise terminal. It is neither a water taxi nor ACTV: fixed timetables, fixed stops, a ticket per person.

The company was set up towards the end of the nineties by a group of tourism operators. Service began in 1999 with four boats and a single route, the Red line. Today the fleet numbers about 80 vessels: the official website says 79 on one page and 80 on another. Eleven are hybrid-electric, and one (HEPIC) is a hydrogen hybrid.

The boats are enclosed motor launches that sit low on the water, not ACTV’s open vaporetti. According to the company, most are accessible to passengers with reduced mobility. Registered office: Isola Nuova del Tronchetto, VAT no. 02967180270.

The three lines that matter if you land at Marco Polo

Pick the line by the landing stage nearest your accommodation, not by its colour. Ask your hotel which Alilaguna stop is most convenient: they usually know.

• Blue (all year), the longest, with thirteen stops: it calls at Murano, Fondamente Nove, Ospedale and Bacini, then the Lido; after Arsenale, San Zaccaria and San Marco it carries on to Zattere and Giudecca Stucky, ending at Tronchetto and Santa Lucia station.
• Orange (all year): it passes Madonna dell’Orto, enters through the Cannaregio canal as far as Guglie, then runs down the Grand Canal with stops at San Stae, Rialto and Sant’Angelo, then Ca’ Rezzonico and finally Santa Maria del Giglio.
• Red (seasonal, roughly April to November): effectively a shortened Blue. After Murano and Fondamente Nove it stops at Ospedale and Bacini, reaches the Lido and ends between San Zaccaria and San Marco Giardinetti.

Journey times come from the official PDF timetables. On the summer timetable the Blue takes 75–85 minutes from the airport to San Marco Giardinetti (less on evening runs) and over an hour and a half to the station. The Orange reaches Rialto in about 55–65 minutes and Santa Maria del Giglio in about 70 minutes. On the Rick Steves forum, travellers who timed the trip report similar figures: about 1 h 15 min to San Marco and over 1 h 35 min to Zattere. The Tiqets listing says 50 minutes: realistic for the first stops, optimistic for those at the far end of the line.

Summer hours from the official PDFs: the Blue leaves the airport from 5:20 to 0:20, the Orange from 8:35 to 23:05. Winter hours differ, so check the current timetable on the website before you travel. The stated frequency is roughly one departure every 30 minutes per line.

What it costs: tickets, passes and luggage

A single from the airport to Venice costs €18; a return is €32, with the return leg valid for 30 days. Airport to Murano costs €10 (€18 return). Accompanied children under 6 travel free. Holders of the Venezia Unica card pay reduced fares.

For stays of a few days there are time-based passes. The shortest, 24 hours, costs €40; the 48-hour pass is €60 and the 72-hour pass €80. They are valid on the whole network except the Green line, which is a commercial island excursion at €25 per person. Note: ACTV passes are not valid on Alilaguna lines, and vice versa.

The ticket covers one piece of hand luggage plus one suitcase whose three sides add up to no more than 160 cm. Every extra or oversized item needs a €4 ticket bought before boarding. Folded pushchairs and shopping trolleys travel free.

The per-person maths against a taxi

The fair comparison is with the city’s official water-taxi fare: €110 per boat from the airport to the historic centre, for up to 4 people and 4 suitcases, according to the Comune di Venezia tariff schedule (Giunta resolutions no. 227/2011 and no. 516/2011). From the fifth passenger on, add €10 each. Operators’ commercial prices are higher.

For six people the total gap shrinks to just over €20, but only if you find a taxi at the city fare. On booking platforms a private taxi costs more: see the price ladder and the taxi vs Alilaguna comparison.

Where to buy and how to board

At the airport the Alilaguna ticket offices are in the boat dock area. It is a 7–10 minute walk from arrivals along a covered walkway. Online, tickets are sold on the official shop, shop.alilaguna.it.

Third-party platforms resell the same ticket, at the same price when we checked: €18 on Tiqets and €18 on GetYourGuide. The GetYourGuide product is called “Boat Transfer with 3 Routes”: it is Alilaguna, not a water taxi. Venezia Unica, the City of Venice’s official portal, sells it too.

Buying online saves no money, but it does skip the queue. The Tiqets voucher has to be exchanged for a paper ticket, which you validate before boarding: according to the product listing, at the airport you do this at the Alilaguna desk in the arrivals hall or at the dock ticket office (both open 7:00–0:20), and in the city at the Alilaguna ticket office in San Marco, near the Giardini Reali (7:30–19:10). On Tiqets you can cancel up to 23:59 on the day before travel; on GetYourGuide free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead usually applies (check the individual listing).

One detail confuses many visitors: some ACTV lines (13, 20, 22 and a stretch of the 5.1/5.2) are run with Alilaguna-branded boats. On those you need an ACTV ticket, not an Alilaguna one.

Who is behind it: the same group sells the shared taxi

Bucintoro Viaggi, a Venetian travel agency, states on its GetYourGuide supplier profile that it is controlled by Alilaguna. The terms of use of venicelink.com describe Venicelink as a brand of Alilaguna S.p.A. Bucintoro is the supplier of the shared airport water taxis sold on GetYourGuide and Tiqets, and of the Alilaguna ticket on Tiqets.

According to Bucintoro, the boats for its taxi transfers come from a group partner, Venezia Turismo. Alilaguna’s website mentions none of this. The exact form and size of the shareholding are not public.

There is nothing unlawful here. But it is worth knowing: when you weigh up “Alilaguna or a shared taxi”, you are often choosing between two products of the same group. More in our reviews of Bucintoro Viaggi and Venice Link.

What travellers report

The dominant theme is slowness. In Rick Steves forum threads the Blue line is described as a service that stops everywhere, with journeys well over an hour to the furthest stops. There, Alilaguna is recommended to people who travel light and have time.

Second point: the cabin. The boats are low and enclosed; one user on the same forum describes it very harshly, as a noisy boat squashed down on the water. If you want a view of the lagoon, you are often disappointed.

Third: crowding with luggage. On Tripadvisor some travellers report boats full at intermediate stops and waits of about half an hour for the next departure. The most common verdict on value: far cheaper than a taxi, far slower; the taxi’s real advantage is door-to-door service with your suitcases.

Scores vary a lot by platform. When we checked: 4.3 on Tiqets (1,081 reviews), 4.4 on the GetYourGuide product (7,707), 3.3 on Viator (281), where Tripadvisor ratings feed into the score. Why these numbers differ is explained on the operators page.

Then there is the price. After a resolution by the Metropolitan City authorised recovering the inflation accumulated since the last adjustment, the airport–Venice fare went up from €15 to €18. Local press reported protests over higher season-ticket prices. Some opposition councillors criticised what they call a monopoly on the airport route.

Who it suits, and who it doesn’t

Alternatives to compare

If time matters more than price, start with the shared water taxi or the private water taxi. For the full picture of every option from the airport, with arrival landing stages, see the guide from Marco Polo airport.

By road, the ATVO bus reaches Piazzale Roma in about 20 minutes for €12; from there continue on ACTV vaporetti. If you have more luggage than allowed, read the page on luggage and accessibility first.