Travel guide · Checked August 2026
The complete guide to Venice's water bus network: every line, every stop and the frequencies, from the Grand Canal at dawn to the night boat back from Burano.
From €12 / person
Overview
The vaporetto is Venice's public water bus, and the only practical way to move across the lagoon. This guide covers every ACTV line, the stops that matter and the timetables you actually need to plan a day.
On this page
A vaporetto is a motorised public water bus that runs along Venice's canals, across the lagoon and out to the surrounding islands. The network is operated by ACTV, the city's transport authority; in practice, the vaporetto is Venice's floating metro.
For visitors it takes the place of buses and trains. Cars cannot reach historic Venice, and on foot you are much slower between San Marco, Rialto, Lido, Murano or Burano. Around twenty regular lines plus several night services connect every major landing stage, from before sunrise until well past midnight.
Vaporetti come in several forms: the classic low motoscafo on the inner canals, the larger double-deck motonavi on the lagoon crossings to Lido and Punta Sabbioni, and dedicated car ferries (ferrovia-traghetto). The standard ACTV tickets cover the regular passenger lines described on this page; the Alilaguna airport boats are a separate company, and ACTV lines 16, 19 and 21 and the Casinò service sit outside the standard tickets.
Line network
The ACTV network is organised by line number; letters mark night and seasonal services. Lines are colour-coded on official maps and timetables. Here is the full overview, grouped by what each line is for.
Venice's most famous line. It runs the full length of the Grand Canal, from Piazzale Roma via San Marco to Lido, calling at every stop. Ideal for sightseeing.
The express alternative to line 1. It skips most stops and also serves Giudecca and Tronchetto. The smart choice when you want to cross the city quickly.
These circle the outer edge of the city in opposite directions (4.1 anticlockwise, 4.2 clockwise) and continue to Murano. Handy for Sant'Elena and Fondamente Nove.
The second pair of loops, this time linking to Lido. Anticlockwise (5.1) and clockwise (5.2). Convenient for travellers staying on Lido who want to reach Piazzale Roma without changing.
The essential line for the northern lagoon islands. It starts at Fondamente Nove and calls at Murano Faro, Mazzorbo, Burano and Torcello. Allow half a day for the round trip.
Crosses the lagoon from San Zaccaria via Lido to Punta Sabbioni. The link for travellers coming from Jesolo and the campsites on the Cavallino peninsula.
A short shuttle between Burano and Torcello, every 30 minutes. You will use it together with line 12 to see both islands in one trip.
Seasonal direct services to Murano. Line 3 starts at Piazzale Roma and Ferrovia (good for arriving travellers); line 7 starts at San Zaccaria.
Runs roughly from midnight to 05:00 between Lido, San Marco, Rialto, Ferrovia, Piazzale Roma and Tronchetto, plus Giudecca. It replaces lines 1 and 2 at night. About every 20 minutes.
The night counterpart to line 12. It connects Fondamente Nove with Murano, Burano and Treporti in the late hours, with limited departures.
Venice has more than 100 vaporetto landings (imbarcaderi), but only a handful do the heavy lifting. These are the ones you will actually use: the hubs where lines cross and where nearly every day's plan starts or ends.
| Landing | Why it matters | Lines |
|---|---|---|
| Piazzale Roma | Bus terminal and the only road access. Arrivals from the airport. | 1, 2, 3, 4.1/4.2, 5.1/5.2, 6, N |
| Ferrovia | Right outside Santa Lucia station - the starting point for rail arrivals. | 1, 2, 3, 4.1/4.2, 5.1/5.2, N |
| Rialto | The heart of the Grand Canal, by the Rialto Bridge and the market. | 1, 2, N |
| San Marco (Vallaresso / S. Zaccaria) | Main hub for St Mark's Square, the islands and Lido. | 1, 2, 4.1/4.2, 5.1/5.2, 7, 14, N |
| Accademia | Gallerie dell'Accademia and the quiet Dorsoduro side. | 1, 2 |
| Fondamente Nove | Lagoon hub for Murano, Burano and Torcello. | 4.1/4.2, 5.1/5.2, 12, 13, NLN |
| Lido S.M.E. | Lido main landing: beach, film festival, link to Punta Sabbioni. | 1, 2, 5.1/5.2, 6, 14, N |
| Murano (Faro / Colonna / Museo) | Glass island with several landings - Faro is the hub. | 3, 4.1/4.2, 7, 12, NLN |
| Burano | Colourful fishing island, terminus of line 12. | 12, 9, NLN |
| Tronchetto | Car park island and People Mover terminus. | 2, N |
The ten busiest vaporetto stops in Venice
Venice runs two main timetables: summer (roughly April to October, longer operating hours and higher frequency) and winter (shorter spans, slightly reduced frequency). Sundays and public holidays follow a modified schedule; acqua alta events can change the service at short notice.
First departure · ~05:00
Most central lines start before sunrise. Line 1 typically leaves Piazzale Roma around 05:00.
Last departure · ~23:30
Daytime services end between about 22:30 and 23:50, depending on the line and direction.
Night · N and NLN
From around midnight to 05:00, line N and the island night line NLN are running.
Every major landing has real-time display boards. For end-to-end planning, ACTV publishes the current timetables per line on the official water bus timetable page, and the AVM Venezia Official app shows departures in real time. Frequencies on this page describe the typical pattern; before an early-morning or late-night connection, check the official timetable for the day of travel.
Every ticket, paper or digital, must be validated at the white-and-yellow validators at the entrance to the landing before you board, and again every time you change boats or start a new ride. Your first validation starts the validity period. An unvalidated ticket counts as no ticket, and the fine is steep.
Line numbers are used in both directions. Read the electronic destination display on the boat (for example Line 1 - Lido S.M.E. vs. Line 1 - Piazzale Roma) rather than just the line number.
Up to three pieces of luggage travel free within ACTV's size rules, and only one of them may measure 120 to 150 cm in combined dimensions. Additional or larger items need a luggage ticket. A suitcase plus hand luggage per person is fine on the trip from the station to your hotel.
A single ticket is valid for 75 minutes on the regular ACTV waterbus lines, with transfers included. From two days on, the multi-day travelcards are almost always the better deal. Note that the Alilaguna airport boats and ACTV lines 16, 19, 21 and the Casinò service are not covered by the standard tickets. Prices and validity on our ticket page.
