Venice to Lido: the vaporetto to the beach island

Which boat to take

The vaporetto to Lido lands at Lido S.M.E., short for Santa Maria Elisabetta, the main stop on the lagoon side of the island. Five lines reach it during the day. Which one is best depends on where you start: from San Marco the crossing is short and frequent, from Piazzale Roma and the station there are two direct lines round the south of the old city, and line 1 makes the long way down the Grand Canal.

Every departure time is on the vaporetto timetable, and the pontoon letters for each hub on vaporetto stops.

From Piazzale Roma and the station

From Piazzale Roma the direct boats are line 6 and line 5.1, both from pontoon B. They run past Zattere and Giardini to the Lido in just over half an hour. Line 6 stops for the day at 20:21; after that line 5.1 keeps running.

From the railway station, line 5.1 leaves Ferrovia from pontoon C and runs via Piazzale Roma; line 5.2 leaves from D and goes the other way round, via Fondamente Nove and the hospital. Line 1 from Piazzale Roma C and Ferrovia E also ends at the Lido, but through the whole Grand Canal: about 65 minutes, a fine ride for sightseeing and a slow one as a transfer. The canal stops are on ACTV line 1.

From San Marco

From San Zaccaria, on the waterfront beside the Doge's Palace, three lines cross in about a quarter of an hour. Line 14 from pontoon A takes 14 minutes and leaves every half hour; lines 1 and 5.1 leave from pontoon F. Together they give several boats an hour. Line 1 also calls at San Marco Vallaresso, pontoon B, on its way to the Lido.

Evening and night

Line 1 runs to the Lido until late: its last boat leaves Piazzale Roma at 23:41 and reaches the Lido at 00:39. Line 14 leaves San Zaccaria for the last time at 23:45. After that the night line N takes over from San Zaccaria F and runs through the night.

Back from the Lido, the last line 1 leaves Lido S.M.E. at 23:06 and the last line 14 at 00:41; the night line N leaves from pontoon D from 23:23. In the evening the boat between Fondamente Nove and the Lido runs hourly and is a smaller one, with room for 40 passengers.

Line 2 no longer goes to the Lido

In summer line 2 continued from San Marco to the Lido. Since 14 September 2026 that extension is suspended, and line 2 ends at San Marco Giardinetti. A map or a guide that shows line 2 to the Lido is out of date; for the Lido take line 1 or line 14 instead. The route of line 2 is on line 2 express.

Line 17 is a car ferry from Tronchetto to Lido S. Nicolò, at the northern tip of the island. Vehicles pay a fare of their own; for foot passengers the lines above are quicker.

Which ticket covers the Lido

Every timed ACTV ticket covers the crossing. A single ride costs €9.50 for 75 minutes, and within those 75 minutes you may change boats, so Piazzale Roma to the Lido via San Zaccaria is one ticket. A day at the beach is at least two rides, and with one more boat on the Grand Canal it is three: from the third ride the 24-hour ticket at €25 is the cheaper buy, see 24-hour ticket.

For longer stays the 48-hour, 72-hour and seven-day tickets cover the Lido in the same way. Travellers between 6 and 29 pay €27 for three days with a Rolling Venice card. All durations side by side are on vaporetto tickets and passes.

Buses and beaches on the Lido

The ticket does not stop at the landing. It also covers the buses on the Lido and on Pellestrina, so the ride from the boat to the far end of the island costs nothing extra. Line 11 goes further south: by bus from Lido S.M.E. to Alberoni, then by boat via Pellestrina to Chioggia, about 70 minutes in all.

The Lido is a long, narrow island between the lagoon and the Adriatic. The boats land on the lagoon side; the beaches face the open sea on the other side of the island. A bicycle that is not folded needs its own €1.50 ticket and travels only while there is room on board.

From the airport to the Lido

No timed ACTV ticket is valid to or from Marco Polo Airport. The direct boat is the Alilaguna Blu line, about 65 minutes from the airport to the Lido on its own ticket; details on Alilaguna. A water taxi from the airport to the Lido has a fixed fare of €120, see water taxi. Every other way in is on Marco Polo Airport to Venice.