A visitor's gazette · Venice

Arriving

Air, rail, bus or car. Only the car has to stop before the historic centre begins.

Published 18 October 2026

You can reach Venice by air, rail, bus or car. Only the last of those needs a special warning. The historic city has no roads for private vehicles. Everything else ends at a station, a square or a quay, and then you walk.

Marco Polo airport

Venice Marco Polo sits at Tessera on the mainland, north of the lagoon. It is not on the islands. From the arrivals hall you have three honest options.

ACTV city buses and ATVO coaches run to Piazzale Roma. The ride is about twenty minutes in light traffic and longer when the causeway is busy. Alilaguna operates boat services into the lagoon, with stops that include Murano, Fondamente Nove, San Marco and the Lido depending on the line. A licensed water taxi is a private boat from the airport quay to a hotel landing. Confirm the destination with the crew before you step in.

Treviso airport is farther out and used by some low-cost flights. Coaches run to Piazzale Roma. Budget the better part of an hour.

Santa Lucia station

Trains from Mestre, Verona, Milan, Florence and beyond end at Venezia Santa Lucia. The station facade opens onto the Grand Canal. You are already in the city. Vaporetti stop at Ferrovia. The Scalzi Bridge crosses to Santa Croce. If your hotel is in Cannaregio, you may not need a boat at all. If it is in Castello, you will.

Mestre station on the mainland is the junction. Some trains stop only there. A frequent local train or a tram crosses to Santa Lucia in a few minutes. If you are staying in Mestre, this is the daily commute into the historic city.

Buses

Coaches from the airport, from Padua and from elsewhere terminate at Piazzale Roma. So do city buses from Mestre. The square is ugly and useful. You have arrived when you can see the multi-storey garages and the People Mover track.

Arrival by car

Cars stop at the edge of the island city

The historic centre has no roads for private vehicles.

Piazzale Roma. The Ponte della Libertà ends here. Walking and vaporetti start from this square.
Tronchetto. An artificial island just west of the station, with a large covered car park.
People Mover. A short elevated rail between Tronchetto and Piazzale Roma.

The road across the lagoon is the Ponte della Libertà, about 3.85 km, opened in 1933, renamed after the war.

Piazzale Roma is the only place private cars reach in the historic city. City and private multi-storey garages sit on the square. The municipal garage is the Autorimessa Comunale.

Tronchetto is reached by taking the right branch before Piazzale Roma. The People Mover ride to Piazzale Roma takes a couple of minutes. Public boats also call at Tronchetto.

Larger vehicles and campers use the open lots on Tronchetto rather than the tight ramps at Piazzale Roma.

Some garages let you hold a space ahead of time in busy months. Treat that as optional, not a pitch.

Garages at the terminus stay open around the clock. Height limits apply. From either point you continue on foot or by vaporetto. Leaving the car in Mestre and crossing by bus, tram or train is the other usual pattern.

The Ponte della Libertà road and rail causeway crossing the lagoon — Ponte della Libertà, the road and rail link from the mainland.

Piazzale Roma, the bus and taxi terminus at the edge of the historic city — Piazzale Roma. Garages sit on this square. After that, you walk.

The Grand Canal at dusk from the Constitution Bridge, looking toward the station precinct — From the Constitution Bridge at Piazzale Roma, looking along the canal at dusk.

People Mover station at Tronchetto, seen from the lagoon — People Mover station on Tronchetto, seen from the lagoon.

Once you are on foot

The People Mover track running above the lagoon between Tronchetto and Piazzale Roma — The People Mover track above the lagoon, the short link from Tronchetto.

From Piazzale Roma or Ferrovia the city is a web of calli. Yellow signs point to San Marco, Rialto and the Accademia. They are honest enough for the first hour. After that, follow a canal. The walking notes explain steps, boats and high water.

Luggage on wheels is a curse on stepped bridges. Pack as if you will carry the bag, because you will lift it fifty times. Porters exist at the station. We do not book them.

Short answers

Can I drive into the historic centre?

No. Private cars stop at Piazzale Roma or Tronchetto, or they stay in Mestre.

Is the People Mover a vaporetto?

No. It is a short elevated rail between Tronchetto, the Marittima terminal and Piazzale Roma. Boats are separate.

Should I stay in Mestre?

Some visitors do, especially with a car. You then cross by bus, tram or train. The historic city is a different place at night, which is the trade-off.