Marco Polo it ain't and other Venice, Italy Transportation Tips

'Mode': TO
Category: Airplane
Getting TO/AROUND: Flights from London Stansted to 'Venice' on Ryanair land 20 miles away at a tin shed in Treviso. No joke, it's a shack with a baggage carousel. The only other main carrier flying in here at the time was Romania's national carrier.

Coaches await outside to shuttle you to Mestre (for the mainland train station) and Venice itself, 45 minutes away. A single journey at the time cost 4.30 euro, no doubt this has gone up but the Ryanair website will have a link to up to date fares and schedules.

The route is along minor roads through non-stop suburbia, yet the landscape is immediately Italian. Poplar trees line up in front of loggias, shops have shuttered windows and while we did spot a McDonalds we also saw an enticing place called Lady Bingo.

The road to Venice runs along a railway track and presents an uninspiring view of Venice's worst side. Its backside, even. Cranes stalk a container port. Industrial chimneys bristle amongst rail sidings and tin warehouses. And Mestre? Hideous.

You'll be conveniently dropped off in Venice at the Piazzele Roma, the messy car park at the end of the land bridge to the mainland, where you can hop directly onto a vaporetto down the Grand Canal. Even here at the bus stop and multi-storey car park a canal with turquoise water laps the asphalt.

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Website: www.ryanair.com
Other Contact: www.trevisoairport.it

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Ship/Boat
Getting TO/AROUND: Unless you have a wad of cash to throw away, I wouldn't bother with a gondola ride. If you're desperate to take a ride (just for the experience and not for the romance), look for the workhorses crossing the Grand Canal. The Canal has only three bridges its entire length so there are several gondola crossings.

The gondolier waits for his boat to fill (most people are required to stand) until he's collected enough fares (around 50 euro cents). Then hang on as he pushes you and your fellow passengers across, dodging vaporetti and water taxis. Chances are good that you'll be the only tourist, stood alongside a post man on his rounds and some women carrying their shopping home.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Ship/Boat
Getting TO/AROUND: There are passes available for travel on the vaporetto system allowing you to hop on and off as you please. At the time of our visit a 72 hour travel ticket cost 18 euro, but you can check the local transport authority's website for updated fares (it appears to be 25 euros now for adults, with a young persons discount available).

I will warn you however that although ACTV's website has an English section, the FAQ section is in Italian, so click the 'Water Bus' heading instead for a breakdown of costs and options in English.

The water bus network is extensive and great fun to travel on day or night, if a bit slow. However, they are quite noisy, lumbering, unelegant beasts that crash against the pontoons and it's recommended that you avoid a hotel too close to a vaporetto stop, especially if it's on a route served by the night service.

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Website: www.actv.it
Other Contact: actvpro@gpnet.it