Which Venice vaporetto ticket should you buy?
For one or two separate boat journeys, the €9.50 ACTV 75-minute ticket usually costs less than a €25 daily pass. For three separately ticketed journeys within 24 hours, the pass is cheaper: €25 instead of €28.50. If you mostly walk and want just one Grand Canal journey, buy a single rather than a pass for your whole stay. These comparisons use standard adult prices checked on 24 October 2026, not concession fares.
Official ACTV 75-minute ticket and conditionsStandard adult fares and the useful break-even point
Swipe or scroll sideways to compare every column.
| Your decision | Ticket and price | When it beats separate €9.50 tickets |
|---|---|---|
| 75 minutes | €9.50 from first validation | One or two separately ticketed journeys usually favour singles over a daily pass. |
| 24 hours | €25 Venezia Daily Pass | Three singles cost €28.50; all journeys must fit the pass validity. |
| 48 hours | €35 | Four singles cost €38. |
| 72 hours | €45 | Five singles cost €47.50. |
| 7 days | €65, as listed in the official ticket catalogue | Seven singles cost €66.50; compare shorter passes if rides are clustered. |
Count tickets, not every change of boat
A change within the applicable 75-minute ticket validity does not automatically mean you need another single. The break-even examples compare journeys that would each require a separate ticket. For example, three sightseeing days with one boat journey each cost €28.50 in singles, below the €45 three-day pass. Conversely, concentrating a Grand Canal journey and an island outing into one 24-hour period can make the daily pass useful. Leave a margin before expiry instead of relying on a last-minute boarding.
Official catalogue: current single and timed-pass prices24, 48 and 72 hours start at first validation
The one-day product is explicitly valid for 24 hours from first validation; the two-day and three-day products last 48 and 72 hours. They are not described as calendar-day passes expiring at midnight. Activate the ticket when your first useful ride begins, not simply when you arrive in Venice if you will walk that afternoon. Compare the interval between your first and last intended ride before choosing a duration.
Venezia Daily Pass: 24-hour validityWhat ACTV passes include, and what they exclude
The checked 24-, 48- and 72-hour products cover the ACTV Venice navigation network, the People Mover, ACTV mainland buses and tram in Mestre–Marghera, and ACTV buses on Lido and Pellestrina. They exclude navigation lines 16 and 19, the Casino line and Alilaguna. ACTV Marco Polo Airport Aerobus travel is also not included in these base products. An ACTV pass is not a private water-taxi booking, gondola ride, guided island tour or museum ticket.
ACTV 48-hour ticket: networks and exclusionsMestre trains: the daily pass has a specific inclusion
The €25 Venezia Daily Pass explicitly includes Trenitalia Regional (R) and Fast Regional (RV) services within the Municipality of Venice, naming Santa Lucia, Porto Marghera, Mestre, Carpenedo and Mestre Ospedale. The checked 48- and 72-hour ACTV product descriptions do not list that rail inclusion. Do not assume that buying a longer boat pass gives you the same train entitlement. A Venice–Florence high-speed journey is not covered by this local daily-pass benefit.
Read the daily pass rail inclusionBuying online: exchange the voucher before boarding
For the Venezia Unica products linked here, an online voucher is not the boarding ticket. Enter its PNR at an AVM/ACTV ticket machine to collect the transport ticket, then validate before boarding waterbuses and buses. Leave time for that machine step at the start of the day. AVM also has an official app with purchasing and validation functions; follow the process for the ticket medium you actually bought rather than treating a voucher screenshot as a validated ticket.
Venezia Unica: voucher exchange and validationChoose the service and landing stage before you queue
For the Doge’s Palace area, MUVE lists line 1 from the station or Piazzale Roma towards Vallaresso or San Zaccaria. Use the signed direction and exact landing stage for your destination; adjacent pontoons can serve different routes. For Murano or Burano, plan an outward and return connection in AVM’s journey planner rather than boarding any boat labelled for the lagoon. AVM warns that fog and high water can modify navigation services and publishes updates through landing-stage panels and its information channels.
AVM: official timetables, route planning and disruption informationChildren and accessibility concessions
The checked ticket pages say children up to and including age five travel free. They also list a €1.50, 75-minute waterbus ticket for wheelchair users and EU Disability Card holders, bought at Venezia Unica ticket offices, with specified companion concessions. If eligible, compare those conditions before buying a standard adult pass. Ticket eligibility does not establish that every bridge, hotel entrance or walking route is step-free.
Official concessions and eligibilityPlan the rides around your Venice days
Put the main historic-city walking sights together, then decide whether an island day creates enough boat use to justify a pass. A three-night hotel stay alone is not a reason to buy 72 hours of transport.
Use the three-day Venice itineraryYour hotel changes the calculation
A base near the station, San Marco, Dorsoduro or Mestre changes both your luggage transfer and the rides you need each day. Compare the actual arrival stop and property entrance before assuming a cheap room means a cheaper trip.
Compare Venice areas and Mestre