Venice’s Vogalonga

Hi everyone, I’m not sure if you can help us out. We’ll be in Venice from June 8th to 17th. We arrive at the airport on the 8th and planned to take the Alilaguna waterbus to St. Mark’s Square to get to our Airbnb. We’ve estimated arriving at St. Mark’s Square between 11 AM and 12 PM. We didn’t realize we’d be arriving on the day of the race.

Because of the Vogalonga race taking place on June 8th, is the Grand Canal still navigable? If not, from what time will it be accessible again?

Thanks, Jacques

Hi Jacques.

You’ll need to take the blue or red line that goes around Venice to the east. Get off at the San Marco Giardinetti stop. The orange line that goes through the Grand Canal will indeed be problematic that day.

Be careful—it’ll take over an hour from the airport. 16 € per person. Many prefer taking the bus to Piazzale Roma and then the Vaporetto.

Cheers.

Thanks so much for the info!

Jacques, may I make a quick remark? You’re probably already aware.

You’ll be right in the middle of Venice’s paid-access period—10 € per person per day on weekends.

Since you’re staying overnight, you’re exempt from this tax.

But don’t forget to ask your host to give you an individual, named certificate to show during checks (and there are plenty). It’s a QR code you can download to your phone.

Have a great trip… a little early!

Egidio.

Thanks so much for this info—there’ll be 5 of us, so we’ll ask our host, Jacques

Jacques. Let me give you one more tip.

During your stay in Venice, the Alilaguna transfer can be a bit of a nightmare. Especially if it's crowded. The boat is super noisy—you can barely hear yourself talk. It stinks. The luggage situation is a mess. Over an hour on the water, sometimes leaving you with an upset stomach. It feels endless, believe me.

Since there are five of you, I’d recommend taking a water taxi instead, which you can catch at the same spot. The transfer costs 110 euros. Just a few euros more than Alilaguna in the end—5 x 16 euros. But you’ll be in Venice in 20 minutes because the taxi can take the canals. Great for those first photos. Plus, the driver can drop you right at your accommodation. Try negotiating your return trip with the driver too.

Just a tip.

Have a great day.

Egidio.