ALESSANDRO FACCIN
VENICE GUIDE ...
GETTING AROUND



Alright. You made it. You’re in Venice.
Probably you came by train, bus, or one of those boats that feel like they’re late for everything. Good for you. From this point on, you have two basic options: you walk, or you ride on water. 

Simple, right? 

Walking is usually what we do. It’s cheap, fast, and it’s the only way to actually feel the city.
But let’s be honest: walking in Venice means walking fast, and sometimes that means you’ll bump into people, step on someone’s photo shoot, or mutter a quick “ghesboro“ under your breath when a tourist is blocking the bridge like it’s a movie set. Don’t take it personally if you get a little side‑eye, or a local yelling “Scusa?” in a way that sounds more like “Move it.” That’s the soundtrack of our daily life. 

If you respect the bridges, don’t stand in the middle of a narrow passage, and let locals pass without turning a canal‑side walk into a TikTok studio, you’ll be fine. Honestly, we’re not trying to be rude — we’re just trying to get to work. 

But yeah, you can also ride on water, and let’s be clear: it can be expensive, slow, and crowded as hell — especially the tourist routes. That’s why most of us don’t do it unless we have a reason to. 

If you’re okay with that, then fine. Venice lives on two layers: the water, and the little islands that together make up the city. You can’t really understand the place without experiencing both. 

There’s no Uber here. No cheap, on‑demand rides.
Here, private transport on water still runs on old‑school water taxis. And let’s be real: that system feels like a semi‑untouchable mini‑mafia, not too different from the gondoliers’ world. If you’re lucky, you’ll catch a driver who’s honest, funny, and actually knows something about the city. If you’re not, you’ll get price inflation for tourists, last‑minute extras, and that “we‑all‑know‑you’re‑paying‑more” vibe. 

So, like everywhere else: 
  • Ask for the price before you get in.
  • If something feels off, ask again.
  • If it still feels off, walk.

If you want something more “local” and way cheaper, there’s the vaporetto — our bus on water. It’s not sexy, it’s not romantic, but it’s real. You can buy multi‑day passes, hop on and off, and slowly learn how the city moves when nobody’s filming it. 

And then there are the other options: 
  • The traghetto — those little “fake gondola” rides across the Canal that cost basically nothing. Touristy, but fast and kind of fun.
  • The gondolas — expensive, heavily staged, and absolutely not something you need to do every day. But if you’re in the mood for a classic, cinematic ride, fine, go for it. Just don’t pretend it’s the “real Venice.” It’s the postcard Venice.

If you want to live like a local, walk.
If you want to feel like a tourist, ride a gondola.
If you want to have a bit of both, hop on the vaporetto once in a while and just watch the city slip by from the water. 

P.S.
If you want to actually figure out how to move around on the vaporetto, you’ll be happy to know there’s an app for that.
It’s called Chebateo — yes, it looks like it was designed in 2010 and nobody told the developers. It’s clunky, it’s old‑school, but it’s also the official app for vaporetti in Venice. 

Download it.
In there, you’ll find: 
  • Routes,
  • timetables,
  • and exact departure points for every line.

It’s not beautiful, but it works. In Venice, that’s basically the best you can hope for.




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