Venice can be called one of the most visited cities in Italy. In recent years, local authorities are even going to limit the flow of tourists at the legislative level. Venice is a museum city, almost any building is an architectural or historical monument. The city is built on islands - there are 122 of them, they are interconnected by 400 bridges. The entire old part of Venice and its lagoon are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is not surprising that almost all tourists arriving in Italy, certainly want to visit Venice. This city is full of special charm, it attracts with its unusual appearance and architectural solutions, carnivals and mysterious history.
Airports
You can get to Venice by air. Every day tourists come here from all over the world.
There are two airports here - Treviso and Marco Polo Airport. Both of them are in the suburbs. Venice, Treviso - the airport is located at a greater distance from the city than Marco Polo Airport. It is slightly smaller in size, low-cost airlines fly here - Wizz Air, Belle Air, German Wings and others. The airport has one runway, one terminal. Despite its small size, it provides travelers with all the necessary services - bars, restaurants, shops, car rental and banking services. Marco Polo Venice Airport is considered to be larger and more visited - it has international status and is recognized as one of the largest airports in Northern Italy.
Airport, Venice - Marco Polo
The airport is named after Marco Polo, the legendary Venetian traveler. It was built in 1960, located at a distance of 8 km from Venice. Has the international IATA code - VCE. There is only one passenger terminal and two runways, the longest reaches 3300 meters in length. Both international and domestic flights arrive here. In 2008, Venice Airport Marco Polo received and served a passenger flow of 6.8 million passengers - and took fourth place in the country in terms of passenger volume and the number of accepted flights. In the near future, the Venice authorities plan to reconstruct the runways - the replacement of asphalt.
According to the expectations of employees, this will increase passenger traffic up to 8 million people a year. The airport is owned by Save SPA, part of it is owned by local authorities. Venice Airport on the map is located near the suburbs, in the town of Tessoro - it is easily accessible by various transport.
Terminal
Venice Airport has one passenger terminal. It is a three-story building. It was opened after reconstruction in 2002. On the ground floor there are lounges for arriving passengers, an exit zone from the building, the second floor is occupied by check-in halls - there are 60 check-in counters for passenger flights at the airport. It also provides two lounges for passengers to wait for a flight. The entire third floor is occupied by offices - representative offices of various airlines. The total area of the terminal reaches 53 thousand meters. Any passenger who has a ticket for this carrier’s flight can apply to the office of the airline’s representative office.
If the flight is delayed, passengers are required to provide information on the reasons for the delay, if the delay is more than 2 hours - soft drinks are provided, more than 8 hours - a hotel room paid by the airline.
Transport from the airport to Venice
Many tourists are concerned about the question when visiting the city of Venice - how to get from the airport. Here you can offer several options - by taxi, by water taxi, by bus, or by using a vaporetto - water boat running along the route. The cheapest way to get around is by bus. There are two bus service companies, ATVO (blue bus) and ACTV (orange buses). It takes about 25-30 minutes to get to Venice; a ticket costs about 7 euros. A taxi ride will cost 30 euros, for a water taxi you need to pay about 100 euros. A boat trip to Venice takes 1 hour. Vaporetto - water boats - run between Venice and the airport from 6.00 to 23.00 with an interval of 1 hour. Ticket price - 15 euros.
Passenger reviews
Tourists arriving or departing through Venice Marco Polo Airport leave positive feedback about it. Everything is organized conveniently and logically, a lot of pointers help to navigate inside. There is even a Russian-speaking staff to whom you can turn for help. Even if quite a lot of people gather, airport employees quickly serve passengers by increasing the number of employees. Check-in or baggage can be done quite quickly - it will take no more than 25-30 minutes. It’s not customary to arrive at Venice Airport in advance so as not to waste time waiting for a flight.
Services
There are several cafes in the terminal building where you can eat. Shops and boutiques offer a fairly large selection of goods at reasonable prices, sometimes even lower than city ones. There are shops where you can buy souvenirs and masks, various little things for memory. There are several branches of banks and ATMs, tax-free. Near the airport there are several hotels of different levels. There is a tour desk and post office, Wi-Fi zones are provided. Luggage storage and a room for mother and child will help to spend time comfortably while waiting for a flight.
There is a VIP lounge for business class passengers and duty-free. A children's playground is provided for children. In special offices you can rent a car. All products sold at the airport are allowed to be exported from the country. At the airport you can buy Italian alcoholic beverages, company clothes, groceries, newspapers and magazines, books and much more. Right at the airport you can book a tour of Venice on gondolas - the cost of the walk will depend not only on the season and duration, but also on the quantity and weight of luggage.
For business class passengers, you can order special services at the airport - it involves escorting a personal guide who will meet or guide the guest, speed up the passage of all airport formalities, and take Marco Polo to the VIP zone of the airport. In addition, porter services are available for baggage check-in and inspection.