Piazzale Roma

Venice's gateway for buses, taxis, and trams is convenient to the city's historic center, the Marittima cruise port, and the Tronchetto parking garage.

ABOVE: The Piazzale Roma may be a busy transportation hub, but it has its modest charms--including trees and this pleasant snack bar overlooking the square.

Every year, millions of tourists enter Venice through the Piazzale Roma. This utilitarian square, with its parking garages and bus bays, lies on the Venice side of the long causeway from the mainland.

1) Visitors who arrive by public bus from the airport or parking lots on the mainland. (Note: If you're flying into Venice, the airport boat is a slower but more interesting way to reach the city.)

2) Motorists who are naïve enough to endure long lines at the Piazzale Roma's garages instead of using the more manageable Tronchetto parking island on busy or weekends or during high season.

3) Members of tour groups (although many tour buses discharge passengers at Tronchetto for transfer to vaporetto, water taxi, or private waterbus).

Map of the Piazzale Roma:

Vaporetti (water buses) leave from floating platforms on the Grand Canal (near the top of the photo, where you'll also see the Ponte della Costituzione or Calatrava Bridge to Venezia Santa Lucia Railroad Station).

The small stone bridge toward the right of the photo leads to Venice's historic center. The Piazza San Marco is 30 to 40 minutes away on foot if you don't get lost.

Getting to your hotel or cruise terminal:

ABOVE: You can buy boat and bus tickets at the newsstand near the Piazzale Roma bus stops or in the Hellovenezia building nearby.

After arriving at the Piazzale Roma, look for the Venezia Unica/ACTV office, which is a tile-roofed building near the tree-lined side of the square and the modern Calatrava Bridge, a.k.a. the Ponte della Costituzione. It sells tickets for public water buses (vaporetti) and land buses, along with Tourist Travel Cards (12 hours to 7 days) for longer visits.

If the lines at the ticket office are long, bypass them by purchasing your transit tickets at the newsstand (see photo above) in the middle of the square. This is also a good place to buy tickets for ATVO airport buses.

When you've bought your tickets, walk down the steps on either side of the small garden near the ACTV office to reach the landings for water buses and water taxis. (Vaporetti or water buses are far cheaper than water taxis, although the latter may be convenient if your hotel is on a side canal and you can split the fare with other members of a group.)

You can save money--and avoid crowded boats during high season--by simply walking to your destination. Before setting out, buy a good map at one of the newsstands in or around the Piazzale Roma.

Are you heading directly for the Marittima cruise basin, which accommodates some small ships and checks in passengers for many larger vessels that dock on the mainland? See our People Mover article. (The People Mover will get you from the Piazzale Roma to the port entrance in less than two minutes, and it's cheaper than taking a water bus or taxi.)

If you have an early airport departure, are staying in Venice overnight before or after a cruise, or are visiting the city for only a day or two, a hotel near the Piazzale Roma may be convenient.

Getting to the airport from Piazzale Roma:

Venice is served by two airports: Venice Marco Polo (the main airport), and Treviso Airport (used by Ryanair and at least one other budget airline). Buses to both airports leave from the center of the Piazzale Roma. See Venice Airport Buses and Treviso Airport Buses for details.

Alternatively, you can hire a four-wheeled land taxi, but the fare will be much higher (and the trip won't be any faster) than with the bus. Land taxis are also useful if you're transporting heavy luggage to the cruise terminals. Look for cabs at the taxi rank on the tree-lined side of the square.

Parking:

Again, parking at Tronchetto is easier than struggling with the confusion at the Piazzale Roma--at least on weekends or in high season, when lines can be horrific.

An even better option during high season is to park on the mainland and take public transportation into the city. For more information, including links to the parking facilities' Web sites, see our "Parking in Venice" article.

Look for a deposito bagagli, or left-luggage office, near the People Mover station and the Pullman Bar.

To check hours and prices ahead of time, phone the Cooperativa Trasbagagli at 0415231107 or e-mail [email protected].

If the deposito bagagli office is crowded, or if you'd like to try a cheaper alternative, The Golden Luggage (located near vaporetto piers E and F) is a handy choice.

Venice transportation index
This page has links to our articles on Venice's vaporetti (water buses), airport boats and buses, car ferries, gondolas, and Marco Polo Airport.

10 hotels closest to airport buses
These hotels are on or extremely close to Piazzale Roma, where buses offer service to the Venice Marco Polo and Treviso airports.

17 hotels closest to cruise terminals
Many of these hotels are on or extremely close to Piazzale Roma. The others are near the San Basilio and Santa Marta cruise piers.

MAP CREDIT: Map by Anders Imboden, using base data from the Comune di Venezia and Regione Veneto under license IODL-2.0.

Durant Imboden has written about Venice, Italy since 1996. He covered Venice and European travel at About.com for 4-1/2 years before launching Europe for Visitors (including Venice for Visitors) with Cheryl Imboden in 2001.

PC Magazine has called this "the premier visitors' site for Venice, Italy." Over the years, it has helped more than 30 million travelers. For more information, see About our site, our Europe for Visitors press clippings, and our reader testimonials.

Map of the Piazzale Roma:

Getting to your hotel or cruise terminal:

Getting to the airport from Piazzale Roma:

Parking:

Related articles: