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Venice's ACTV 'N' Night Boat

The ACTV transit agency operates several "Notturno" water buses from just before midnight until dawn. There's a good chance that you'll ride an "N" vaporetto if you're catching an early-morning flight or train.

ABOVE: At 3:40 a.m., only a handful of commuters occupy the Night Boat's cabin.

By Durant Imboden

Venice isn't the kind of town where you'll find yourself staggering back to your hotel at 4 a.m. after a night of clubbing, but the ACTV transit agency's "Notturno" or "Night" boat may be handier than you'd think.

If you have an early flight or train departure, the "N" water bus offers an easy way to get from a hotel in Venice's historic center to the Piazzale Roma (with its airport buses and land taxis) and Ferrovia (where you'll find Venezia Santa Lucia Railroad Station). Just as important, the public vaporetto is far cheaper than a water taxi.

The most popular "N" boat runs from the Lido di Venezia (Venice's beach resort) to San Marco. It then continues down the Grand Canal, stopping at several locations before reaching the railroad station, Piazzale Roma, and the Tronchetto parking garage. Many boats then continue up the Giudecca Canal, stopping at stations such as Zattere (in Dorsoduro) and on the island of Giudecca.

ABOVE: Why sleep when you can catch an ACTV Night Boat, an ATVO airport bus, and a KLM flight while other people are still in bed?

Boats also run in the opposite direction, so you can take an "N" boat if (for example) you arrive on a train in the middle of the night and want to reach your hotel or vacation apartment by public transportation.

• Note: ACTV operates several other "Notturno" lines, which serve outlying islands and the mainland town of Punta Sabbioni. These commuter routes aren't relevant for most visitors.

Buying tickets and riding the Night Boat

ABOVE: This local station timetable shows "N" boat departures toward Ferrovia, Piazzale Roma, and the Tronchetto parking gargage from the Ca' d'Oro vaporetto stop.

• First, check the current ACTV Night Boat schedule, which is available as a downloadable PDF file. The timetable has two sections. If you're going toward Piazzale Roma, Ferrovia, or the Tronchetto parking garage, use the second table to see when boats leave from an ACTV station near you. (Alternatively, you can consult the local station's "N" timetable, as shown in the example above.)

• Second, buy an ACTV vaporetto ticket. Larger stations have vending machines, but you can also buy vaporetto tickets and tourist passes in advance from ACTV ticket booths, newsstands, tobacco shops, and other authorized vendors. (See Buying Vaporetto Tickets for more options.)

• Before entering the pontile or pontoon at the waterbus stop, validate your ticket or pass with the electronic scanner.

About the author:

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.

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