Transport Venice Tips - from your Venice hotels to Stazione Marittima cruise terminal

"Transport Venice Tips: are you one of those lucky passengers who get to stay in Venice Italy before or after their cruise? This article helps you organize your transport from the hotel to Venice cruise terminal.

As you may know, Venice Italy used to be the turnaround port for many cruise lines before the city authorities decided to limit cruise ships' access to the city center and move the cruise dock to the industrial port of Marghera.

That is why many cruise lines decided to move their docks to smaller towns around Venice, like Ravenna and Trieste, while it is only the Italian cruise lines like MSC and Costa Cruises that currently sail out of Marghera.

If you are one of the MSC and Costa Cruises passengers, you will have a chance to fly to Venice airport and stay in this fabulous city for a few nights before and after your cruise - it could actually be the crown of your whole Mediterranean cruise vacation! 

Transport Venice - making plans ahead

If you have decided to stay in Venice for a night or two you should start making plans about:

Transport Venice - why plan ahead?

When it comes to transport in Venice, things are very specific, you already know that: being is a city dispersed on hundreds of little islands and a network of water canals in between them, getting around can get a bit stressful.

That is why different kinds of boats come to save you. In Venice, you can choose between using:

But it is one thing to use public transport when sightseeing and a completely different thing when trying to get from point A to point B with piles of luggage on you. 

It usually gets people really nervous thinking about the next step of the process they don't feel comfortable with.

While they should actually be enjoying the sights around them or saving their energy for the welcome-aboard party waiting for them on the ship. 

That is why I recommend booking one of the private departure transfers from Venice hotels/central Venice to Stazione Marittima (although ships dock at the Marghera industrial area, all the embark/disembark procedures are still taking place at Stazione Marittima). 

What is Venice Arrival/Departure Transfer for Cruisers?

It is a service offered by GetYourGuide platform, one of the world's leading resources for booking tours and experiences worldwide. We love to recommend GYG because their services make it possible for you to have an insider by your side when traveling.

And an insider is exactly what you'll need when getting on your cruise ship in Venice Cruise Port.

Private transfer between central Venice and cruise port is one of the rare services of this kind you can book online. Many are still advertised on Viator platform but travelers reviews tell me they are actually not functional anymore!

Click on the photo below to find out more:

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So what do I get for our money if I book this transfer?

  • a watertaxi pickup at the pier closest to your hotel
  • you and your group get to travel in style on a private motor boat (and a minivan that shuttles you from Piazzale Roma to inside the cruise terminal at Stazione Marittima)
  • a picturesque ride 
  • time to enjoy the sights of Venice never seen from this perspective (it's like a transfer and tour all in one!)
  • you get a friendly meet-and-greet agent who will be waiting just for you 

Basically, it's a lot of worry taken off your shoulders and this is why the previous cruises regularly give it a 5-star review. Here's what some of them said about it: 

'So easy and a great send off to a wonderful city. I was not aware when o signed up that the cost included a short car ride from the dock to the boat. First class service'

 Bill, the USA

'Excellent service and communication. Thank you!'

Tammy, the USA

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