Hotel Enthusiast » Winter Breaks » Venice City Guide » Venice General Information

VENICE GENERAL INFORMATION

Venice airport information, getting around Venice, opening times, banks, communication, visas for Italy... basically we have put it upon us to provide you with some additional information that will ensure that your stay in Venice is an enjoyable one!

Tourist Information Service

General Information and maps: Tourist Offices in Venice. The government run APT offices are found throughout Venice. You can get tourist information as well as free maps of Venice. These offices are particularly good for finding what's new in Venice - shows, concerts, exhibitions etc.

APT Venezia Tourist Board of Venice Main Offices Castello 4421 I-30122 Venice Phone: +39-041-5298711

Uffici informazioni S. Marco Piazza San Marco Phone: +39-041-5226356/5298730

Stazione Ferroviaria S. Lucia Tourist Information Office at the Santa Lucia Train Station in Venice Phone: +39-041-719078

Lido di Venezia Tourist Information Office on the Lido, at Viale Santa Maria Elisabetta Gran Viale S.M. Elisabetta, 6/a Phone: +39-041-5265721/5298720

Opening Hours: Almost everything in Venice - shops, museums, churches, tourist offices are open from 9am to around 1pm and from around 3.30pm to 7.30pm Monday to Saturday. The ones dedicated to the tourist trade generally stay open during lunchtime and open on Sunday.

Getting to Venice from the Airport

Getting to Venice: Venice's Marco Polo International Airport is a very convenient gateway for getting into Venice. The Piazzale Roma is just 20 minutes away by land taxi or airport bus, and the Lido, the Piazza San Marco, and other locations in the historic center are easy to reach via the Alilaguna airport boat.

There are two different bus routes available.

ATVO [blue bus] This bus costs 2.60 EUR and is located between the Arrivals terminal and the Departures area and you can buy a ticket from the ATVO booth in the Arrivals terminal.

Actv [orange bus] Actv's No. 5 bus runs frequently from about 4 a.m. until midnight and costs 1.00 EUR. You can buy tickets at the Actv booth in the arrivals terminal.

The Alilaguna airport boat "Red Line" boat leaves from a pier at the airport and speeds through the lagoon, the Lido, the Arsenale, Piazza San Marco and the Zattere on the Giudecca Canal side of Dorsoduro.

From the Main Train Station The main train station is Stazione Santa Lucia. Right in the center of Venice in the Cannaregio neighborhood. The vaporetto are right outside of the train station, right on the Canal Grande. You can walk to almost anywhere from here but it's advisable for you to get yoursleves a good map, Venice is a confusing city. If you fancy taking the boat to your hotel, one of the various stops along the Grand Canale will most likely get you very near to your hotel.

Getting AROUND Venice

Venice is a city that can easily be walked. You'll cross numerous bridges, boutique shops selling glass souvenirs, and squares with outdoor restaurants and cafes. There's also nothing like taking the boat. The vaporetti [ public ferries ] run to a tight schedule, with sailing times marked clearly at stops. The routes can be confusing so pick up a timetable and route map [60 euros] from the central ACTV office, vaporetto stops or from tourist offices. For more information on how to get around and about in Venice, check out our Venice transport page here.

Money and banks in Venice

Currency: Italy is located in the Euro-zone and the currency used is the Euro.

Banks in Venice: For the best rate of exchange [Italian: cambio] in Venice, it is best to go to one of the banks. Banks in Venice are concentrated mainly on the Calle Larga XXII Marzo, and along the squares and alleyways between Campo S. Bartolomeo and Campo Manin. There is not much to choose between them in terms of commission and exchange rates.

The banks opening hours are generally Monday to Friday; 8.30am - 1.30pm and 2.30pm - 3.30pm [ American Express and Thomas Cook offices usually have longer opening hours ]. It is also possible to find bureau d’exchange kiosks that stay open late, often near the train station and in the city centre. As a rule though, the kiosks do not offer very good rates. Finally, most of the larger hotel desks exchange money too, but the rates are usually less competitive than either banks or kiosks.

ATMs: There are many ATM's [Bancomats] and they are the quickest and cheapest way to get money in Italy.

Credit Cards: Credit cards are widely accepted at the major tourist areas but you do still get many restaurants, small shops or bars that only accept cash.

Travelers cheques: Travellers' cheques are no longer the cheapest nor most convenient option and most people use bank cards now. However you can change up travellers checks pretty much everywhere and the usual fee for buying travellers' cheques is one or two percent. Buying cheques in Euros is the best option, since these can be cashed without incurring exchange service charges.

Communications in Venice

Venice's main post office is at San Marco, 30124 Venezia. It's on the San Marco side of the Rialto Bridge [Rialto Fontego dei Tedeschi 041-271-7111]. There's also another postal service at Piazza San Marco at the opposite end of the piazza from the basilica on Calle Larga dell'Ascensione. Just walk through the the cntral portal Sottoportego San Geminian and you're there. Opening hours are Monday to Friday 8:30am to 2pm and Saturday 8:30am to 1pm.

Stamps can also be purchased at tobacco shops but it is advisable to post airmail letters and postcards at the post office to ensure the postage is correct, otherwise the mail will be returned to the sender.

Telephone services: Calls to Italy: the country code for Italy is +39. Dial +39, then the area code and the subscriber's number. Italian public phones work well you'll find plenty of booths on the street. They only accept phonecards which can be bought in bars and tobacco shops ["tabacchis"]. The local area code for Venice is 041.

Internet: There are also plenty of Internet cafés in Venice.

Venice Emergency Numbers

Venice is a very safe city but be careful of pickpocketing on the crowded vaporetti. If you ever need help, here are some numbers that will help you.

In case of an emergency call 112 or 113. The city’s main public hospital Campo SS Giovanni e Paolo, [041 5294516]

About Visas FOR ITALY

All visitors entering Italy must have a valid passport.

Nationals of all the following countries, who intend to visit Italy for a period of 90 days or less, do not need to obtain a visa. Nationals of other countries (except those European residents specifically referred to above) must obtain a visa to enter Italy.

Andorres, Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech RepublicC, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, IsraelL, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Rumania, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Switzerland, United States, Uruguay, Vatican City, Venezuela. Additional information may be obtained from the Italian Government Tourist Board.