Mestre is a suburb of Venice, it is through its "main gate" that the entrance to the large bridge opens, through which travelers enter directly into Venice itself. This is an ordinary and at first glance unremarkable Italian city, which is often chosen by budget travelers. Living and eating in Mestre is much cheaper than in Venice, but at the same time it’s a stone's throw to the city of interest.
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Distance to Mestre from Marco Polo Airport and from Mestre to Venice
Mestre is 13 kilometers from Marco Polo Airport, the largest airport in the region. The city and the airport are connected by regular bus service, and if you wish, you can use a taxi - it’s not expensive.
The distance from Mestre to Venice itself is about 10 km, shuttle buses and trains run it in 10-15 minutes.
Clock Tower on Piazza Ferretto in Mestre
ACTV buses from the airport in Mestre
Leaving the airport arrival hall (exit B), you will immediately get to the bus stop, from where the yellow ACTV (municipal) buses No. 4, 5, and 15 to Mestre leave. Travel time is about 25 minutes at normal time and about 40 at rush hour.
Since ACTV routes are municipal buses, they are more designed for ordinary passengers than for travelers: there is less luggage space, and there are more stops on the way.
Location of buses, bus ticket offices and ticket vending machines at the airport
Ticket price: one way 8 Euro, both ways - 15 Euro (2018). Estimated schedule of buses: from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. You can see the schedule of each route in more detail here.
You can buy tickets for ACTV buses at a specialized ticket office in the arrivals hall of the airport or in a vending machine at the bus stop.
Tickets must be composted immediately upon boarding the bus. If you bought a regular ticket, stamp it in the yellow composter; if the new sample is "ACTV / Hellovenezia" - attach it to the white terminal.
Municipal ACTV buses
ATVO Buses (Express)
Bus number 1 from Marco Polo Airport to Mestre leaves from the stop located a few meters from the exit of the arrivals hall.
ATVO blue buses are equipped with comfortable seats and luggage.
Ticket price: one way 8 Euro and 15 Euro round-trip (2018). Indicative schedule: from 6:06 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. for several departures per hour. Please note that the ATVO bus schedule may vary depending on the season. Therefore, if you arrive late at night or early in the morning, it makes sense to check the bus schedule immediately prior to departure. This can be done on the operator’s website.
ATVO buses are equipped with comfortable seats and luggage
Tickets can be purchased at the box office in the arrivals hall at Marco Polo Airport or at vending machines at the bus stop.
Tickets are composted in yellow composters near the ticket office, at the bus stop or in the bus itself.
From Treviso Airport to Mestre
In addition to Marco Polo Airport, in the vicinity of Venice there is another airport - Treviso. The distance from Mestre to Treviso Airport is 31 km and you can also get from the airport to the city and back by bus.
The simplest solution - Terravision low-cost airline routes - running between the airport terminal and Mestre train station up to 12 times a day. The road takes half an hour and costs 11 Euros in one direction or 20 Euros when buying round-trip tickets on the service website (through ticket offices, as a rule, it is somewhat more expensive). Children under 10 years old accompanied by adults travel for free.
The bus schedule is available at this link, and the stop in Mestre is located as shown on the map below:
Details of the route blogoItaliano wrote in the article: How to get to Venice from Treviso Airport, but all the details can be found and independently on the service website.
| Check schedule and availability of tickets ››› |
Taxi
Another way to get to Mestre from Marco Polo Airport is to take a taxi. The car can be ordered directly to the arrival via the Internet. At the same time, unlike a regular taxi, you will know the cost of the trip in advance. This is important, especially given the fact that for several years now the authorities have been fighting the arbitrariness of local taxi drivers, who often deceive tourists.
You can calculate the rates and get acquainted with the details of the service here.
ACTV bus tickets can be composted directly on the bus
How to get from Mestre to Venice by train
Getting from Mestre to Venice (to the Santa Lucia train station) is most convenient by train. Tickets can be bought at the box office and terminals of the train station or online at trenitalia. The trip itself takes a few minutes.
Ticket price: 1.3 Euro (2018).
Schedule: trains and trains run between Mestre and Venice every 10-15 minutes from 5:15 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. Tickets can be validated in composters located on the platforms.
Santa Lucia Train Station in Venice
From Mestre to Venice by bus
You can also get to Mestre by bus, there are many routes and they all arrive in Piazzale Roma. Further - in Venice itself - the journey can be continued by vaporetto, water taxi or on foot - the distances in the city are small. A single bus ticket from Mestre to Venice will cost 1.5 Euros (2018).
You can read more about Venice public transport in the following post: Vaporetti - water public transport in Venice.
Vaporetto - Venice Water Buses
Hotels in Mestre: Accommodation Features
The main and most convenient point for a trip to the airport, to Venice itself, as well as for exploring the region is the Mestre train station. All transport communications converge here, and from here it is easiest to plan a further trip.
You can choose the most suitable accommodation option from the link below.
Venice itinerary
To spend your time in Venice as efficiently, interestingly and economically as possible, use our route for 1 day in the city. Venice is a very expensive city: just a 24-hour pass will cost one person 20 Euros.
Services, food and accommodation here are also appropriate. In our one-day itinerary, we have not only developed a step-by-step plan for visiting attractions, a map and useful information about the most significant places, but also numerous life hacks that will allow you to see the city much more economically, without losing your emotions and impressions. Check out BlogoItaliano’s itineraries for Italy’s most interesting cities on this page.
We also recommend that you sign up for our free Course from a series of letters with many tips and life hacks on how to make your trip to Italy even more eventful and interesting, but at the same time not to spend a fortune there.
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Photos by: events.veneziaunica.it, ilgazzettino.it, wikipedia.org, lavocedivenezia.it, Andrew Stopford, Leon Barnard
