How do I get around Venice?

Your feet do most of the work in Venice. No cars enter the islands. No bikes either. The city banned cycling in the centro storico decades ago. Six sestieri connect through over 400 bridges, most with stone steps and no ramps. Rolling luggage over those steps sounds like a drumroll on cobblestone. From Santa Lucia train station to Piazza San Marco takes about 40 minutes on foot if you follow the route correctly. You will not follow the route correctly. The alleys narrow to shoulder-width in Castello and San Polo, and Google Maps tends to route you into dead ends at canal edges. Follow the yellow directional signs posted at intersections instead. They point toward 5 landmarks. Ferrovia, Piazzale Roma, Rialto, San Marco, and Accademia. Those 5 signs will get you reoriented within 10 minutes every time.

ACTV vaporetti are Venice's public transit. They float. Line 1 runs the full length of the Grand Canal from Piazzale Roma to Lido di Venezia. It stops at every pier and takes about 45 minutes end to end. Line 2 covers a similar route but skips stops and finishes in about 25 minutes. A single vaporetto ticket costs €9.50 and is valid for 75 minutes with transfers. That adds up by your third trip. The tourist travel card is the better math. A 24-hour pass runs €25, a 48-hour pass €35, and a 72-hour pass €45. Buy them at the ACTV booth outside Santa Lucia station or through the AVM Venezia app before you arrive. Validate on the yellow reader at the dock before boarding every time. Inspectors board at random stops, and the fine runs around €60 on the spot.

Traghetti are the locals' shortcut across the Grand Canal. The Canal has only 4 bridges along its 3.8 kilometers, so without a traghetto you face a 15-minute detour to the nearest one. These stripped-down gondolas ferry standing passengers at about 7 crossing points for €2 per ride. Look for small hand-painted traghetto signs near the water's edge. You stand for the 2-minute crossing, grip the gunwale, and feel the hull rock under your feet while the water slaps against the wood. It feels unsteady the first time. Water taxis are private motorboats. A ride within the historic center runs €70-100. Gondolas cost a regulated €80 for 30 minutes before 19:00 and €100 after. They follow a fixed scenic loop, not a destination. The gondolier will likely sing near Rialto Bridge whether you want it or not.

Wear shoes with grip. The stone pavement, called masegni, gets slick when wet. Acqua alta floods the low-lying areas around Piazza San Marco and parts of Dorsoduro between October and March. During those episodes, raised wooden walkways appear, but they are narrow and single-file in places. In late July the temperature sits around 27°C with humidity above 50%, and the canals carry a salty, low-tide smell that gets stronger in the afternoon heat. Venice is compact. The historic center measures roughly 2 kilometers across, and even Cannaregio sits within a 30-minute walk of San Marco. For the lagoon islands, vaporetto Lines 12 and 4.1 leave from Fondamente Nove on the north shore. Murano takes 10 minutes. Burano takes 40.