Piazzale Roma – the Gateway for all Venice Transport:
Piazzale Roma has none of the charms of the many Venetian piazzas and campos. This large Venetian square at the western end of the island is a major hub for all Venice transport and the thousands of people who use the square every day are either hopping on and off buses, catching the People Mover or looking for a place to park. You can buy your transport tickets at the Hellovenezia/ACTV office here and there is also a luggage storage office (Deposito Bagagli) at the square.
Venice Bus Terminal
Piazzale Roma is the main terminal for the Venice buses. If you need to catch a bus to Mestre or other suburban or regional areas, the buses all leave from Piazzale Roma.
The airport buses from Marco Polo Airport or Treviso Airport drop off incoming passengers at Piazzale Roma and likewise, if you need to catch a bus to Marco Polo Airport or Treviso Airport, this is where the airport buses set off.
For the shopaholic, one other useful bus that operates out of Piazzale Roma is the Veneto Designer Outlet bus.
People Mover
For those who need to get to their cruise ship at the Marittima Terminal or the car park on Tronchetto island, the People Mover is conveniently located at Piazzale Roma. This is the most efficient transport to get to your cruise terminal and the Tronchetto carpark. It’s also much cheaper than catching a water-taxi. The direction to the People Mover station is clearly signposted on the square.
Car Parking
A car is not needed when you’re in Venice, but if you’ve driven here as part of your driving holiday, it’s advisable to park on Tronchetto island and take the People Mover to Piazzale Roma, or the vaporetto, if your hotel is on the vaporetto route. If you must park your car on Venice island, there is a car park at Piazzale Roma which is very busy and pricey as well.
Vaporetto
Piazzale Roma is one of the main vaporetto stops. Vaporetto lines 1 – 6 stop here.
Train Travel
The Santa Lucia (Ferrovia) railway station, the main train station for Venice, is across the bridge from Piazzale Roma. The station is within walking distance from Piazzale Roma, but if you have large cases, be aware that the Ponte della Costituzione is a huge bridge to cross.
Piazzale Roma Hotels
If you have an early morning flight to catch and intend catching the bus to the airport, a hotel around Piazzale Roma is recommended, at least for your final night in Venice. With its many bridges, Venice is not an easy city to manoeuvre if you have large cases. Even if you’re booking a hotel around Piazzale Roma, check to see the number of bridges you’d have to cross. From personal experience, I can share with you that at 5:00 or 6:00 am, dragging large cases across bridges can be stressful. But once you get onto Piazzale Roma, catching a bus to the airport is a fairly simple process.
Two of the closest hotels to Piazzale Roma, with no bridges to cross are: the Hotel Santa Chiara right on the Grand Canal and the Hotel Ca Doge. Other hotels close-by with a small bridge to cross include the Hotel Arlecchino, the B&B Ai Tre Ponti and the Best Western Hotel Olimpia.
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