Sightseeing in Style and Comfort on the Vaporetto dell’Arte

The Vaporetto dell’Arte Connects Visitors to Art Galleries and Other Venice Attractions:

[Service Suspended] – It was thanks to a very persuasive ticket seller that I found myself buying tickets for the Vaporetto dell’Arte.  At the San Marco vaporetto stop, I had five minutes to buy our vaporetto tickets before our waterbus for Piazzale Roma arrived.  The ticket seller advised that for an extra €10, we could add the Vaporetto dell’Arte service to our 72-hour time-based vaporetto ticket.

We weren’t planning on riding the Vaporetto dell-Arte in the next three days so I hesitated somewhat.  The ticket seller said that with the Vaporetto dell’Arte we would be travelling on the Grand Canal in a more comfortable and less crowded boat than the ordinary vaporetti and that I would not regret buying the service. With Tony reminding me that our vaporetto was fast approaching I caved in and handed over the extra Euros.

Vaporetto dell’Arte Comfort

Venice is extremely busy in the peak summer season and the vaporetti are jam-packed with tourists and local commuters. This we experienced on our first vaporetto ride to Piazzale Roma.  The waterbus was so crowded that we could hardly move and any thoughts of taking photos while travelling on the Grand Canal was just impossible.

The next morning we took the Vaporetto dell’Arte from Ferrovia to Giardini and, save for a handful of other passengers, we had the whole boat to ourselves. We went to the back of the boat and had a great time enjoying the ride and taking photos along the Grand Canal.  Although Tony was initially doubtful about paying the extra money for our Venice transport, he was very quickly sold on the Vaporetto dell’Arte and we recommended this to our friends who were in Venice at the same time.

How the Vaporetto dell’Arte Works

At the less busy vaporetto stops, the Vaporetto dell’Arte (VA) shares the same piers as the normal vaporetti and there was confusion by some who thought that their vaporetto tickets entitled them to ride on the VA. There no difference in physical appearance between the normal vaporetto ticket and the VA ticket. However, when you step on board the VA, the attendant will watch over the ticket validating machine as you scan your ticket. If it does not say “+Arte”, you’ll be shooed off the boat.

The VA boats are equipped with monitors on the back of seats (as in airlines) and you can enjoy the audiovisual presentations of nearby attractions as the boat approaches each of the VA stops. Most people don’t bother with this as it was much more enjoyable sitting at the rear of the boat and seeing the real sights along the Grand Canal.

How Much Are the Vaporetto dell’Arte Tickets

The €24 fare for a regular 24-hour adult ticket on the Vaporetto dell’Arte is rather expensive, but if you are planning on buying a time-based travel card, by adding an extra €10 to your ticket you can avail yourself of the Vaporetto dell’Arte service which is a worthwhile thing to do. Our 72-hour travel card costs €35 and for €10 extra, we were able to use the VA for 3 days.

Your VA ticket entitles you to a free map (you get this on the boat) and concessions and discounts from some museums and other Vaporetto dell’Arte partners.

The Vaporetto dell’Arte was only introduced in June 2012 and I suppose the pleasure of travelling on this service is yet to be discovered by many tourists, especially those who are not planning on visiting Venice’s art galleries or cultural sights.  Having enjoyed the Vaporetto dell’Arte for three days, we have no hesitation in recommending this service.

See where the Vaporetto dell’Arte stops and the attractions it links to Here.

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