Venice Airport to Venice Marghera Cruise Port: DIY Transfers Guide

Venice has banned all large cruise ships! Large cruise ships now dock in Venice Marghera Cruise Port, so if you’re embarking on a cruise there, let me guide you through the best DIY transfers from Venice Airport to Venice Marghera Cruise Port.

Now, the backstory. Since the 2021 ban, two things have happened. Cruise lines have either moved their embarkation ports away from Venice or docked their ship at Venice Marghera Cruise Port, closer to Mestre in the mainland than to Venice itself.

As you’ll find out below, you don’t check-in at Venice Marghera Cruise Port. You need to head to Venice Cruise Terminal, 6 miles (10 km) away in Tronchetto for check-in before being transferred to Venice Marghera Cruise Port by your cruise line. Confused? I’ll explain more below.

Staying in Venice before your cruise? Jump straight to my section on traveling from Venice Airport to Venice City Centre here. On embarkation date, you can jump onto a vaporetto (water bus) to Piazzale Roma and follow my guide below on how to get to Venice Cruise Terminal for check-in and luggage drop off.

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Where is Venice Marghera Cruise Port?

The Venice Marghera Cruise Port is located in Marghera, an industrial area on the mainland of Venice. While it’s not directly in the heart of Venice like the “old” Venice Cruise Port, it’s still relatively close by. Marghera is roughly 5.5 miles (9 kilometres) from the historic centre of Venice, where most of the iconic landmarks are located.  The Venice Marghera Cruise Port is located approximately 9 miles (14.5 km) from Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE). See Venice Marghera Cruise Port marked on my Venice Marghera Cruise Port Map below 🗺️📌👇

IMPORTANT: But wait! If you’re starting your cruise from Venice Marghera Cruise Port, that’s NOT where you’ll be going for your luggage drop off and embarkation process. You need to head to the Venice Cruise Terminal in Venice Tronchetto!

Which Cruise Lines Use Venice Marghera Cruise Port?

Only MSC Cruises (and its new luxury brand Explora), Costa Cruises & NCL (Norwegian) still use Venice Marghera Cruise Port as an embarkation hub and a port of call, except occasionally by luxury lines such as Seabourn.

NCL is in the process of moving to Trieste Cruise Port, though some cruises are still scheduled to depart from Venice Marghera Cruise Port.

Which Cruise Lines No Longer Use Venice as Embarkation Port?

I list these out here because some cruises are still being marketed as departing from Venice (Ravenna), Venice (Trieste) and Venice Chioggia, when in reality, they are nowhere close to Venice!

• Royal Caribbean & Celebrity Cruises use Ravenna cruise port (~3 hours away) – see my Ravenna (from Venice) Embarkation Guide
• NCL, Princess Cruises, Holland America & Cunard use Trieste cruise port (~3 hours away) – see my Trieste Cruise Port Guide
• Azamara Cruises generally use Venice Chioggia (about an hour outside of Venice) but sometimes still uses the “old” Venice San Basilio Cruise Terminal depending on how many ships are visiting Venice, as Azamara’s ships are smaller. If your ship is docking at Venice Chioggia, then read my Venice to Chioggia Cruise Port Guide. April 2025 update: Most of Azamara’s 2025 cruises ex-“Venice” will be out of Venice Fusina Terminal, where a DIY transfer is almost impossible, so book your cruise line transfer!

If you’ve got a cruise booked departing from “Venice”, be sure to check your itinerary and final cruise documentation on which port your cruise uses.

Where is Venice Cruise Terminal?

The Venice Cruise Terminal, also known as Venice Maritime Station (Stazione Marittima), is located at the western edge of Venice, right where the causeway connecting the mainland reaches the city. See this marked on my Venice Marghera Cruise Port Map below 🗺️📌👇

Venice Cruise Terminal Address: Marittima Fabbricato 248 – 30135 Venezia – Italy.

It’s conveniently positioned near both the Santa Lucia train station and Piazzale Roma, Venice’s main transportation hubs. This prime location makes it easily accessible for travelers arriving by train, bus, or taxi from Venice Marco Polo Airport. 

Why Does Cruise Check-In Happen at Venice Cruise Terminal?

You may be wondering why luggage drop off and cruise check-in happens at Venice Cruise Terminal, some 6 miles (10 km) away from where your ship is actually docked at Venice Marghera Cruise Port.

This is because there aren’t any cruise passenger terminal facilities yet at Venice Marghera Cruise Port. The New Cruise Terminal at Venice Marghera Cruise Port, with two berths will only be operational for 2027 cruise season, with more passenger facilities expected in 2028 cruise season. The contracts have finally been signed in July 2024, so hopefully the work will start soon!

In the meantime, the embarkation process is a 2-step process. Once cruisers have dropped off their luggage and completed check-in or documentation check with the cruise line, they’ll be transported to Venice Marghera Cruise Port, usually by boat, to board their ship. Their luggage is usually transported by trucks on land.

Venice Marghera Cruise Port Schedule

Wondering which cruise ships are in port as well as yours? Find out at the Venice Cruise Port Schedule – official arrivals and departures.

Venice Marghera Cruise Port & Venice Cruise Terminal Map

• On Desktop | Laptop? Use buttons on bottom left to zoom in/out. Click on the upper right hand corner to see a bigger version.
• On Tablet | Mobile? Pinch your screen to zoom in/out and use two fingers to move map around. If you have Google Maps installed on your tablet/mobile, my map will open in your Google Maps app if you click on the upper right hand corner.
• If map is not loading correctly, click here to see it directly on Google Maps

Venice Airport to Venice Cruise Terminal: Your Transfer Options

You’ll be heading to Venice Cruise Terminal for check-in and embarkation process, not Venice Marghera Cruise Port. So I’ll discuss your transfer options to from Venice Airport (VCE) to Venice Cruise Terminal.

1. Alilaguna

If it’s your first time in Venice and you’ll jumping straight onto a cruise without spending more time in Venice, then taking the Alilaguna into Venice is THE excursion thing to do. Treat it as a sightseeing cruise!

As you can see from the route map above, it does a circular route around the main Venice lagoon area before arriving at Venice Cruise Terminal. Yes, it does take 80-90 minutes but it’s worth it to arrive in Venice by sea if you’ve never experienced it before.

Taking the Alilaguna water bus from Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) to the Venice Cruise Terminal is a breeze. After collecting your luggage, you’ll see these signs 👇 as should see as soon as you walk out of customs into the airport arrivals area. Follow Blue signs to water bus.

• Use Blue Line: Alilaguna Blue Line will take you to Tronchetto where you can connect to the Venice Cruise Terminal via the PeopleMover
• Frequency: Blue Line Alilaguna runs approximately hourly
• Journey Time: Approximately 90 minutes
• Timetables: Download timetables here (PDF)
• Where to Get Off: Terminal Crociere Cruise Terminal Tronchetto – note that this is not the last stop on the Blue Line. It’s the second last stop. Then connect to the PeopleMover (monorail-like train) for one stop to Terminal Crociere. (With thanks to Andy👇)
• Tickets: You can purchase your ticket either online in advance, the ticket machine at the arrivals hall or at the ticket office located near the dock. 

Alternatively, if you’ve been to Venice before, then you may want to take one of the faster options below. I love the water buses but I generally lose my patience with the constant stopping after 45 minutes or so, no matter how good the views are. Note also that if you’re prone to seasickness, it can get bumpy on these rides.

2. Express Bus to Piazzale Roma & Change to People Mover

There are two bus companies running express buses from Venice Airport (VCE) to Venice Piazzale Roma. Piazzale Roma is the land transportation hub, where all land transport into Venice terminates, as that’s as far as buses & cars can drive to. It’s just a few minutes walk from Venice Santa Lucia train station.

• ATVO Express Bus:
  • Timetables: Download timetables here (PDF)
  • Journey Time: 15-20 minutes, depending on traffic – this is a non-stop express service
  • Tickets: €10 one-way, €18 return. You can purchase online but I’ve found it easier to purchase tickets from ticket machines either at the arrivals hall or right next to the bus stop. These machines take cards or contactless payments.
  • Finding the Bus Stop: Once you exit the arrivals hall, you’ll see a sign pointing left for the bus station. From there, it’s about a 3-minute walk on flat ground. There’s lots of bilingual signage, so just follow the signs.
  • My Experience: I travelled on an ATVO express coach in July 2024. My plane landed at 9:35 am on a Sunday morning. I’ve gone past immigration and collected my check-in bag by 10:05am and I was onboard the 10:15am coach. I purchased my ticket at the ticket machine at the bus stop and validated it. There was an English speaking ticket seller at the bus stop to help. Given it’s a Sunday morning, there was virtually no traffic. I arrived at 10:30am. There’s even free Wifi on the coach. Very straightforward transfer!
• ACTV Aerobus (Route #5):
  • Timetables: Download timetables here (PDF)
  • Journey Time: 20-25 minutes, depending on traffic. This is a stopping service.
  • Tickets: €10 one-way, €18 return. Buy tickets at ticket machines at arrivals hall or at the bus stop.
  • Finding the Bus Stop: The ACTV bus stop is next to the ATVO bus stop. Both services go to Piazzale Roma, so it’s no big deal if you go to the wrong bus stop, except if you’ve already purchased your ticket at arrivals hall. The tickets for both companies are not interchangeable.
  • My Experience: I’ve been on an ACTV Aerobus on a previous trip. The buses are the typical municipal bus, as opposed to a motor coach. If you’re heading to your Venice hotel and need to take a waterbus (aka vaporetto) from Piazzale Roma, the Aerobus may be a better option – I’ll discuss this below.

Interchange at Piazzale Roma to Venice Cruise Terminal

Once you arrive at Piazzale Roma, you’ll notice a large white building which turns out to be a parking garage👆. Follow signs to the PeopleMover entrance. The PeopleMover is a monorail-like train that will take you to Venice Cruise Terminal.

• PeopleMover tickets: €1.50 one-way. Either pay via contactless card to enter the gates or buy a ticket at the ticket machine. (Contactless payment only started recently but it was working fine when I was there in July 2024. All Venice public transport is being transitioned to take contactless cards.)
• One stop on PeopleMover: Catch the PeopleMover for one stop and get off at “Terminal Crociere Cruise Terminal“. The PeopleMover runs every 8 minutes from 7am to 11pm, so just wait for the next train.
• Free Shuttle to Outer Terminals: There are multiple terminals at Venice Cruise Terminal. If your check-in terminal is one of the terminals further away from the People Mover, look for a sign for a free shuttle. A shuttle bus service connects to Terminal 117, 123, Isonzo1 and 2 with the People Mover stop.

3. Water Taxi

• Journey Time: Around 20-25 minutes
• Approx Cost: “Normal” water taxis in Venice are on a meter, similar to land taxis and it’s roughly about €120+. Don’t quote me on that number though, it’s been a while since I last took one. Private pre-booked water taxis are usually around €150 – €200. (I’m aware of shared water taxis which will work out cheaper but personally, if I wanted a shared ride, I would just take the Alilaguna and use the difference for a nice meal.)

4. “Normal” Taxi (on Land)

There are official land taxis operating from Venice Airport too.

• Journey Time: Taxi from Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) should take around 20 minutes, potentially longer if there’s heavy traffic.
• Approximate Cost: Flat rate applies from VCE to Venice Cruise Terminal at €45 but there’s a surcharge for luggage plus a surcharge of €4.80 for being picked up at the airport. So expect to pay around €50-55 depending on how much luggage you have.

Venice Airport to Venice City Centre: Your Transfer Options

If you’re staying in Venice before your cruise, here’s your transport options from Venice Airport to Venice itself. A private water taxi and a “normal” taxi on land (with a transfer via water taxi or just walk from Piazzale Roma) are always options but I won’t cover these in detail here.

1. Express Bus to Piazzale Roma & Change to Vaporetto (Water Bus)

If I’m staying in Venice itself, I’ve found this DIY transfer to be easier. This is because the Alilaguna, while being a spectacular journey, takes up to 90 minutes, depending on which stop you get off. One can always walk from the closest Alilaguna stop (see Alilaguna route map above) but it may not always be an easy walk. I’ve seen so many people struggle dragging their luggage through the small alleyways in Venice that I’m not sure I want to recommend it.

So the easier way is to take the Express Bus (see above) to Piazzale Roma and then change to a Vaporetto (water bus) to where your hotel is. Vaporetto Route #1, #2, #3, #4.1, #4.2, #5.1 and #5.2 all stop at Piazzale Roma. Your hotel can advise which stop and route to take.

Tickets: Buy the €18 ACTV integrated ticket which includes the ACTV bus #5 ride from Venice Airport to Piazzale Roma, plus a vaporetto ride or rides within 90 minutes. This saves time and is marginally cheaper than buying the €10 Aerobus ride plus a €9.50 vaporetto ticket separately.

2. Alilaguna & Walk or Change to Vaporetto

If you’re staying at a hotel close to a stop on the Alilaguna Blue Line route, then this is a good option! If not, then you can change to a vaporetto (water bus) but you’ll need to pay for the ride separately. You can now pay for a vaporetto ride using contactless card (€9.50).

Featured Image by Neil Morrell from Pixabay

Since large cruise ships were banned in Venice, many cruise lines have moved away from Venice as an embarkation port, sometimes to ports hours away from Venice such as Ravenna and Trieste. But some cruise lines remain in Venice, shifting embarkation to Venice Marghera Cruise Port instead. If your cruise is departing from there, I hope this guide has been useful to you. Please drop me a line below if you have any questions! And have a most wonderful time in Venice!

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