Ferrari-Carano Cruise

Venice is the only European city (and one of the few in the world) to have its public transport entirely on the water. Run by ACTV, the timetable constantly changes, depending on the tide. The main waterway in Venice (il Canal Grande) is shaped like an "S"; this means that if you want to travel from San Marco to Rialto by boat, it will take you twice as long as it would to walk (even if you were walking at a snail's pace). The Grand Canal has only three bridges (a fourth is due to open soon), but at certain points along the canal you can cheaply hire a traghetto (a passenger gondola) to cross the stretch of water; saving a great deal of time. The main ACTV lines are: no. 1, which sails from Piazzale Roma to Lido with several stops on the Grand Canal; it is very slow (it takes half an hour from start to finish) and should be used if you want to go sightseeing. There are two circular routes, no. 41 (anticlockwise) and no. 42 (clockwise) which travel around the whole of the city from San Zaccaria to Piazzale Roma via Giudecca, Cimitero and Murano. No. 51 and no. 52 travel as far as Lido with fewer stops. The no. 82 goes from Lido to Rialto, stopping at Giudecca, Piazzale Roma, Tronchetto and Ferrovia, with San Zaccaria as its final destination. If you prefer taxis, be prepared to pay far more for a water taxi compared to one on the mainland. You should always tell the driver your destination and find out the price before stepping aboard. Gondolas are also subject to additional charges. They will charge you for an hour even if your trip only lasts 50 minutes.