Venice > Transportation > No. 2 and 2/ vaporetti

ACTV No. 2 and 2/ Vaporetti

Linea 2 water buses operate on the Grand Canal and the Giudecca Canal, including the island of Giudecca. Another route, the confusingly named Linea 2/, is a limited rush-hour service on the Grand Canal with only three stops.

ABOVE: A No. 2 vaporetto approaches the Rialto Bridge on Venice's Grand Canal.

By Durant Imboden

Except for the No. 1 vaporetto (which covers a scenic route up the Grand Canal to the Lido di Venezia beach resort), the No. 2 vaporetto may be Venice's most popular waterbus route for visitors.

Linea 2 offers the quickest way to get up or down the Grand Canal by public transportation. It's also an essential link between Venice's historic center and the island of Giudecca (which, among other things, is home to Venice's best-known youth hostel).

A similarly named boat, No. 2/, has a completely different route. Don't confuse it with the No. 2. (The added backslash can be easy to miss if you aren't paying attention.)

No. 2 vaporetto: Convenient for transportation and sightseeing.

For most of the daytime hours, Linea 2 follows this route:

• It leaves the San Marco-San Zaccaria "B" station and goes to the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, where you can visit the church and bell tower.

• Next, the boat heads for the Giudecca Canal, where it zigzags between stations along the Zattere (a long waterfront promenade in the sestiere or district of Dorsoduro) and the island of Giudecca. If you're staying at a hostel, hotel, or vacation apartment on Giudecca, you'll use the No. 2 water bus to reach Venice's historic center.

• After leaving the Giudecca Canal, Linea 2 continues to the parking island of Tronchetto.

• From Tronchetto, the boat goes to Piazzale Roma (with city buses, airport buses, trams, taxis, etc. to the Venetian mainland) and Ferrovia, a.k.a. the Venezia Santa Lucia Railroad Station.

• After the railroad station, Linea 2 continues to several stops along the Grand Canal (including Rialto) before finishing its route at San Marco Giardinetti (next to the Piazza San Marco). This makes the No. 2 boat much faster on the Grand Canal than the No. 1 vaporetto, which calls at 16 stops between Piazzale Roma and and San Marco.

Please note:

• The No. 2 route also operates in the opposite direction.

• See "Caveats" after the following photos, and be aware that timetables may change slightly with the season.

ABOVE: Older No. 2 vaporetti have open-air seats in the bow. All boats (including newer models) have covered outdoor seating behind the enclosed passenger cabin.

Caveats:

• Early in the morning and later in the day, the Grand Canal section of the No. 2's route is slightly truncated. See the current timetables (link below) for details.

• The No. 2 doesn't run during the middle of the night (roughly midnight to 5 a.m.). During that time, you'll need to take the "N" Night Boat (see article).

For more information, see:

Line 2 timetables (PDF).

ACTV route maps (PDF and interactive)

ABOVE: Before stepping onto a vaporetto station's pontile, or pontoon, scan your ticket or tourist pass with the electronic ticket and card reader. (See Buying Vaporetto Tickets for more information.)

No. 2/ vaporetto: Limited hours, only 3 stops.

Unless you're a commuter to or from the mainland, you probably won't need the No. 2/ (a.k.a. 2b) vaporetto. It runs only during the morning and late-afternoon rush hours, with just three stops:

• Piazzale Roma (buses, tram, taxis, People Mover, parking garages)

• Ferrovia (a.k.a. the Venezia Santa Lucia Railroad Station)

• Rialto (close to the Rialto Bridge)

Still, this boat may be handy if you're (1) a daytripper from Mestre or Marghera, or (2) you're arriving or departing during rush hour, with a hotel or vacation apartment near the Rialto Bridge.

For more information, see:

Line 2/ timetables (PDF).

ACTV route maps (PDF and interactive)

About the author:

Durant Imboden has written about Venice, Italy since 1996. He covered Venice and European travel at About.com for 4-1/2 years before launching Europe for Visitors (including Venice for Visitors) with Cheryl Imboden in 2001.

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