How to Buy & Validate Venice Transportation Tickets (Machins, Apps, Kiosks)
Getting around Venice depends exclusively on public water transport and a few essential links on land. Knowing how to purchase and validate Venice transportation tickets is basic to a smooth journey across vaporetti, water buses, and People Mover.
In Venice, public transport has been managed by ACTV, part of the AVM group, which links the Grand Canal, Murano, Burano, Lido, Piazzale Roma, and Santa Lucia Station.
Knowing where and how to buy the correct ticket means not only convenience but also avoids costly fines for boarding without validation. The guide describes in detail every method of purchase and validation, from ticket machines and kiosks to the official AVM Venezia app, giving step-by-step tips both for newcomers and regular visitors.
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What the Tickets Cover & Why Validation is Mandatory
These transportation tickets in Venice cover all major public routes, such as vaporetto lines, land buses between Mestre and Venice, and the People Mover connecting Tronchetto with Piazzale Roma. These tickets do not include private water taxis or special airport transfers unless specifically marked.
Validation is required. All paper tickets must be activated in a validating machine, while electronic or app-based tickets must be digitally “activated”. Validation time-stamps the ticket and starts its countdown, e.g. 75 minutes for a single ride or 24 hours for a day pass.
Failure to validate is considered travelling without a valid ticket: fines vary from € 60 to € 200 and inspectors are likely to be encountered, even on shorter journeys such as from St Mark's Square to Rialto Bridge.
Visitors using the Venezia Unica card-the city's smart travel pass-likewise have to validate every time they board a bus or water-bus. An AVM Venezia app digital ticket requires activation before the screen changes from "To Validate" to "Active."
Where and How to Buy Tickets
Purchasing from Machines
These machines are found at the Vaporetto piers, bus stops, and main terminals like Piazzale Roma, Santa Lucia Station, and Tronchetto Parking. Some of these have several languages, while others allow cash and major cards. The interface allows visitors to choose the ticket type — single trip, 24-hour pass, or multi-day options — before payment and printing.
After printing, the paper ticket has to be validated at a machine before using it. Machines are the fastest way of buying when arriving from the Marco Polo Airport or Mestre, all without staff assistance.
Buying at Kiosks
The same tickets are sold at ACTV/AVM official kiosks, tabacchi, and some hotel receptions. The advantage here is that there's personal guidance: it helps first-time travelers choose between the correct options with regard to a number of rides or days. Some of these sellers also sell Venezia Unica cards; these can be topped up later online.
Using the AVM Venezia App
All this is made easy with the AVM Venezia Official App, which can be downloaded from Google Play or the App Store. Once an account has been created, it's possible to browse ticket types, make secure payments, and store all your tickets in one easily accessible digital wallet.
A ticket in your account shows as "To Validate" until it's been activated before boarding, and each displays a QR code to scan.
It is particularly useful when ticket offices are closed, or for avoiding queues at busy stops like San Marco Zaccaria or Fondamente Nove.
Shop online
Tickets can also be purchased online through the Venezia Unica web portal, where digital codes are delivered to the users' e-mail addresses. These can be printed out or even loaded onto a Venezia Unica smart-card. In any case, they must still be physically validated or digitally activated prior to use.
How to Check Tickets: Machines, Apps & Kiosks
Physical Validation Machines
The green or yellow validating machines are installed at each vaporetto dock or at every bus station, near entry gates. To validate, insert the paper ticket into a slot until it prints the timestamp and the green light flashes. When the light turns red, the ticket is either already active or has expired.
Always prevalidate before boarding, as once on the boat, inspectors can check instantly. Forgetting even a short validation may involve penalties.
Smart-Card Validation
Travelers in possession of a Venezia Unica card touch it on the round sensor of the validator; the green light and one beep confirm its activation. Each card is touched individually, even if in groups. The card automatically records all journey data and calculates its validity.
App Ticket Validation
Users of the app have to "activate" tickets manually before boarding. This time-stamps the beginning of validity, changing the digital display to "Active." Some docks are now fitted with scanners that read the QR code generated by the app or accept NFC taps directly. The phone screen must be visible to inspectors when requested.
Test Scenarios
Kiosk purchase: Check in on pier just prior to sailing
Switching services: When you switch from bus to vaporetto, validate again because it requires a tap or scan for each mode.
Using multi-day passes: Once validated for activation; afterwards, board freely so long as within the valid period.
Ticket Types & Pricing (With Practical Advice)
Standard Single Ticket
A standard ACTV single ticket costs around €9.50 and is valid for 75 minutes, with unlimited travel on water-bus and land networks in the city limits of Venice. Within that time, the passenger can make line changes but needs to revalidate before first boarding.
Time-Based Passes
Passes provide the best value for multi-day stays.
24-hour ticket ≈ €25
48-hour pass ≈ €35
72-hour pass ≈ €45
7-day pass ≈ €65
These allow for unlimited travel on vaporetti and ACTV buses across Venice, Murano, Burano, and Lido.
Special Tickets
Travel to and from the airport with Alilaguna or land buses uses separate tickets; these usually cost €15 each way. These are not combinable unless explicitly marked “integrated” with ordinary passes.
Practical Advice
Visitors should estimate daily trips: if one is going to plan more than two rides per day, for example, Rialto Bridge → St Mark’s Square → Murano → Burano, then a multi-day pass quickly becomes economical. For shorter stays or minimal use, one will find that single tickets suffice. Always keep a digital backup via the AVM app or a printed receipt for proof.
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Practical Tips & Scenario-Based Advice
Arriving at Piazzale Roma or at Santa Lucia Station
Travellers arriving by bus or train can buy at the machine or kiosk outside the station. Validate immediately before boarding the next vaporetto heading along the Grand Canal.
Island Stays and Day Trips
In the case of guests staying on Murano, Burano, or Lido, check that their ticket or pass clearly covers lagoon routes. The 48-hour or 72-hour passes are ideal for going out to the outer islands and returning the same day.
Offline Usage of the App
The Internet is not always reliable around water. Please activate the tickets while you have a connection and keep the confirmation screen up. Screenshots are not accepted; the “Active” status needs to be live.
Group Travel
Each traveller needs their own ticket or validated pass. Even if one person is buying for everyone in the app, each traveller’s QR code or card needs to be validated separately.
Late-Night or Airport Arrivals
Ticket machines at Marco Polo Airport and Piazzale Roma are available 24 hours. Always validate before boarding, also during the night. Inspectors may turn up at any time.
Inspections & Fines
Inspectors check validation time stamps, correct types of tickets, and personal identification. Fines for being caught without validation are on the spot. The most basic precaution is to have one activated ticket ready.
Multi-Modal Journeys
When you combine a bus from Mestre with a vaporetto you need to validate each leg separately. There are separate validators for bus and water entrances — tap both.
Summary Table of Buying & Validating Options
| Purchase Methods | Ticket Types Available | Validation Method | Best For |
| Machine | Single, 24h/48h/72h. 7-day | Insert in validator at pier | Independent travelers, quick purchase |
| Kiosk/Tabacchi | All ticket types | Validate at pier | Those wanting assistance |
| AVM App | Single & multi-day passes | Activate digitally or scan QR | Tech-savvy users, late arrivals |
| Venezia Unica Card | Rechargeable for all networks | Tap on validator | Frequent visitors or locals |
Quick Recommendations
Short stay (1–2 days): single tickets at machines, validate each time.
Long stay (3–5 days): 48 h/72 h pass via kiosk or app.
Families/groups: multi-day passes, each person validates separately.
Late arrivals: use airport kiosks or 24-h machines.
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Conclusion
Buying and validating Venice transportation tickets correctly means guaranteeing ease of movement in one of the most complex water-based networks in the world. With ACTV running both vaporetti and buses and with the validation devices scattered around the city, it is easy for travelers not to get fined and confused but to follow a few clear steps.
AVM Venezia App, ticket machines, and kiosks all offer easily accessible purchase options. Still, simple validation-a tap of the card or the scan of a QR code-ensures legal and smooth travel.
A validated ticket opens the Venetian transport web: from St Mark's Square to the Rialto Bridge, from Murano glassmakers through Lido beaches and on, until sunrise in the Venetian Lagoon.
For any visitor, learning to purchase and validate Venice transport tickets does not mean fulfilling a procedural duty but rather taking the first step in tuning into the rhythm of the city itself, where each journey even on a public boat is a passage through living history.