Getting to St Mark’s Basilica
St Mark’s stands in Piazza San Marco, and the nearest waterbus stop is San Zaccaria. These are the routes the Basilica itself recommends, from the railway station, the car parks, the airport and the cruise terminals.
From the railway station or Piazzale Roma
Take the train all the way to Venezia Santa Lucia, not Mestre. From there, or from Piazzale Roma, where the road ends and the car parks are, the vaporetto goes to San Zaccaria, the stop beside Piazza San Marco:
| Line | Time to San Zaccaria |
|---|---|
| 1 | about 20–25 minutes |
| 2 | about 40 minutes |
| 2, getting off at Rialto | about 15 minutes, then 5–10 minutes on foot |
On foot it takes about 30 to 45 minutes.
By car
The car parks at Piazzale Roma — the Autorimessa Comunale, Garage San Marco and Sant’Andrea — are open 24 hours, and the Tronchetto island car park is linked to Piazzale Roma by the People Mover. You can also leave the car on the mainland at Mestre or Marghera and take a bus or train across the Ponte della Libertà.
From Marco Polo airport
The airport is on the mainland at Tessera, about 12 kilometres away.
- Bus to Piazzale Roma: ATVO line 35, about 20 minutes, timed to many arrivals; or ACTV line 5, 35–40 minutes. After midnight, taxis take about 20 minutes.
- Water taxi from outside the arrivals hall, about 20 minutes to anywhere in the city.
- Alilaguna Orange line, a public boat to Piazza San Marco via Murano and the Lido, about 70 minutes, hourly from 4:45 to midnight.
From Punta Sabbioni and by ship
From Punta Sabbioni (Cavallino-Treporti), line 14 (about 40 minutes, via the Lido) or the direct line 15 (about 25 minutes) goes to Pietà, ten minutes’ walk from St Mark’s. Ships dock at San Basilio, the Stazione Marittima and Riva dei Sette Martiri.
Access
Visitors with a disability, and their companion, always enter free: show the documentation to the custodian at the door and you will be taken to the most suitable entrance. Staff are on hand for anyone with reduced mobility, and the Museum upstairs has a lift and a stair-lift. For services or prayer, wheelchair users enter by the Porta dei Fiori, on the left side of the Basilica, which has a ramp.
Frequently asked questions
Which vaporetto stop is closest to St Mark’s?
San Zaccaria, on lines 1 and 2.
How long is the walk from the station?
About 30 to 45 minutes from Santa Lucia station or Piazzale Roma.
Is the Basilica wheelchair accessible?
Visitors with a disability and a companion enter free with their documentation and are shown to the most suitable entrance. The Museum upstairs has a lift and a stair-lift. For services and prayer, the Porta dei Fiori, on the left side of the Basilica, has a ramp.
Last checked: September 30, 2026