© Faruk Kaymak・Unsplash License

Italy

Venice

A city where canals stand in for streets. Cars stop at the gateway square; beyond it, walk or ride the vaporetto.

AVM/Actv buses (mainland, Lido and Pellestrina)

Buses serve mainland Mestre plus Lido and Pellestrina. Buy before boarding - the driver sells only at set hours, EUR 3.00 exact cash against EUR 1.50 in advance. On a bank card, the tap-out is mandatory too.

Updated on August 19, 2026

How to ride

  1. 1
    Buy your ticket before you board
    Buy at a machine, a Venezia Unica counter, in the AVM app or from the QR code at the stop - on-board sales run only at set hours.
  2. 2
    Riding by card? Tap the reader on board
    Hold your bank card or phone to the reader inside the bus - the tap counts as both the purchase and the validation.
  3. 3
    With a ticket, validate as soon as you board
    Hold an electronic ticket to the reader on board. App tickets have to be activated three minutes before you board.
  4. 4
    Tap out as you get off
    If you tapped in with a card, tap again as you get off; on the mainland, skipping it bills the highest suburban fare.
  5. 5
    No ticket? Ask the driver
    Mainland and suburban: Sundays, holidays and 20:00-07:00 Mon-Sat. Lido and Pellestrina: 20:00-07:00 any day. Exact cash.

Fares

Single fares5

75-minute land ticket (bus, tram, People Mover)
For buses on the mainland, Lido and Pellestrina; not valid on the water network
1.5 EUR ≈ $2
On-board ticket from the driver
Exact cash only; the hours it is sold differ by network, and you validate it after boarding
3 EUR ≈ $3
Rete unica 75-minute ticket (boats included)
Overkill for buses alone - the EUR 1.50 land ticket covers those
9.5 EUR ≈ $11
Suburban single ticket (tratte 1-10)
Priced by the distance band from where you start; in force since 28 April 2023
1.5〜6.9 EUR ≈ $2–8
Suburban on-board ticket from the driver
Cash only and evenings or holidays only, again priced by distance band
3〜10 EUR ≈ $3–11

Passes & multi-ride3

Carnet of 10 land tickets
Works out at EUR 1.40 a ride against EUR 1.50 single - barely a saving
14 EUR ≈ $16
Mestre Daily Pass (24 hours, mainland only)
Sold in the apps only; Lido, Pellestrina and airport trips are excluded
5 EUR ≈ $6
Venezia Daily Pass (24 hours, boats included)
Covers the boats and the R/RV trains inside the city too; airport trips excluded
25 EUR ≈ $28

Estimates use exchange rates as of November 3, 2026

Payment

Tap to ride
Maestro
No gates - the reader is on board. It buys and validates at once; tap off too
Phone wallet
Cards digitised on a phone, watch or wearable work at the reader
Card payment at machines
Both counters and ticket machines have card terminals
Card payment on board Unverified
VISAMastercardAmex
IC card
The Venezia Unica card; enabling it for transport costs EUR 10.00
App tickets
AVM Venezia Official App
App tickets stay on the phone; they are not loaded onto the card
QR ticketing
Scan the QR code at the stop to buy over WhatsApp
Paper tickets
No paper tickets - fares load onto an electronic carrier or your phone
Cash
On-board sale runs only in set hours that differ by network
Exact cash for the driver's ticket; POS or cash at counters and resellers

Quick facts

Fares from
1.5 EUR+
The bus terminal at Piazzale Roma - the island end of the network. Taken May 2026 © Falk2・CC BY-SA 4.0

Heads-up

  • Activate an app ticket three minutes before boarding

    Tickets bought in the AVM app or a partner app must be activated at least three minutes before you board. Buying or activating on board is a punishable offence under regional law 25/98, so fumbling with the phone after you get on does not save you.

  • The city ticket is not valid on suburban lines

    The EUR 1.50 city ticket is not valid on the suburban network. Even between two stops inside the same municipality, a suburban line needs a suburban ticket.

  • Tapping out is mandatory on every bus

    If you ride on a bank card, tapping out as you get off is mandatory, on top of tapping in at every boarding and every change of vehicle. The only services written down as exempt are the boats and the People Mover, so every bus - mainland, islands, suburban - is in. Skip it and you are charged the highest fare on the network you used.

  • No daytime driver sales on Lido and Pellestrina

    On the Lido and Pellestrina buses there is no way to buy from the driver during the day, not even on a Sunday. On-board sales there run from 20:00 to 07:00 whatever the day of the week; the "all day on Sundays and holidays" rule belongs to the mainland and the suburban lines only. Buy before you cross.

  • A bike or scooter that does not fold cannot board

    A folding bike or a folding scooter travels free, one per passenger, as long as it is in its carrying case and within 150 cm across the three dimensions. Anything that does not fold cannot go on a bus, a tram or the People Mover - only certain boat lines take it.

  • An inspector asks for the card you tapped with

    If you ride on a bank card, an inspector will ask to see that card or the device you tapped with. You can instead give the last four digits of the number, but a card left in someone else's wallet will not do.

Timetable

Check the official site for the latest times and service status
Editor Naotaka