Venice water taxis: a review of Consorzio Motoscafi and the other cooperatives

Arriving in Venice by water taxi is a small luxury: about half an hour from the airport, luggage on board and often a landing right at your hotel. It is also the most expensive way to get around, and the market is confusing: there is an official city fare, the consortia’s online prices, shared transfers and international resellers. This review sets out who the main operators are, what they really cost, how to book and when an alternative makes more sense.

We focus on Consorzio Motoscafi Venezia, which claims more than 100 boats, and compare it with Venezia Taxi and Venezia Turismo. The consortia’s prices are those read on their booking systems in September for an October transfer; they can vary with date, time and destination.

How Venice water taxis work

The service is regulated by the Comune di Venezia under the Veneto regional law on non-scheduled public transport. Licences are capped: 250 in total, of which 193 are “bivalent” (taxi plus hire with driver), 7 bivalent licences are reserved for the gondoliers’ cooperatives, and 50 are taxi-only, 25 of them for boats with a wheelchair lift. A licensed taxi is recognisable by its yellow bands with the licence number; green marks hire-with-driver boats and red marks Gran Turismo boats.

Most licence holders work together in consortia, which handle bookings, call centres and desks at the airport. The city also publishes a water radio-taxi number, 199 48 49 50, and the fares posted at the taxi stations.

Who Consorzio Motoscafi Venezia are

Consorzio Motoscafi Venezia is based at Castello 4512 (VAT IT02995130271) and describes itself as a union of the city’s leading water-taxi operators. It says it has more than 100 water taxis available, running 24 hours a day and linked by GPS to a control room to cut waiting times. The website gives no founding year.

It sells private transfers to and from Marco Polo Airport, Santa Lucia station, Piazzale Roma, Tronchetto, city-centre hotels, the Lido and the islands. It has a desk in the airport arrivals hall and a call centre open day and night.

What it costs: consortia and city fare

The consortia’s prices are for a door-to-door transfer, up to 4 people and 4 bags for Consorzio Motoscafi and for 2 people in the quote from Venezia Taxi. The city fare, in force since December 2011, covers a trip from one taxi station to another and excludes surcharges: €5 for a pick-up away from a station, €10 at night between 22:00 and 06:00, €10 for each passenger beyond the fourth and €3 for each bag beyond the fourth. There is also a metered fare: €15 at departure plus €2 per minute. Residents and disabled passengers get 20% off.

The gap between €160 online and the €110 city fare is real. It is not a scam: the online service is door-to-door, booked days ahead with a locked-in price. But it is worth knowing, and you should always agree the price before boarding if you hail a taxi on the spot.

Consorzio Motoscafi surcharges

• Night, 22:00 to 07:00: +€15.
• From the fifth passenger: +€10 per person, up to a maximum of 10 passengers.
• From the fifth bag: +€5 per case, up to 12 suitcases.
• Airport return bought in the same transaction: 5% off.

Venezia Taxi: rules to know

Venezia Taxi (Consorzio Venezia Taxi, Santa Croce 328) has a desk and landing at the airport and boats with a hydraulic lift for wheelchair users. Its FAQ, however, sets out some particular rules: €25 extra payable to the driver if the route uses the inner canals, online booking open only from October to March (the rest of the year you book by phone or email), no same-day online bookings, night +€10, and +€10 and +€5 from the fifth passenger and fifth bag. Phone: +39 041 723112.

Venezia Turismo

Venezia Turismo, a consortium company based at Tronchetto, hires out taxi motorboats and Gran Turismo boats for groups in the city and lagoon. It publishes no prices on its website. It is the boat partner for the transfers sold by Bucintoro Viaggi, the Alilaguna-group agency that supplies the shared transfers on booking platforms.

How to book Consorzio Motoscafi

You book on motoscafivenezia.com by choosing start, destination, date and number of people and bags; you pay online by PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Discover and receive a voucher to show at pick-up. At the airport you go to the desk in the arrivals hall; the walk to the boat dock takes about 7 to 10 minutes, according to travellers who have done it.

Some useful details from the consortium’s FAQ:

• Delayed flights: the consortium tracks flight times, so you need not tell them. For late arrivals between midnight and 07:00 it may take you by road taxi to Piazzale Roma and then by boat.
• Route: the taxi takes the shortest way; on request the trip can be extended along the Grand Canal, but no price is published for this.
• Tides: the taxi reaches almost all hotels in Venice and on the Lido. During exceptional tides a few landings cannot be used, and you are dropped about five minutes’ walk away.
• Support: 24-hour call centre +39 041 522 2303; airport desk +39 349 678 9357.

What we could not find is a published cancellation policy: neither the FAQ nor the booking flow states one. Ask by email before paying, especially if your flight is at risk of delay.

Compared with the shared transfer on Tiqets

The shared water taxi from the airport is sold by the seat. On Tiqets it is supplied by Bucintoro Viaggi S.r.l., and the boat leaves when full, with several stops along the way: timing depends on how many people get off before you. It lands directly at hotels on the Grand Canal or, for those on inner canals, at a nearby meeting point.

For one or two people the shared option saves a lot. With four the difference almost disappears, and the private boat is quicker and carries only your party; from five up, private is cheaper. According to its listing, the Tiqets product can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours ahead. If budget matters more than comfort, the Alilaguna boat costs €18 per person, with longer journey times (our Alilaguna review explains the lines and luggage rules).

What we like about Consorzio Motoscafi

• A large fleet and 24-hour service, with an always-on call centre and a desk in arrivals.
• Clear prices at booking, with surcharges written into the FAQ.
• Automatic flight tracking, so you need not report delays.
• Online payment with the main cards and PayPal.

What to watch out for

• Price above the city fare: €160 against €110 for airport to centre.
• No published cancellation policy: ask first.
• Dearer night surcharge than the city’s: €15 from 22:00 to 07:00, against €10 from 22:00 to 06:00.
• Availability: on peak days, book well ahead.

Who it is for

A private water taxi suits families and groups of three to ten with luggage, late-evening arrivals, travellers short on time and anyone who struggles to haul bags over bridges. Solo travellers and couples with light luggage will pay far less on a shared transfer or Alilaguna.

Alternatives

• Shared transfer on Tiqets, as above, or Alilaguna from the airport.
• Vaporetto: for getting around town, our ACTV vaporetto guide and review of ACTV and Venezia Unica explain tickets and passes.
• All transport: our Venice transport guide compares buses, boats and taxis.
• More on water taxis: our sister site taxi.venice.it is devoted entirely to water-taxi fares, routes and tips.

Verdict

Consorzio Motoscafi Venezia is the most dependable option for a private transfer booked in advance: a large fleet, 24-hour service, an airport desk and clear prices. You do, however, pay well above the city fare, and there is no written cancellation policy. Venezia Taxi is cheaper on the airport run but has stricter booking rules. For one or two people the shared transfer remains the cheapest choice; from four people up, a private boat is almost always worth it.

Disclosure: we have no commercial relationship with Consorzio Motoscafi Venezia, Venezia Taxi or Venezia Turismo. We earn a commission on bookings made through our links to Tiqets, such as the shared transfer and the Alilaguna ticket on this page.