Mestre Transportation

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We left Italy to Austria in Mestre. Our drivers took autostrada A4 (about 100 km), then E55 to the border of Austria (about 120 km). The road was very picturesque with mountains alongside. I enjoyed it out of a bus window.

You can watch my 4 min 06 sec Video Mestre- Vienna out of my Youtube channel or here on VT.

There are loads and loads of trains from Venice Mestre station to Venice Santa Lucia station across the causeway...departures every couple of minutes.

It's a better way of getting to Venice than the bus, imo, because trains don't get so full and don't get caught up in traffic jams (the causeway can be *very* busy at the Piazzale Roma end, and at the entrance to the parking island of Tronchetto). The train fare is less than 2 euro, so you aren't spending much more than the bus fare.

You can find times and details on the Italian railway website www.trenitalia.com but you really don't need to...there literally are trains every few minutes, and all are displayed on the electronic signboard inside Mestre station entrance.

But be aware that tickets for this short 'regional' journey cannot be purchased from the fast ticket machines (2 outside Mestre station entrance, 4 inside). You'll need to buy them from the ticket office...and there will probably be a queue.

The tickets aren't time or train-related, so if you intend to make several trips over the causeway it's best to buy several tickets at once to save queuing up every day. Just make sure you validate (date-stamp) the ticket before you board the train.

The journey over the causeway takes less than 10 minutes.

Local bus 15 makes the journey from Marco Polo airport to Mestre. The fare is considerably less than the ATVO bus (around 1.50 euro as of April 2012) but the journey, of course, is a bit longer.

Bus 2 goes from Mestre across the causeway to Venice Piazzale Roma (where all land traffic stops). Services on this route are frequent throughout the day, be be aware that buses can become very crowded. Especially at commuter times.

You'll find bus 2 and other local bus timetables on the ACTV site here:

http://www.actv.it/muoversiinterraferma/lineeurbane

Buy your bus tickets from tabacchi (cigarette shops) and newsagents before you board, and remember to validate (date-stamp) them either by using the yellow machines inside the buses or...much more the case nowadays...by 'swiping' them across the ticket-readers inside the bus.

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The excellent ATVO airport buses run regularly from Marco Polo and Treviso airports to Mestre, stopping at the station.

You can't miss the ATVO bus a Marco Polo: the stop is directly outside Arrivals and you can buy your ticket either inside or using the machine at the bus stop. No need to book in advance..there are plenty of departures and the buses are large (50+ seaters).

Don't forget to validate (date-stamp) your ticket before you get on, using the yellow machine next to the ticket machine.

For the return journey you catch the bus at the place it dropped you off (the far end of Mestre station, to the right as you stand with your back to the station). There are ticket machines and, during the daytime, a staffed ticket office.

The buses are comfortable coaches, with upholstered seats, seatbelts and a large luggage hold.

One-way fare in April 2012 was 5 euro; journey time to Mestre is around 25 minutes, depending on traffic.

All very easy indeed! :-)

Mestre has an excellent bus system, and a modern ticketing system that is very intelligent (except it malfunctions when you try to use group tickets). You can buy the electronic tickets at most Tabac shops, and they cost about one euro and last about 60-75 minutes. Just buy as many tickets as you need, they all go on the same card, then flash the card over the yellow validation machine on the bus when you get on.

The most useful bus numbers are 2 and 7, which both go to Venice S.C. train station, and I think 15 takes you to the airport.

A more comfortable and quicker way to get to the airports, and one that only costs a couple of euros more, is the ACTV bus. These are direct, and usually less crowded than the public buses. You can find the ACTV stop near the train station. Just take a right as you exit the station, and keep walking. The stop is opposite a kebab shop. You can buy tickets there after all the Tabac shops are shut.

Just be careful to get onto the right bus. They aren't always labeled correctly. The bus that took me to San Marco airport had "Lido" written on the front. One guy going to Treviso airport got on by mistake and had a long walk back after he realised.