Transport and culture passes in Venice Article

Transport and culture passes in Venice

There is no single pass giving access to all of Venice’s transport, museums and monuments. Several official options complement one another: Venezia Unica sells various cultural packages and transport tickets, the Museum Pass MUVE covers the municipal museums, the Chorus Pass covers historic churches and Rolling Venice is aimed at visitors aged 6 to 29.

Summary tables: museum and sight passes

Summary tables: transport passes

Venezia Unica City Pass: several packages, not a single pass

Venezia Unica is the official portal of the City of Venice for purchasing many tourist services: museums, monuments, ACTV transport, airport transfers and other services. However, transport is not automatically included in the cultural City Passes.

Four main “Best Deals” packages are currently offered: All Venice, All Venice + Fenice, San Marco and San Marco + Fenice. The All Venice package includes in particular the Museum Pass MUVE, the Fondazione Querini Stampalia and the Scuola Grande dei Carmini; the “+ Fenice” versions add a visit to Teatro La Fenice.

For 30–64 year olds, expect currently €62.90 for All Venice, €73.90 with La Fenice, €43.90 for San Marco and €54.90 for San Marco + Fenice. Significantly reduced prices are available for 6–29 year olds and over-65s.

Museum Pass MUVE: all the civic museums

The Museum Pass from the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia is often the most worthwhile option for an in-depth cultural visit. It costs €50 at full price and €25 at reduced price. After its first use, it remains valid for six months and allows one entry to each of the participating museums.

It includes in particular the Doge's Palace, the route combining the Correr Museum, the National Archaeological Museum and the Monumental Rooms of the Biblioteca Marciana, as well as Ca’ Rezzonico, Palazzo Mocenigo, Carlo Goldoni's House, Ca’ Pesaro, the Fortuny Museum, the Natural History Museum and the museums of Murano, Burano and Torcello. The Clock Tower is not included.

MUVE combined tickets

For those who only want to visit part of the civic museums, MUVE offers several more targeted combined tickets.

The St Mark's Square Museums ticket includes the Doge's Palace, the Correr Museum, the National Archaeological Museum and the Monumental Rooms of the Biblioteca Marciana. It costs €35 at full price and €15 at reduced price; an adult price of €30 is offered for certain online purchases made at least 30 days in advance.

Three other thematic routes each cost €20, or €10 at reduced price, and are valid for three months:

• 18th-century Venice museums: Ca’ Rezzonico, Palazzo Mocenigo and Carlo Goldoni's House;
• Modern and contemporary art museums: Ca’ Pesaro, Fortuny Museum and MUVEC – Casa delle Contemporaneità;
• Island museums: Murano Glass Museum, Burano Lace Museum and Torcello Museum.

Chorus Pass: historic churches

The Chorus Pass, offered by the Chorus association, currently gives access to a circuit of 17 churches and religious spaces in Venice. The full price is listed at €15; reduced and family options are also available, between €10 and €30. The pass remains valid for one year from the first visit.

Individual entry to the paid spaces on the circuit generally costs €3.50: the Chorus Pass therefore quickly becomes worthwhile if several churches are planned.

ACTV pass: vaporetti and public transport

ACTV time-limited tickets are separate from cultural passes. Current prices are €25 for 24 hours, €35 for 48 hours, €45 for 72 hours and €65 for 7 days. They cover in particular the urban vaporetto network and the ACTV transport included in each package; ACTV transport to Marco Polo Airport is not included in these standard packages.

Rolling Venice: the good-value option for 6–29 year olds

Rolling Venice is intended for visitors aged 6 to 29. Its main advantage is the package combining the Rolling Venice card and 72 hours of ACTV transport for €33, compared with €45 for the ACTV 72-hour pass alone at the standard price. Packages including transfer to Marco Polo Airport are also available.

The card also gives access to various cultural and commercial discounts; in particular, it entitles holders to the reduced price in MUVE museums.

Alilaguna: packages with Marco Polo Airport

Alilaguna, which operates in particular the water connections with Marco Polo Airport, offers its own unlimited packages: €40 for 24 hours, €60 for 48 hours and €80 for 72 hours. They are valid on the relevant Alilaguna lines and include the journey from or to the airport. However, they do not replace an ACTV pass for ordinary travel across the entire vaporetto network.

MUVE Friend Card: for regular visitors

Not to be confused with the Museum Pass, the MUVE Friend Card works more like an annual membership card. Valid for one year, it costs €60 at the standard price and €35 at the reduced price. It provides unlimited access to the permanent collections of the MUVE network and the relevant temporary exhibitions. It can therefore become worthwhile for visitors returning to Venice several times.

Which pass should you choose?

For a stay mainly devoted to museums, the Museum Pass MUVE is generally the reference option. The City Pass All Venice becomes worthwhile if you want to add Querini Stampalia and the Scuola Grande dei Carmini. The Chorus Pass is suitable for church lovers, while the Rolling Venice + ACTV package is particularly good value for under-30s.

Finally, note that some major sites are not included in the Museum Pass MUVE, in particular St Mark's Basilica, its campanile, the Clock Tower, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection or the Scuola Grande di San Rocco. Depending on your itinerary, their tickets must therefore be added separately.