Venice Vaparetto Challenge

[al]

I have just returned from a holiday to Italy ( ), with Venice a part of that, and whilst travelling around thought what a good challenge it could be to visit all the Vaparetto (Waterbus) stops/landings. Admittedly, it's not an underground challenge (unless something goes seriously wrong), but it would have cracking scenery!

For those who don't know what the network looks like, a map is here (apologies for the quality):



and a link to the Actv website is here:

http://www.actv.it

with a link to the PDF timetables (and a clearer map) here:

http://www.hellovenezia.com/jspvenezia/ ... oversi.pdf


For the limited number of 'roads' available to them, it is a staggeringly complex network, not helped by some services operating limited stop all the time or (usually) some of the time. Just because a stop is shown as being served by a particular line doesn't mean it is served all the time. A general summary of the lines is here:

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/art ... _table.htm

I think if a challenge were to be attempted, then the Alilaguna lines, which serve the airport, should be excluded (as the Travelcards are not accepted), although the only stop actually affected is Marco Polo Airport itself. Also, line F to Fusina would be excluded for the same reason (privately operated). Other than that all the stops would need to be called at. To help, some of the landings are linked to the other side of the canal by Traghettos, which are communal gondolas. These do cost an extra €0.50 however.

Final complication - I bet most of you would finish at Lido Casino. This is because it only has one service a day in one direction, arriving at 0045. This would make for an interesting starting strategy - who would be brave enough to leave last? Punctuality is not brilliant, but not unheard of.

Something else to ponder over...

[A Challenge]

Don't read all of this if you aren't interested in doing g the challenge!

Having also returned from Venice (not immediately) I can ask is it each pontoon at the stops (do in some cases, both directions, or in others, for example at San Marco San Zacharia, has stops A-F.

Another point to note that may be useful us that there are night busses, so after going to Lido Casino you would then be able to, which is a sensible idea, take the night boat, that stops at all of the stops that are round the south (coming from Lido Santa Maria Elizabetta and changing at San Marco San Zacharia) along Guidecca round to Tronchetto.

Would you have to do ones like the airport and the coach station as they are only served by the non-ACTV boats (routes A, B, R, 16 and 19), and if not, would there be a 'same rails' type rules for those boats, or would it be only of they stop at two the same consecutive pontoons/stops, or not at all.

I have to note, that from using them, that even after a few days I still felt a bit like I was at sea (although I went on them on the Wednesday (which was only the 2 circular) from SMSZ [much easier] round, back to the end of the trip at SMSZ) and then on Friday and Saturday, and therefore I don't think that this is at all for someone who is seasick, as the boats are a lot worse than a cross-channel ferry, and when they come into a stop they seemed to bang the boat against it, sometimes more than once!

I would recommend starting at the airport if it is needed, or probably otherwise the car ferry (would it be needed?), which has two out of three unique stops, but I don't know whether it takes foot passengers (though I imagine it would), or if you need a car, which might help the decision if you do!

Lido Casino, to note, is seasonal (and as the waterbus that should have gone there didn't, I think its winter not summer only), so it may need two records (all year round only if what I think is wrong, or anyway summer and winter stops!), or if what I think is correct it might take 6 months (probably less, as that wouldn't be the gap between, if there is one, between winter only and summer only services!).

Apologies to those who don't want to do this and still read this!