Are There Cars in Venice?

You step out of the Venice train station and step into a city, a world, like nowhere else on earth.

Outside is the equivalent of a four-lane highway; traffic rushes by: taxis, buses, private vehicles, and police sirens are heard as the police rush off somewhere. You might well see an ambulance too, or the fire brigade. 

You could be in any big city except...

... this is NOT like any other big city, and this four lane highway is not like any highway in any other city you have ever visited... this highway is made of water!

Each and every vehicle rushing by is a boat of some sort or another, an incredible array of vehicles: elegant gondolas, waterbuses (called vaporetti), stylish taxis of burnished mahogany, and even the boat versions of garbage trucks. 

Here's a video of what the experience is like...

Are there bicycles in Venice?

Well, like cars and motorbikes, bicycles in Venice are only allowed as far as the Piazzale Roma on the edge of the city. There is a short stretch after that, where you are allowed to wheel your bicycle to the station, in order to board a train, but that's it! 

So how does Venice function without cars, trucks etc...

Well, whether it's the delivery of your online order or the deliveries to supermarkets and other stores everything has to go by boat and, incredibly, it all works extremely well. People head to work by public transport (the water boats) or take their own boat into the office.  Need to move house? Well, there's a boat for that. Need to grab a cab to the airport? It's a boat too.

Watch the video at the top of the page to see the reality of Venice, the "miracle" of a city built upon water.

Interesting Facts About Gondolas 

• There are around 400 gondolas in Venice now  - down from around 10,000 a century ago. 
• Gondolas take two years to make and are 36 ft long.
• It takes 280 pieces of wood to make a gondola.
• All gondolas are made by hand in Venice.
• The six blades on the gondolas prow represent the six neighborhoods of Venice known as sestieri.
• Traghetti gondolas, a special type of gondola, serve as ferryboats crossing the Grand Canal at strategic points, providing an essential service for locals and a unique experience for tourists. Each traghetto is rowed by two gondoliers, offering a more informal and affordable way to traverse the canal. Here's all you need to know about enjoying the experience of a traghetto ride.

Is this a car in Venice? Click photo to see if this is Venice.