If you’re a frequent visitor to Venice, or coming for an extended period of time (even two weeks), you may want to look into obtaining the sturdier, refillable imob transit card enabled with the CartaVenezia subscription.
A CartaVenezia will allow you to purchase any ACTV tickets and passes at the reduced rate, including a month’s pass for €30, a carnet of 10 tickets for €11, a single ticket at €1.30 and a single traghetto ticket good for a single stop only across the Grand Canal (not to be confused with the private, gondola traghetto, which costs 50 cents). The cost is
- €10 for card issue, plus a
- one-time fee of €30 for the CartaVenezia subscription if you’re a resident anywhere outside the Veneto.
The subscription is good for three years and can be renewed for €10.
Ask, and with just a little patience and €40, ye shall receive.
You can obtain your imob with the CartaVenezia subscription at the indoor Piazzale Roma ACTV office, the Rialto Line 1 stop, Tronchetto, Lido, and other island and mainland offices listed here (look for “issuing imob card”). You’ll only need your passport; they will take your picture with a webcam.
At Piazzale Roma, look for the machine that issues a number for your place in line, and press the top button for imob CARDS REQUEST. Take you number, and grab one of the “ACTV imob.venezia” applications stacked on shelves near the machine. Fill out the form while you’re waiting for your number to appear over one of several counters; the lines move fairly quickly.
You need complete only the top part of the form:
Cognome: last name
Nome: first name
Codice fiscale: leave blank unless you have one
Comune di nasciata: state and country of birth
Data di nascita: birth date in the dd/mm/yyyy format sesso: sex
Indirizzo residenza: residence address: street, then no° — street number
Località: blank CAP: zip code
Comune: City
Provincia: State
Telefono fisso: land line
Telefono cellulare: cell phone number (If you have a working cell phone in Venice, enter the number; if it is not an Italian cell, enter the “+” followed by country code and cell number; likewise for normal home phone numbers.)
Once your number appears, hand over your application; the attendant will ask to see your passport and take your picture with a webcam, enter all the info into the computer, and spit out your pass a few minutes later.
Be sure to purchase some transit tickets as well, such as
- a carnet of 10 tickets, or
- a monthly pass (note: calendar month only)
- individual tickets
They’ll be credited to your pass, which you can refill from machines or booths at numerous vaporetto stops around town.
You should be able to pay with your credit card, but if for some reason you’re not able to, there’s an ATM just down the fondamenta at the bank.
NOTE: Piazzale Roma has undergone a recent renovatation and things flow much more smoothly than they used to; it can still be quite busy though, and may take some time to complete the process. In any case, when you leave you will have your pass.
To renew your passport at any of these and other offices, or if your Italian is management, you can try to renew online at the ACTV.it site.
The handiest way to make sure you never miss the boat.
A Documentary Project of LivingVenice.org.
On a sunny day, watch schools of fish bob by the underwater webcam of the CNR sea tower in the high Adriatic.