Venice is the one great European city you cannot drive into. The road ends at Piazzale Roma, at the island end of the Ponte della Libertà, and from there everything moves by boat or on foot. That does not make a car useless: it makes the plan important. This guide explains where to leave a rental car, how to get from the airports to the historic centre, how the day-tripper access fee works, which island you can actually drive on, and why the car really comes into its own once you head out into the Veneto.
- End of the road: Piazzale Roma and the Tronchetto island, both reached over the Ponte della Libertà from Mestre
- Main car parks: Autorimessa Comunale and Garage San Marco at Piazzale Roma; Tronchetto Parking on the Tronchetto, linked by the People Mover
- Mainland option: park in Mestre and take the train (about 10 minutes to Santa Lucia) or the T1 tram to Piazzale Roma
- Access fee: in 2026 it applied to day-trippers on 60 days between 3 April and 26 July; overnight guests were exempt. The 2027 calendar has not been published yet
- The only island for cars: the Lido, reached by the ACTV line 17 car ferry from Tronchetto
Information checked in October 2026. Car park rules, timetables and the access fee calendar change, so always check the official sites before you travel.
The Ponte della Libertà: the only road into Venice
From the mainland, a single road bridge crosses the lagoon: the Ponte della Libertà, almost four kilometres long, running alongside the railway from Mestre to the western tip of the historic city. Follow the signs for "Venezia" from the A4 or the Mestre ring road and you will be on it within minutes.
At the far end the road splits. Straight ahead is Piazzale Roma, the bus terminal and the last square you can drive to, with the main multi-storey car parks. To the right is the Tronchetto, an artificial island built in the 1960s as a car park and transport hub, where you also find the car ferry to the Lido. Beyond these two points there are no roads at all: the next stretch of your journey is by vaporetto, water taxi or on foot.
Traffic on the bridge is heavy on summer weekends, holiday mornings and when cruise passengers arrive, and the car parks at Piazzale Roma can fill up. On busy days, booking a space in advance is the simplest way to avoid circling back to the mainland.
Parking at Piazzale Roma
Piazzale Roma is the most convenient place to leave a car: the vaporetto stops, the water taxi ranks and the Santa Lucia railway station area are a few minutes' walk away, and the Grand Canal begins right in front of you.
Autorimessa Comunale (AVM)
The municipal garage, run by AVM, the city's transport company, is the largest car park in the square: several levels with almost 1,900 car spaces, open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The maximum vehicle height is 2.20 metres. Spaces can be booked online through Venezia Unica up to midnight on the day before arrival; current rates and conditions are on the AVM Autorimessa Comunale page.
Garage San Marco
A privately run garage on the square, in business since 1950, open around the clock with staff on site and video surveillance. It also offers electric vehicle charging and can book water taxis at its reception. Bookings are made on the Garage San Marco website.
For a high-value car, a staffed, covered garage at Piazzale Roma is the most relaxed choice for a short stay. For longer stays, read on: the cost adds up quickly, and there are better ways to organise the car.
Tronchetto and the People Mover
The Tronchetto is the other end-of-the-road option, and usually the one with space when Piazzale Roma is full. The largest facility is Tronchetto Parking, run by Interparking, with around 4,000 covered spaces, staff present 24 hours a day and online booking on the Tronchetto Parking website. The height limit for indoor parking is 2.10 metres, which most large SUVs clear comfortably; a roof box may not.
From the Tronchetto, the People Mover, an automatic elevated shuttle run by AVM, takes you to Piazzale Roma in a couple of minutes, with an intermediate stop at the Marittima cruise terminal. At the time of writing it runs from 7:00 to 23:00 on weekdays, with shorter hours at weekends; see the AVM People Mover page. Vaporetto stops are also right next to the Tronchetto car parks.
Parking in Mestre and taking the train or tram
If you are on the mainland anyway, or if Piazzale Roma is full, leaving the car in Mestre and crossing the lagoon by public transport is a perfectly good option.
- By train: regional and high-speed trains run very frequently from Venezia Mestre to Venezia Santa Lucia, on the Grand Canal, in about ten minutes.
- By tram: the ACTV T1 tram runs from Mestre across the Ponte della Libertà to Piazzale Roma.
AVM manages several car parks in Mestre, including the underground Park Costa near the centre, and park-and-ride sites along the tram line; the list is on the AVM car parks page. Many of the cheaper park-and-ride sites are open-air and cannot be booked, so for an expensive car a staffed garage or your hotel's own parking is the better choice.
The ZTL in central Mestre
Central Mestre, around Piazza Ferretto, has a limited traffic zone (ZTL) with camera-controlled gates. Some of its sectors have been suspended for years, but others remain active around the clock, and access without authorisation is fined automatically. Follow the signs, do not chase the sat-nav through the centre, and if your hotel is inside the zone, ask it before arrival how guests reach it. The zones and gates are described on the AVM ZTL page.
Arriving by air: Marco Polo and Treviso
Venice Marco Polo Airport
Marco Polo sits on the lagoon shore north of Mestre and is the only airport from which you can reach the historic centre directly by water. Your options:
- Alilaguna water bus: scheduled boats from the airport dock. The Blue line serves Murano, Fondamente Nove, the Lido, San Zaccaria, San Marco, the Zattere, the Giudecca, the Tronchetto and the station area; the Orange line runs down the Grand Canal via Rialto. See alilaguna.it.
- Water taxi: private motorboats leave from the same dock, a walk of about ten minutes from arrivals along moving walkways, and take you to any landing in the city, including your hotel's own jetty if it has one.
- Bus to Piazzale Roma: the ACTV Aerobus line 5 and the ATVO express coaches reach Piazzale Roma in roughly 20 to 25 minutes, traffic permitting. Tickets and combined passes are on Venezia Unica.
If you are spending the first days in Venice itself, there is no reason to collect the car at Marco Polo: take the boat in, and have the car handed over on the morning you leave the city.
Treviso Canova Airport
Treviso, used mainly by low-cost airlines, is about 30 kilometres north of Venice. Coaches run to Piazzale Roma and to the Tronchetto, and the airport is a short drive from the A27. If your plans start with the Prosecco hills or the Dolomites rather than Venice, collecting the car at Treviso saves you the Mestre traffic altogether.
Luggage and water taxis to your hotel
Venice is a city of bridges, and most bridges have steps. Wheeling two large suitcases from Piazzale Roma to a hotel near San Marco means a long walk and plenty of lifting. Some practical points:
- Water taxi to the door: many hotels on the Grand Canal and the larger canals have their own landing. A water taxi from Piazzale Roma, the Tronchetto or the airport is the most comfortable way to arrive with luggage. Agree the destination and fare before you set off.
- Vaporetto: cheaper, but the boats are crowded at peak times and luggage space is limited.
- Ask your hotel: it will know the nearest stop, whether there are bridges on the way, and how guests usually arrive.
The car itself never gets any closer than Piazzale Roma or the Tronchetto, so pack what you need for Venice in a separate bag and leave the rest in the boot only if the car is staying in a garage you trust.
The Lido: the island where you can drive
The Lido, the long barrier island between the lagoon and the Adriatic, is different: it has real roads, residents' cars, buses and petrol stations, and you can bring your car across. The ACTV line 17 car ferry runs from the Tronchetto to the Lido (San Nicolò) and also links the Lido with Punta Sabbioni on the Cavallino side. At the time of writing it sails roughly every 50 minutes and the crossing takes about half an hour. The vehicle fare does not include the driver and passengers, who buy separate tickets, and crossings can be booked online; fares and booking are on the ACTV ferry boat page. From the southern end of the Lido, line 11 continues to Pellestrina.
This is the one place in the lagoon where staying with a car makes sense: a hotel on the Lido seafront, a car in its car park and the vaporetto to San Marco in about a quarter of an hour.
The Venice access fee for day-trippers
Since 2024 the City of Venice has charged an access fee (contributo di accesso) to day visitors who enter the historic centre on busy days. In 2026, the third experimental year, it applied:
- When: on 60 days between 3 April and 26 July 2026, from 8:30 to 16:00.
- Where: the historic city only; the minor islands, including the Lido, Murano and Burano, were not included.
- How much: €5 if booked at least four days in advance, €10 closer to the date, at the time of writing.
- Exempt: guests staying overnight in the municipality of Venice (who pay the tourist tax instead, but still need to obtain a free exemption QR code), residents of the Veneto region, children under 14 and a few other categories.
- Checks: random inspections at the main access points, with fines from €25 to €150 for anyone who cannot show the payment or exemption.
The 2026 season ended on 26 July. The city has said the measure should continue in 2027, possibly with more days and different rates, but no 2027 calendar has been published yet. Check the official portal cda.ve.it before any spring or summer trip. If you are staying in a hotel in Venice, you will most likely only need the free exemption, not the fee.
Why the car is for the Veneto, not for Venice
Inside Venice a car is luggage you have to park. Outside it, the Veneto is one of the most rewarding regions in Italy to drive, and very little of it is easy to reach by train. A few ideas:
The Dolomites and Cortina d'Ampezzo
The A27 runs north from Mestre into the mountains, then the SS51 climbs through the Cadore to Cortina, a drive of around two and a half hours. In winter, winter tyres or chains on board are compulsory on this route; our guide Venice to Cortina by car covers the rules and the passes.
The Prosecco hills
Between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, the Prosecco hills are a UNESCO World Heritage site: steep vineyards, small wineries and the Strada del Prosecco linking them. About an hour from Venice, ideal for a long lunch.
The Brenta Riviera
The road along the Brenta canal between Mestre and Padua is lined with Venetian villas, from Villa Foscari "La Malcontenta" to Villa Pisani at Stra. An easy half-day.
Asolo and Bassano del Grappa
Asolo, the hill town of "a hundred horizons", and Bassano with its wooden bridge, are about an hour away; Palladio's Villa Barbaro at Maser is on the way.
The Euganean Hills
South-west of Padua, volcanic hills with spa towns such as Abano Terme, vineyards and the medieval village of Arquà Petrarca.
Lake Garda and Verona
Westwards on the A4, Verona is around an hour and a half away, and the southern shore of Lake Garda, with Sirmione, a little further.
Trieste
Eastwards on the A4, Trieste and its Habsburg seafront are about two hours away, with the coastal road towards Duino and Miramare Castle for the final stretch.
Which car for Venice and the Veneto?
For a family with luggage, a Range Rover, a Bentley Bentayga or a BMW X7 (seven seats) makes the airport, the Mestre ring road and the drive to the mountains effortless; for larger groups, the Mercedes V-Class 4MATIC or a Land Rover Defender 130 takes up to eight. For the Dolomites, all-wheel-drive SUVs such as the Lamborghini Urus, the Mercedes-AMG G 63 or the Ferrari Purosangue add character to the passes. For a couple touring the Prosecco hills and Lake Garda in summer, a Porsche 911, a Ferrari Roma Spider or a Mercedes SL 63 is hard to beat. With IsyLuxe you book the exact model, not a category; insurance and 24/7 assistance are included, every car has winter tyres in the cold season, and handover can be arranged at Marco Polo, Treviso, Piazzale Roma, Mestre station or your hotel on the mainland, agreed at booking. See the options on our luxury car rental in Venice page, and for the mountains and Lake Garda, our pages for Cortina d'Ampezzo, Verona and Bolzano.
Frequently asked questions
Can I drive into Venice?
Only as far as Piazzale Roma or the Tronchetto, at the end of the Ponte della Libertà. The historic centre has no roads; from there you continue by boat or on foot.
Where is the best place to park a rental car in Venice?
For a short stay, a staffed garage at Piazzale Roma, such as the Autorimessa Comunale or Garage San Marco. When they are full, Tronchetto Parking with the People Mover. For longer stays, a hotel or garage in Mestre and the train.
Do I have to pay the Venice access fee if I stay overnight?
No. In 2026 overnight guests in the municipality were exempt, but needed a free exemption QR code. Day-trippers paid on the 60 designated days. Check cda.ve.it for the 2027 rules.
Can I take my car to the Lido?
Yes. The ACTV line 17 car ferry runs from the Tronchetto to the Lido, where cars can circulate normally.
How do I get from Marco Polo airport to my hotel in Venice?
By Alilaguna water bus, by water taxi straight to your hotel's landing, or by bus to Piazzale Roma and then on by vaporetto or water taxi.
Should I collect the rental car when I land?
Only if you are heading straight out of Venice. If you are staying in the city first, arrange the handover for the morning you leave.
