Excursion Options Chioggia → Explore Venice On Your Own

[plucasana]

This "Motorboat coach style" excursion is specified to be 8 hours long (which is too long for us)

Can anyone report back if there is the option to take an earlier (much earlier) motorboat coach back to the ship (we are thinking of 4/5 hours tops) or is it just ONE coach for the whole group?

 

Alternatively has anyone booked a private transfer via Azamara Chioggia → Venice and can report back on the price? (we have a lot of OBC)

(I have done my research and found that taxis are 120 € one way and I also read about the 10 € bus but wanted to have all the options before deciding)

[fruitmachine]

35 minutes ago, plucasana said:

This "Motorboat coach style" excursion is specified to be 8 hours long (which is too long for us)

Can anyone report back if there is the option to take an earlier (much earlier) motorboat coach back to the ship (we are thinking of 4/5 hours tops) or is it just ONE coach for the whole group?

 

Alternatively has anyone booked a private transfer via Azamara Chioggia → Venice and can report back on the price? (we have a lot of OBC)

(I have done my research and found that taxis are 120 € one way and I also read about the 10 € bus but wanted to have all the options before deciding)

For a bit of an adventure... you could make your apologies in advance, leave the ship's excursion early, and take the Vaporetto/Bus combination that connects Lido di Venezia to Chioggia town.  You would start this with whatever Vaporetto was best to get from where you are in Venice to the Lido, and then Line 11 (which is a bus/Ferry combo).  It's a straightforward walk back from the Chioggia Vaporetto stop to the ship.

Edited June 30, 2023 by fruitmachine

[avw]

On 6/30/2023 at 5:30 AM, plucasana said:

This "Motorboat coach style" excursion is specified to be 8 hours long (which is too long for us)

Can anyone report back if there is the option to take an earlier (much earlier) motorboat coach back to the ship (we are thinking of 4/5 hours tops) or is it just ONE coach for the whole group?

 

Alternatively has anyone booked a private transfer via Azamara Chioggia → Venice and can report back on the price? (we have a lot of OBC)

(I have done my research and found that taxis are 120 € one way and I also read about the 10 € bus but wanted to have all the options before deciding)

I did Azamara's Venice on Your Own excursion in May. I don't recall it being described as "motorboat coach style", but I think it may be the same excursion. It takes over 2 hours each way on a very slow boat between Chioggia and Venice, so that is about 5 hours just getting to and from Venice. The boat is pretty large with 2 decks, one inside and the top deck is covered. The ride was pleasant, but long. It has to go slow because it travels close to sea walls and must avoid creating wake. We only had about 3 hours on our own in Venice. You really can't spend less time than that in Venice. There was a huge full moon rising over Venice as we left to return to the ship and I got this incredible picture to remember this quick visit to Venice..  

 

[plucasana]

Thank you very much for the tour description and the brilliant photo, @avw, this helps a lot!

I did not realize it took so long to get to venice from Chioggia

Edited July 2, 2023 by plucasana

[wjfan417]

We’ll be in Chioggia in a few weeks and booked the “Venice on your own” tour. After reading about getting from Chioggia to Venice, I think we’re going to cancel the shore excursion and take the bus.

[avw]

3 hours ago, wjfan417 said:

We’ll be in Chioggia in a few weeks and booked the “Venice on your own” tour. After reading about getting from Chioggia to Venice, I think we’re going to cancel the shore excursion and take the bus.

Are you talking about taking a public bus? While a bus trip to Venice will certainly be cheaper, it may actually take longer in total time and it will certainly be more confusing with less interesting scenery. I just checked on the Rome2Rio website and found that getting from the port where the ship docks in Chioggia  to Piazza San Marco in Venice takes 1hr42 minutes, but that doesn't include time to buy your ticket in a tobacco shop, find the bus stop, and wait for a bus (they run every 30 minutes).  After you get off the bus in Venice, it is a 26 minute walk to Piazza San Marco. Venice is VERY confusing with all its twists and turns through narrow passageways. I, personally, would stick to the shore excursion as that makes for a much easier, more pleasant trip to Venice and back. Here is the Rome2 Rio link for getting to Venice via bus from the dock: https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Cruises-Terminal-Chioggia-Isola-Cartieri-Chioggia-Metropolitan-City-of-Venice-Italy/Piazza-San-Marco#r/Bus

 

P.S. I am normally an independent traveler who loves to wander the local streets and take public transportation, but I wouldn't do it in this case.

[wjfan417]

2 hours ago, avw said:

Are you talking about taking a public bus? While a bus trip to Venice will certainly be cheaper, it may actually take longer in total time and it will certainly be more confusing with less interesting scenery. I just checked on the Rome2Rio website and found that getting from the port where the ship docks in Chioggia  to Piazza San Marco in Venice takes 1hr42 minutes, but that doesn't include time to buy your ticket in a tobacco shop, find the bus stop, and wait for a bus (they run every 30 minutes).  After you get off the bus in Venice, it is a 26 minute walk to Piazza San Marco. Venice is VERY confusing with all its twists and turns through narrow passageways. I, personally, would stick to the shore excursion as that makes for a much easier, more pleasant trip to Venice and back. Here is the Rome2 Rio link for getting to Venice via bus from the dock: https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Cruises-Terminal-Chioggia-Isola-Cartieri-Chioggia-Metropolitan-City-of-Venice-Italy/Piazza-San-Marco#r/Bus

 

P.S. I am normally an independent traveler who loves to wander the local streets and take public transportation, but I wouldn't do it in this case.

We’re actually headed to Piazza Roma near the train station so we can see how walkable the train station will be from there with luggage as we’re heading to the train station station as soon as we depart the ship. We’ve been to Venice several times so really didn’t plan to sightsee this time.