Marco Polo is 15 km from Venice, but "how long does it take to reach the centre" has no single answer, because it depends what you mean by the centre — and because in Venice the last leg is not made on wheels. Here are the real options, with times and costs.
The thing to understand before choosing
No road vehicle enters the historic centre of Venice. The road ends at Piazzale Roma, on the Grand Canal, and from there you continue by waterbus, water taxi or on foot. This is not a transfer company's rule: it is the shape of the city. So when you compare options you are comparing two different things: who takes you to Piazzale Roma by road, and who takes you by water to a stop closer to your hotel.
1. ATVO/ACTV bus — the cheapest
Frequent departures from the terminal to Piazzale Roma, about 20–25 minutes. The cheapest option by far, ideal with hand luggage. The limits: you stand at peak times, your bag stays with you, and late in the evening the service thins out exactly when you need it.
2. Alilaguna waterbus — arriving by water
The boat leaves from the airport dock, reached from the terminal by a covered walkway of about seven minutes. Lines serve Murano, Fondamente Nove, St Mark's and the Lido. It is scenic and drops you closer to many hotels, but takes 70–90 minutes to St Mark's: it is public transport with stops, not a direct connection.
3. Water taxi — the fastest to your hotel
The private motorboat leaves from the same dock and reaches the city's docks in about 25–30 minutes, often at the hotel door. It is the most comfortable option and also the most expensive: several hundred euros for the airport run.
4. Private road transfer — fixed price to Piazzale Roma
A car with a driver meets you at arrivals with a name board, loads the luggage and takes you to Piazzale Roma in 20 minutes, at a price fixed when you book: from €75 for a vehicle up to 3 passengers, €100 for a V-Class up to 6. The price is per vehicle, so three or six people split it.
It makes sense when: there are two or more of you, you have real luggage, you travel with children, you land at night, or you are staying on the mainland. It makes no sense if you travel alone with a backpack and your hotel is beside an Alilaguna stop.
And if I am staying in Mestre?
Then everything changes: Mestre is on the mainland, has ordinary roads and the car arrives at the hotel entrance. It is 12 km and 18 minutes, from €65. That is why many people choose Mestre: the historic centre stays ten minutes away by train, but the arrival is door to door.
The combination that works best
For travellers with heavy luggage and a hotel in the historic centre, the most effective solution is often hybrid: a private car to Piazzale Roma (fast, fixed price, luggage handled) and from there a water taxi to the hotel, avoiding the bridge steps. It costs less than a water taxi from the airport and solves the only real logistical problem in Venice: suitcases on bridges.
What to say when you book
Always give the hotel name: only then can whoever arranges the transfer tell you whether the waterbus, a water taxi or a two-minute walk suits you. It is the piece of information that separates a calm arrival from half an hour of dragging cases over bridges.