Useful apps when traveling to Venice

Traveling around Venice can be quite complicated, especially if you don’t know the city very well. Luckily, there are plenty of apps that can make your trip easier and more relaxed. Most of these apps are also useful for frequent travellers or residents.

In this post, I give an overview of the most useful, and free, apps for your trip. They will help you find the right vaporetto, tell you which streets are flooded by the acqua alta, and so on. They are all available for iPhone and Android.

I advise you to download and install the apps before you set off to Venice. You don’t want to lose time downloading an app in the middle of the city while you would be better off enjoying it. On my phone, I have created a separate window on my phone with all my Venice related apps. This allows me to dream about Venice each time I scroll across this window.

CheBateo?

This is the app which I most often use when I’m in Venice. CheBateo? (literally translated ‘Which boat’) helps you plan your vaporetto route. You can either use it with a normal search from one stop to another. It will tell you which vaporetto line to take and when it arrives. Or, you can start from the name of a specific vaporetto stop to see which lines are expected first. You can also list your favourite trips so you don’t have to retype the search each time. This allows you to quickly see how much time you still have to get to the vaporetto stop so you don’t miss it.

AVM Venezia

This is the official app of the AVM Holding, which runs the vaporetto’s and the land buses. You can search from any address in or around Venice, so not only from the stops, to another location. It will then indicate how far you are from the nearest stop and which lines you have to take. You can also buy your transportation tickets and passes (both for vaporetto’s and buses) with the app and charge your Venezia Unica vouchers to it.

DeQua

I only recently discovered this app so I haven’t used it very often yet. The app starts from a detailed of Venice, and gives you directions on how to go from one place to another and how long it will take. You can indicate whether you want to walk, take a vaporetto or even if you plan to row or go with your motorboat. If you are in a wheelchair, you can also indicate this so it will ensure that the route is accessible for you and give you an adjusted timing estimate.

il Meteo

I have been consulting the weather forecasts of il Meteo via their website as long as I can remember. When I’m in Venice, their app is the first thing I look at in the morning, so I know what I can expect for the day. The forecasts are given per hour for the first week, and in 3 hour slots for the second week. As you can watch the forecasts for the next 14 days, it’s also helpful when you start packing for your trip. There is also a link to webcams all over Venice, so you can watch what type of clothing people are wearing if you are still unsure what to pack.

WVF – Water on the Venice Floor

This is the first Venice app which I installed a couple of years ago. It shows you in real time which streets are flooded when the city is hit by an acqua alta. These are shown in red on the map. It’s a perfect tool to find a way around the flooding and keep your feet dry. The app is managed by the Centro Previsioni Maree. It does give forecasts, but it doesn’t work very well on my phone. You can however also consult the 3 day forecasts on their website.

Complementary to the WVF app, you can use this app to see the acqua alta forecasts for the coming 3 days. The home page allows you to quickly see the current water level and whether there’s any danger for acqua alta. You don’t have to worry when you see a number below 80 cm. Even with 100 cm, which corresponds with 5% of the city being flooded, you can plan your day accordingly and avoid the areas which will be impacted.

Venice Tap Water

This map gives you an overview of all the drinking fountains in Venice and shows in green which ones are working, and in red which ones are currently out of order. It’s very practical as the drinking water in Venice is very safe so you don’t need to buy plastic bottles. Just bring your own reusable bottle and carry it with you. I have been doing this for a long time and find it very comfortable. Even though it’s not a real app, I therefore added it to the list. Just go their website on your phone, click at the bottom on ‘Add to home screen’ and you will see the icon appear on your phone as you can see on my screenshot.

Google Translate

When you don’t speak Italian, this app comes in very handy. You can either type a sentence in your own language and have it translated in Italian. Or you can use it in the other direction and for instance use it to understand the Italian name of a dish on a menu. You can also dictate a sentence, or have the app listen to the person talking to you in Italian. Finally, if you don’t feel like typing, the app can recognize text on pictures.

In a couple of weeks, I will share with you why I also have the MAPS.ME app in my list of Venice related apps. Subscribe to the newsletter if you don’t want to miss this new tip for your next trip.

I hope this selection helps you make your next trip a bit more relaxed. If you know any other useful apps, feel free to add them in the comments below. If you want to know what other steps I take in preparing my trips, I suggest you take a look at ‘How I prepare my trips to Venice as a frequent visitor‘.

 

Enjoy your visit!