The Museum Pass (MUVE) grants admission to all the city-run museums over a 6-month period—it also lets you skip any ticketing lines, a useful perk in high season. The pass includes the museums of St. Mark’s Square—Palazzo Ducale, Museo Correr, Museo Archeologico Nazionale, and the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana—as well as the Museo di Palazzo Mocenigo (Costume Museum), the Ca’ Rezzonico, the Ca’ Pesaro, the Museo del Vetro (Glass Museum) on Murano, and the Museo del Merletto (Lace Museum) on Burano. The Museum Pass is available online (for an extra 0.50€), or at any of the participating museums and costs 24€ for adults, and 18€ for students under 26, kids ages 6 to 14, and seniors over 65. It’s a good deal, as the Doge’s Palace will set you back 20€ alone; visit one more major museum (the Ca’ Rezzonico and Ca’ Pesaro are both 10€ each) and you’ve made a decent saving.
If churches are your interest, consider the Chorus Pass (www.chorusvenezia.org), which grants admission to almost every major church in Venice, 18 in all, for 12€ (8€ for students under 30), for up to 1 year. For 24€, the Chorus Pass Family gives you the same perks for two adults and their children up to 18 years old. Most churches charge 3€ admission, which means you’ll need to visit more than four to make this pass worthwhile.
The Venezia Unica card (www.veneziaunica.it) combines the above passes, transport, discounts, and even Internet access on one card via a “made-to-order” online system, where you choose the services you want. The most useful options are the Silver, Gold, and Platinum passes. The Platinum Pass (from 125.90€) is the best option if you plan to spend a week of heavy sightseeing in Venice. Valid for seven days, it includes the Museum Pass, the Chorus Pass, the Jewish Museum, Scala Contarini del Bovolo, Teatro La Fenice tours, a lagoon boat tour, free Wi-Fi access all week, a 7-day travelcard and a host of other discounts. You can also buy various transportation packages and just Wi-Fi access (from 5€ for 24 hr.) from Venezia Unica. Once you’ve paid, you simply print out a voucher to use at museums and sights in Venice; to use public transport you must collect tickets by entering your booking code at one of the ACTV automatic ticket machines or by visiting one of the official Points of Sale in in the city, including one in the train station (open 7am–9pm) and at the Rialto vaporetto stop (open 7am–11pm).
Also, for visitors between the ages of 6 and 29, there is the Rolling Venice card (also available at www.veneziaunica.it). It’s valid until the end of the year in which you buy it, costs just 6€, and entitles the bearer to significant (20%–30%) discounts at participating restaurants (but applies only to cardholder’s meal) and a similar discount on ACTV travel cards (22€ for 3 days). Holders of the Rolling Venice card also get discounts at museums, stores, language courses, hotels, and bars across the city (it comes with a thick booklet listing everywhere that you’re entitled to get discounts).
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
