The Carnevale di Venezia 2027 runs from Saturday 23 January to Tuesday 9 February 2027, according to the official Carnival site. For eighteen days, masks and costumes fill the calli and campi, Piazza San Marco becomes the main stage, and the city's hotels, palazzo parties and gala dinners are booked for the weekends and the final days. Visitors arrive from across Europe and from North America.
Venice is the one Carnival city where a car cannot take you to the party. The historic city has no roads, so every arrival has two parts: a car to the edge of the lagoon at Piazzale Roma, then water or your feet for the rest. Elly8.net books the car part well: a chauffeur at Marco Polo or Treviso, a vehicle big enough for costumes and luggage, a drop-off timed to your water taxi, and the same plan in reverse on the way out. Venice prices are fixed, all-in and charged in US dollars, and the price list does not change for Carnival.
How do you get to Venice for Carnival?
By car from the airport to Piazzale Roma, the road terminus at the end of the bridge from the mainland, then by water taxi, vaporetto or on foot to your hotel. A pre-booked chauffeur carries you, your luggage and your costumes in one vehicle and times the arrival to your water-taxi booking. Mainland and Lido hotels can be reached by car.
The official Carnival site puts it plainly: Venice is made up of 121 islands linked by 435 bridges, with canals and pedestrian streets instead of roads, so the city can only be visited on foot or by boat. Piazzale Roma, the car and bus terminal, and the Tronchetto island beside it, with its car parks and the car ferry to the Lido, are where every road journey ends.
During Carnival, and above all on the weekends, Piazzale Roma and the water-bus stops are busier than at any other time of winter. A chauffeur who has your water-taxi time, drops you as close to the water as the square allows and helps with the bags makes the change quick. Leaving Venice, the car is waiting at Piazzale Roma when your boat lands.
Arriving at Marco Polo or Treviso
Two airports are on the Venice price list, each priced to Piazzale Roma, per vehicle and all-in:
| Airport | Distance to Piazzale Roma | Business Sedan | Business SUV / van | First Class Sedan | Executive Sprinter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venice Marco Polo (VCE) | 15 km (9 mi), about 20 min clear | US$120 | US$160 | US$210 | US$315 |
| Treviso (TSF) | 30 km (18 mi), about 42 min clear | US$175 | US$230 | US$310 | US$455 |
Marco Polo (VCE). Venice's main airport, on the mainland edge of the lagoon, where most long-haul and main European flights land. The chauffeur tracks the flight and waits in the arrivals hall with a name board, with complimentary waiting after a tracked landing. Round trips start at US$230 in a business sedan and run to US$600 in an Executive Sprinter. See Venice airport transfers and meet and greet.
Treviso (TSF). A smaller airport about 30 km (18 mi) from Piazzale Roma, handling mainly European short-haul flights. Round trips start at US$335 in a business sedan.
Some visitors combine Carnival with Milan, Florence or the Dolomites and arrive by road or by train. Guests arriving at Venezia Santa Lucia station are already at the water; for the mainland station at Mestre or an onward drive, see train station transfers and city-to-city car service.
The water-taxi hand-over at Piazzale Roma
For a hotel in the historic centre, the plan is simple and needs one detail from you: the water-taxi time.
- Book the water taxi. A water taxi is a separate service, booked with a licensed water-taxi operator or through your hotel and paid to the operator. Elly8.net books the car.
- Send the desk the time. The chauffeur times the drive from the airport so you reach Piazzale Roma shortly before your boat, and drops you as close to the water as the square allows, with help for the bags.
- Reverse it on the way out. Book the car at Piazzale Roma for the time your water taxi lands, and the chauffeur is waiting.
Costumes, masks and gowns travel better in the right vehicle. A business SUV or van, a Mercedes-Benz V-Class in Venice, takes up to six passengers with luggage and garment bags; an Executive Sprinter takes up to 12 and suits a group arriving for a palazzo ball together.
When a car is not the best answer. If you are a couple with light bags going straight from Marco Polo to a hotel on the Grand Canal, a water taxi or the Alilaguna water bus from the airport can take you there without a change, and we would rather say so. The car earns its place with heavy luggage and costumes, children, a mainland or Lido hotel, a group, or an onward drive.
Mainland hotels, the Lido and evening events
During Carnival, many visitors stay on the mainland, in Mestre or along the lagoon edge, where hotels are reached by car. For a mainland stay, the chauffeur takes you to the door, and a car by the hour covers the runs between your hotel and Piazzale Roma on the evenings you go into the city for a ball or a dinner: from US$90 an hour in a business sedan, US$115 in a business SUV or van and US$180 in an Executive Sprinter, with a three-hour minimum.
The Lido has roads and hotels, and the ACTV car ferry, line 17, carries vehicles between Tronchetto and the Lido. For a Lido hotel, request the transfer through the web booker and the desk returns a fixed fare for the whole journey.
The evening out and event night package keeps one car and chauffeur for five hours, from US$450 in a business sedan to US$900 in an Executive Sprinter, which suits a mainland-based evening of dinner and a ball in the city. The chauffeur follows local rules on drinks in vehicles. The official site lists ticket sales for its Official Dinner Show, and private balls and parties are held in palazzi across the city; for both, check the organiser's arrival point by water and give the desk the timing for the car leg. See event transportation.
Groups, hotels and agencies
Groups are where planning matters most in Venice. A wedding party, a company trip or friends travelling for the final weekend can move from Marco Polo to Piazzale Roma in one Executive Sprinter, with the water taxis booked for the same time. The desk keeps every vehicle under one reference. See group transportation and Sprinter van with driver.
Hotels and concierges arranging arrivals for guests can use hotel accounts, travel agencies and tour operators can use travel-agent accounts, and companies can put a group trip on one monthly invoice with a corporate account. NDAs are available on request. Elly8.net provides transportation, not security.
Carnival prices in Venice
All prices per vehicle, fixed and all-in, charged in US dollars:
| Package | Business Sedan | Business SUV / van | First Class SUV | First Class Sedan | Executive Sprinter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| By the hour, as directed (3-hour minimum) | US$90 per hour | US$115 per hour | US$135 per hour | US$145 per hour | US$180 per hour |
| Evening out & event night (5 hours) | US$450 | US$575 | US$675 | US$725 | US$900 |
| Full-day chauffeur (8 hours) | US$665 | US$850 | US$995 | US$1,070 | US$1,325 |
| Day trip: Prosecco hills of Valdobbiadene (8 hours) | US$665 | US$850 | US$995 | US$1,070 | US$1,325 |
Prices include the chauffeur, vehicle, taxes, standard gratuity and airport meet and greet; tolls, parking and waiting beyond the included time are billed at cost. The rates do not change for Carnival; weekends and the final days are the busiest, so reserve now.
Honest alternatives: bus, water bus and walking
From Marco Polo, the public options are good. ATVO says its express bus reaches Piazzale Roma in about 20 minutes, with plenty of luggage space, and its bus from Treviso takes about 70 minutes; see ATVO's guide to getting to Venice.
| Option | Cost | Best for | Weak point during Carnival |
|---|---|---|---|
| ATVO express bus VCE to Piazzale Roma | ATVO fare, per person | Solo travellers with light bags | Busy on Carnival weekends; costumes and big bags |
| Alilaguna water bus from VCE | Alilaguna fare, per person | Hotels near an Alilaguna stop | Longer, with stops |
| Private water taxi from VCE | Set by the operator | Couples with light bags on the Grand Canal | A separate booking and price |
| Vaporetto and walking in the city | ACTV fares; traghetto gondola crossings €2 for visitors | Moving around the historic centre | Crowds; bridges with luggage |
| Elly8.net chauffeur to Piazzale Roma | VCE from US$120; TSF from US$175 | Families, groups, costumes, mainland and Lido hotels | You still change to water for the centre |
Inside the city, the official Carnival site recommends walking and the ACTV vaporetto, notes that the traghetto gondola crossings of the Grand Canal cost €2.00 for visitors, and that Venezia Unica tourist tickets for one to seven days cover the water buses, with all-inclusive versions that add the Marco Polo transfer. Its how-to-arrive page also explains the raised walkways used on high-water days. Day visitors should also check the city's access-fee platform: according to the official Carnival site, the 2026 fee applied to day visitors on selected days between 3 April and 26 July, so check the platform for the 2027 calendar before a day trip. For the general comparisons, see chauffeur vs taxi and chauffeur vs airport shuttle.
Beyond the Carnival: Prosecco, the Dolomites and other cities
A quiet day away from the crowds works well in the middle of Carnival. The signature Venice day trip, eight hours in the Prosecco hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, costs from US$665 in a business sedan to US$1,325 in an Executive Sprinter; see wine tours. In winter, a full-day chauffeur to Cortina d'Ampezzo and the Dolomites is a long day, from US$665 in a business sedan.
Elly8.net also covers Florence, Milan, Lake Como, Rome, Munich and St. Moritz, and a city-to-city car service connects them at a fixed quote through the web booker. More on Venice itself is on our Venice chauffeur service page. Flights and hotels can be booked through our travel partner BookingWorldwide.net; Elly8.net books the car.
How booking works
Rides in Venice are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk. Partner vehicles are four model years old or newer, and seven or newer for Rolls-Royce, Maybach and Bentley. Elly8.net is a member of LWD, LAI, HWD and VWD: LimousineWorldwide.Directory, LimousineAssociation.International, HotelsWorldwide.Directory and VacationsWorldwide.Directory.
- Enter the pickup and drop-off, with your flight number for airport legs, and your water-taxi time if you have one.
- Choose the vehicle: business sedan, business SUV or van, First Class sedan or SUV, or Executive Sprinter.
- Press Reserve now on the Venice price list, or use the web booker for a mainland, Lido or any other address not on the list. Confirmation arrives by email.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Venice Carnival 2027?
The official Carnival site lists the Carnevale di Venezia 2027 from Saturday 23 January to Tuesday 9 February 2027. The detailed programme of events is published on the official site closer to the dates; weekends and the final days are usually the busiest.
Can a car take me to my hotel in Venice?
Not in the historic centre, which has no roads. Cars stop at Piazzale Roma or Tronchetto, and you continue by water taxi, vaporetto or on foot. Hotels on the mainland and on the Lido can be reached by car, the Lido via the car ferry from Tronchetto.
How much is a transfer from Marco Polo during Carnival?
The price does not change for Carnival. Marco Polo to Piazzale Roma costs US$120 in a business sedan, US$160 in a business SUV or van and US$315 in an Executive Sprinter, all-in per vehicle, charged in US dollars, with meet and greet in arrivals.
Do you book the water taxi?
No. The water taxi is a separate service booked with a licensed operator or through your hotel and paid to the operator. Send the desk the water-taxi time, and the chauffeur times your arrival at Piazzale Roma to it.
Is the bus a good option from the airport?
For a solo traveller with light bags, yes: ATVO says its express bus reaches Piazzale Roma in about 20 minutes. A pre-booked car makes more sense with costumes, heavy luggage, children, a group, or a mainland or Lido hotel.
Can you move a group for a Carnival ball?
Yes. An Executive Sprinter carries up to 12 passengers with luggage from the airport to Piazzale Roma, and the desk keeps every vehicle under one reference. Book the water taxis for the same time and send the desk the details.
What is the cancellation policy?
Cancel more than 72 hours before pickup and it is free. At 72 hours or less the fee is 10%, at 48 hours or less 50%, and at 24 hours or less, or a no-show, 100%. Refunds go to the original card.
