Two to six strikes a year are normal in Venice — national or local. Vaporetti keep a minimum service, buses and trams have guaranteed hours, night service runs normally. Refunds are not automatic but a goodwill request usually works.
Booked via GetYourGuide
Italian law guarantees a minimum public-transport service during strikes (legge 146/1990). For ACTV the specifics are:
Lines 1, 2, 5.1/5.2 and 12 run with a reduced frequency. Smaller lagoon lines may not run. The exact schedule for each strike is published on actv.avmspa.it the day before.
Guaranteed slots: 06:00 to 08:59 and 16:30 to 19:29. Outside those windows during a strike day, bus and tram service may be suspended.
Night vaporetto Line N, plus night buses N1/N2 and night NLN/NMU, are exempt from strike action and run their normal timetable.
Strikes are rare. Big city events are not, they happen on the same dates every year, and a few of them shut the Grand Canal for hours. Your ticket stays valid throughout — you just need a different route that afternoon.
The single biggest closure of the year. The Grand Canal has no service from about 15:00 to 19:30, and St Mark’s Basin from Vallaresso to Giardini closes from about 14:30 to 19:00 — so Lines 1 and 2 simply stop crossing the city. Lines 9, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18 and 22 keep running, and the Accademia "A" pontoon moves to Accademia "B" from about 13:50. Plan island trips or a walk for that afternoon.
The film festival adds service rather than cutting it. Line 20 runs through to Lido Casinò every 20 minutes all day, and a dedicated MC line doubles that to a boat every 10 minutes between 08:00 and 18:00, then runs from Piazzale Roma via Zattere until past 01:00. All of it is covered by your normal ticket. On the Lido itself, bus line CO is suspended and CA is diverted.
Festa del Redentore, on the third weekend of July, closes St Mark’s Basin and the Giudecca Canal for the Saturday-night fireworks, with special timetables and extra sailings running until dawn. Carnival, in February or March, is the opposite problem: nothing closes, but the pontoons around San Marco get one-way crowd control on peak days and boarding takes far longer than the timetable suggests.
ACTV does not automatically refund a Vaporetto ticket on a strike day. Their position: "minimum service is still service".
However, if you booked through GetYourGuide and the strike makes your trip impossible (eg. you cannot reach the airport in time), submit a goodwill cancellation through their support. In our experience they are flexible on documented disruption — much more flexible than ACTV directly.
Yes — the voucher works on any day, so just redeem on a non-strike day. If the strike day is your only day in Venice, contact GetYourGuide support to request a goodwill cancellation.
It can — the ACTV Aerobus is part of the same strike. ATVO is a separate operator and usually unaffected. Check the strike notice in advance; on a strike day take ATVO or a private taxi to be safe.
By law, at least 10 days notice. National strikes are usually announced 4–6 weeks ahead. Check the CGSSE calendar when you book your trip.
Official ACTV ticket via GetYourGuide. Use on any day. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before use.
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