Hi everybody,

I've been a longtime lurker here on FT and on the Italy forum. It's helped me a lot on previous trips to Rome and Florence, especially the tips about restaurants in Rome. The Venice restaurant thread has given me a lot of ideas for my upcoming trip (fritelle at Pasticceria Tonolo )

I'm going to Venice this week with a friend. We're flying on different days, so I need to make my own arrangements for travel to and from VCE airport. We'll both be staying at Pensione La Calcina right next to the Zattere vaporetto stop in Dorsoduro, which my travel companion chose before I decided to join. The hotel seems nice, and the location is great for sightseeing and views of the Giudecca canal, and it's far enough from the hordes on Piazza San Marco, but it's on the far side of the city from the airport. The Alilaguna Blue line goes from the hotel to the airport, but it takes 1.5 hours. My return flight on Sunday leaves at 10 AM, and I would have to take the 6:40 boat to get to VCE at 8:09. As I'm not a morning person (bad enough that my outbound flight on Tuesday leaves at 5:50 AM ), I'm pretty sure that I'll bite the bullet and take a water taxi. The website of the Consorzio Motoscafi gave a quote of 107 euros. Presumably this cheaper than booking through the hotel? If I want to be at the airport at 8 AM, is half an hour enough from Zattere?

Going in the opposite direction, I arrive at VCE on Tuesday around 9 AM. While the Blue line is definitely an option I'm considering, I've read about the option of taking a shared water taxi service (e.g. the "shuttle" option on venicelink.com). This sounds like a good compromise between the water bus and a private water taxi. Does anyone have any experience using such services? The few reviews I could find online were generally positive, but some mentioned longish wait times for departure and last-minute substitutions for a van to Piazzale Roma + water taxi from there, especially on bad weather days, which would kinda defeat the purpose, since I could take a bus + vaporetto for a lot less, although I'd rather avoid the Piazzale Roma transfer with luggage.

This is my first time using VCE (last time I flew to and from Milan and took the train). I saw that there is an option to buy a fast track pass with entry to the Marco Polo lounge for 40 euros. How bad are security and exit immigration lines in the morning this time of year? Is the lounge in the Schengen area or is it ex-Schengen?

Lastly, I'd like to go on a day trip to Padova to see the Scrovegni Chapel, take the afternoon university tour, visit the church of St. Anthony and the Palazzo della Ragione. Thanks to the recent thread here about the Gambero Rosso awards for best pastry shops in Italy, I want to visit Pasticceria Biasetto, winner of Tre Torte. But before stuffing myself with pastries, does anyone have any recommendations for lunch in Padova? It doesn't necessarily have to be fancy, or even a big meal, just typical local food. Any local specialties to look for? Is Caffe Pedrocchi a good place to eat, or is it a tourist trap?

Thanks for your help!