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Having had a rather disappointing experience at the Plaza Premium lounge at Terminal 5 before flying out to Venice, I was not expecting much from the Marco Polo lounge at Venice Airport. This time, instead of a disappointment, I was blown away by this regional Priority Pass lounge.
This is the same lounge that you get access to if you are traveling in Club Europe on British Airways or if you fly out of Venice on Emirates, United, Air Canada, and other long-haul airlines. None of these airlines have their own exclusive lounge. If you fly long-haul business class out of Venice, you will get access to this airport-operated Marco Polo Club, as this is the only lounge.
You can also use your Priority Pass to access this club lounge or pay a €30 EUR fee at the door. For a regional airport-operated lounge, it’s really rather good.
This lounge is reached by going up the main escalators at Venice airport and is huge, split off into 2 rooms (one was completely empty while I was there). There is a great view across the airport through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and there is a large selection of food and drinks.
We really enjoyed this lounge, so far as you can enjoy an airport lounge. For a start, the ambient air was a good temperature (not too hot, not too cold) and the lounge had plenty of seating, so you didn’t have to battle to find yourself a private corner. Even better, unlike the Plaza Premium lounge, this lounge lets you in and doesn’t demand a lengthy online queue. You just arrive at the door, hand over your Priority Pass and Boarding Pass, and in you go!
There were all sorts of seating options facing a window that looked out to the planes, and the cleaning staff were constantly clearing up, so tables were left clean and ready for new travelers as soon as one group had left.
The food here is excellent. It was very Italian, and there was not much I recognized in terms of savory goods, but it was all delicious. On the savory side, there was a sausage pastry somewhat like a sausage roll, olive bread, tomato bread, a cheesy tart, a bolognese pasta dish, an eggplant veggie dish, small sandwiches and rolls with ham in them, and some other bits that I don’t remember. See the pictures in the scroller above for more details.
On the sweet side, there were muffins, vanilla pastries, chocolate cakes, and a bunch of delicious bits from a bakery. Then there were fruit pots and yogurt and bananas. Drinks were coffees and so forth from a machine manned by two ladies, as well as water, coke, and juices from a fridge. There may have been alcohol, too, but as I don’t like to drink much during the day, so booze isn’t something I take a mental note of in a lounge.
Of note, the water and drinks were provided in bottles rather than a fountain, so they are perfect for taking out and on board if you want. I’m never sure if you’re officially allowed to, but I took a bottle of sparkling water with me for the flight.
Finally, Venice airport is pretty small, so you are not far from the gates. From the lounge, you can take the escalator down to passport control for international flights (you don’t even need this if you are flying domestically), and you are moments from your gate. Our British Airways flight flew from Gate 65, which was through passport control.
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