Travel Tips in Venice for those with Impaired Mobility
Venice is considered to be one of the most romantic cities in the world and with good reason! It is a truly amazing destination with an incredible history and people rarely forget their first glimpse of Venice, for it appears out of the sea much like an apparition and it is definitely a stop to make at least once in your lifetime! However, this gorgeous ‘floating city’ can be difficult for those to visit who have impaired mobility issues and we wanted to take the time to better help you and those you love move around this beautiful and unique city in the most convenient and comfortable way possible.
- If you are arriving at the airport, you are arriving “on land” there will be trains, taxis and buses available to take you as far as Piazzale Roma, which is the major point of departure for “Vaporetti” the local water taxis and private boats, however we do not recommend that you bother with public transit upon arrival in Venice, since you will most likely be tired if you are arriving from over-seas and having to deal with public transit is not something that we recommend – not just for people with mobility issues, but for anyone arriving at Venice airport, because getting from the Venice airport (VCE) to the Venice Islands is always a challenge and to avoid problems and knowing what lines to take around Venice, it is money well-spent to pre-arrange a transfer directly from the airport or train station directly to your hotel on Venice island where there are absolutely no cars, taxis or buses.
When we come to pick you up at the airport, one of our local representatives will be there holding a name with your sign on it and depending on where you are going on the island we will either arrange private boat transportation or a combination of car/van and private boat to get you where you need to be.
2. Venice and the surrounding islands in the lagoon are filled with small canals and footbridges consisting of steps that are difficult to cross with a wheelchair, if not impossible and even for those with canes since some of these bridges can be quite steep and getting wheelchairs up and down or even climbing over these can be really problematic.
For this reason we recommend very specific walking routes which are flat and where you will not have to cross bridges and for this reason, having an assistant who knows the territory where you can avoid bridges can be very helpful and we can help arrange this type of service.
3. Using Gondolas to see Venice from the water.
We have special representatives in Venice to help you get to the Gondola points of departure and in and out of the boats. You can leave the wheelchair with our staff and come to collect it at the end of the tour.
4. We suggest you choose a hotel near the center that has no bridges to cross after you get off the vaporetto, and preferably one near St. Mark’s square, since St. Mark’s squar e is flat.
This may seem like a complicated task, but to help you out, click here to download a map offered by the City of Venice that shows information to help people with impaired mobility. Then, all there is left to do is find your hotel location on Google Maps. We also suggest you make sure the hotel has elevators since not all hotels have them. In addition, you may be able to ask your hotel for a porterage service especially if the hotel is fairly close to the vaporetto stop.
This website provides information on the opening times, costs and accessibility to some museums and hotels.
5. Keep in mind that in the winter months that Venice can flood. It has been flooding since its early creation and in order to avoid this we do not recommend visiting between November 30th and March 15th.
High waters tend to occur in autumn and winter and are most likely to happen in November and December. We found this website to provide excellent information on the water levels of Venice. The website states that in autumn and winter, high waters usually affect only the lowest parts of the town, such as St. Mark’s Square, whereas exceptional high tides statistically occur only once every 3 years.
Are you planning on visiting Venice anytime soon? We have some interesting ideas for you.
For those with impaired mobility cruising the Mediterranean, we have a great Pre/Post Cruise package in Venice that will be perfect for you; we can take care of your transfers and book your hotels. You can see this package here
Here at Italy Group Specialists we can organize an unforgettable trip to the islands of Venice and make the trip as comfortable as possible for people with impaired mobility. For more information on our package to Murano, Burano, and Torcello click here.
If you are looking to experience Northern Italy in general, we can organize it all for you! We feel this is one of our packages that offer the most value for money for travelers looking to experience Verona, Lake Garda, Lake Como and Milan from Venice.
Another of our packages that we recommend is this one which allows you to experience the authentic Venetian lifestyle – especially if you’re a wine enthusiast. Again, we will facilitate all transport for those with impaired mobility.
With all this said, don’t let mobility be a burden during your trip to Venice!! We look forward to seeing you soon 🙂
