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Accessible Travel in Venice

Hundreds of bridges in Venice can make for a difficult and frustrating vacation. However that doesn't mean that disabled travelers need to avoid the city altogether. Our detailed Venice Disabled Access Review tells you exactly what you can expect in Venice and helps you see past any fears about visiting this magnificent city. In fact, well over half of Venice can be seen easily from a wheelchair without needing to go over any bridges. The truth is that Venice makes a great destination, even for disabled travelers!

Learn about our Venice Accessible Trip Planning Services

Venice has more wheelchair accessible cruise itineraries than any other Mediterranean port.  The Top 11 Accessible Cruises from Venice have accessible shore excursions available in at least 91% of the ports of call.  Princess' 12 night Grand Mediterranean cruise that starts in Venice and finishes in Barcelona is a great option for first-time Mediterranean cruisers.  Greece, Croatia, and Turkey can be visited on Norwegian's 7 night Eastern Mediterranean cruise.  Princess' 18 night accessible Holy Land cruise provides the opportunity to visit Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, and Jerusalem, as well as the pyramids in Egypt.

 

Book your cruise through Sage Traveling and 
receive our Venice Accessibility Guide for FREE!

Do you know how the phrase “First On, Last Off” relates to visiting Venice in a wheelchair? Or whether or not the Venice train station is accessible? Creatively compiled after much research, our Venice accessible travel tips provide you with first-hand accessible travel advice from John Sage. Don’t forget to read our 10 Keys to Success for Venice Accessible Travel which describes what you’ll need to do to make the most of your Venice vacation.
Guided tours are a great way to see a city or tourist destination. While most guided tours in Venice involve going over many wheelchair-unfriendly bridges, our Venice accessible tours use step-free routes to see the best that Venice has to offer. A variety of tour options are available including accessible tours of St. Mark's and even wheelchair accessible water taxi tours to take in the splendor of Venice. Experience the charm of Venice with the expertise of a local tour guide that specializes in disabled tours.

Get €20 off each accessible tour
when you book an accessible Venice package!

With so many cruise itineraries visiting Venice (and many cruises starting or ending here), a Venice excursion is a must-do for disabled cruisers. Although disabled access in Venice is challenging, Sage Traveling provides a variety of accessible shore excursions to choose from. There are 6 Venice Wheelchair Accessible Cruise Excursions including the Venetian Empire Accessible Excursion (our most popular) and the Taste of Venice Accessible Excursion (John Sage's top recommendation). Guided tours are available in the St. Mark’s neighborhood, or you comfortably cruise down the Grand Canal in a wheelchair accessible water taxi. All shore excursions include private accessible water taxi transportation so you won’t need to waste a minute of your precious time in Venice.

Thanks for your help in making our time in Venice so enjoyable. Everyone on the ship was most surprised to hear that someone in a wheelchair had a 'good' time in Venice as they all felt that the stairs/bridges would have made it terribly frustrating for us and we would have come back disappointed but not so, we came back feeling like we'd had the best time possible. - Michael & Diane

Get €50 off each accessible shore excursion
when you book an accessible cruise package!
To get from the accessible Venice airport into the city, the easiest (and most scenic) route is to book a private wheelchair accessible water taxi in advance. Other options include taking the Alilaguna water bus then switching to another Vaporetto boat, or taking a bus/taxi to the island then taking a Vaporetto boat.
The accessible vaparetto boats in Venice are an option for disabled travelers, but can be challenging especially during the crowded tourist season. Disabled tourists using heavy motorized wheelchairs or visitors who are carrying luggage from the airport or cruise dock may also have difficulties. Venice accessible water taxis provide an easy way to travel directly between your accessible hotel and the Marco Polo airport, Santa Lucia train station, or Venice cruise dock. Contact us with your pick-up date, time, and number of passengers to reserve your Venice wheelchair accessible water taxi.
Most disabled travelers have a completely wrong impression of Venice. They think that getting around Venice involves going up and down numerous bridges to get over the canals. This is just not true. Avoiding all bridges is completely possible in Venice using the Venice vaporetti. The vaparetto are accessible to many disabled tourists (using a few of our accessible Venice vaparetto tips) allowing you to easily connect accessible neighborhoods. Nevertheless, the vaparetto can present difficulties for disabled travelers, especially those with luggage or using heavy electric wheelchair or mobility scooters. Pictures and videos on our Venice vaparetto page give you a clear picture of how accessible they are.
With so many cruises stopping in Venice, disabled cruise passengers will need accessible transportation to get to St. Mark’s Square and other fascinating neighborhoods. Overall Disabled access in Venice cruise port is good and presents multiple transportation options including Vaporetto boats, the People Mover, and private accessible cruise excursions.
Truly accessible Venice hotels must have bridge-free routes to the vaporetto docks. If you choose the wrong hotel, you’ll have to spend your whole vacation in the hotel! We make sure that doesn’t happen by offering 12 Venice accessible hotels that John Sage has personally visited and inspected with his wheelchair. You can choose an accessible hotel room overlooking the Grand Canal for the memory of a lifetime. Alternatively, you can choose a comfortable accessible hotel room for families or a convenient accessible hotel in St. Mark’s Square.
Our 90+ page Venice Accessibility Guide is hands-down the most important item you can pack in your luggage.  Nothing else like it exists.  The combination of maps, aerial images, detailed descriptions, and photos taken in Venice let you know exactly what is accessible and what is not.  The Accessibility Guide makes disabled vacations in Venice better than they have ever been before.  Disabled tourists no longer need to stick to St. Mark’s Square….now you can visit accessible neighborhoods throughout Venice to explore picturesque narrow streets, beautiful canals, and romantic restaurants.

Get our Venice Accessibility Guide for FREE
when you book a cruise through Sage Traveling!
More than any other destination in Europe, visiting Venice with a disability requires first-hand knowledge of the city.  Fortunately, Sage Traveling already has a fully accessible vacation in Venice waiting for you. Based on John Sage's first-hand accessibility research, our accessible travel packages provide everything you need for a great vacation in Venice: 1) accessible hotel in an accessible neighborhood, 2) accessible transportation, 3) accessible tours, and 4) expert accessible travel advice. Experience the very best of Venice!
 

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