Venice by Wheelchair

As all eyes are on Italy as the arena for the next economic crisis I am reminded of my holiday last year. With the hubby in a wheelchair Venice may seem like an odd choice with all those bridges and narrow alleys, but with careful planning much of the city is accessible via boat. It is after all a city built on a lagoon.

Riding the vaporetto, or water bus, is the most fun way to get round the city. As it turns out a substantial discount is offered for wheelchair users and their carers ride for free. Just grab a load of tickets from one of the big main booths like Pizzale Roma and validate as you go.

In terms of getting on and off the vaporetto - backwards is best and many times the guard stepped in to manoeuvre the chair for me. Although it was often crowded my husband often got the best view from the dedicated space for wheelies and, unlike me, always got a seat!

Bearing this in mind disabled travellers to Venice must give a lot of thought to their hotel choice. Location is really everything. Obviously near a vaporetto stop is ideal. Venice is divided into six sestieri: San Polo; Dorsoduro; Santa Croce; San Marco; Castello; and Cannaregio. All have their advantages, and appeal to different budgets. In addition there is the Lido, which is a good choice for a more laid back vibe and the ride across to San Marco's is amazing.

We stayed in the Santa Croce area. One of the advantages to this area is that it is near P.Roma, the main vaporetto stop to everywhere. It also means you are usually getting on/off either first or last which reduces the hassle. Similarly, across the Grand Canal, the area of Cannaregio gives easy access to Ferrovia, another major stop that's located outside the train station. These don't appear to be the main tourist spots, however, we found both areas to be full of bars and good eateries, without the steep price tag.

Another area to consider is Dorsoduro. Looking out over the Canale della Giudecca, this part of the city has ramps over the bridges allowing a nice stroll that will take you all the way from San Basillio down to Punta della Dogana for the finest view of the city. My only disappointment is that I didn't get to eat Pizza at this lovely looking restaurant near Zattere. It is a good choice for art lovers as there are some impressive art galleries in this part of town.

As part of our stay we went on a walking tour with JM Walking Tours who specialise in assisting disabled travellers see the best of Venice. See Trip Advisor. The guys were genuine locals with a passion for their city. The guide was free but naturally you want to give a donation. It also gave me a break from pushing the chair. Again, I wish we had stopped for coffee as they suggested and we could have heard further anecdotes about what it was like to grow up in a city like Venice and about the Venexit that is currently taking place because young people have been priced out of the property market.

We visited many of the must see sites. Some were better for wheelies than others.

*Basilica di San Marco - access over planks put down for flooding potential made this a difficult building to enter. Once inside it felt like you were being herded round and my husband felt crowded out and unable to enjoy the church.

*Doges Palace - highly recommended. It was free for us and an entrance ramp, friendly staff and private elevators ensured my husband could access most parts. Although I did go off to explore the Bridge of Sighs part by myself.

*Peggy Guggenheim Collection - accessible if clunky lifts. Not as great as the website leaves you to believe. Still it was a wonderful collection of work by artists like Picasso, Jackson Pollock and one of my favourite artists Max Ernst with whom Peggy had an affair. Recommended.

*Murano - a benefit of the cheap travel means opportunities for going further afield. Murano was a peaceful mini-me of Venice. In addition as the centre of the glass blowing industry you can go watch glass blowing in one of the workshops. Only watch your wallet, I now have a very lovely Murano glass necklace.

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*The Lido - as above. From the vaporetto stop a sweeping, flat boulevard takes you down to the beach. Plenty of bars and restaurants along the way - we had lunch at a very nice curry house, Buddha Soul (typical Brits!)

The city itself is one enormous tourist attraction. If you only had a day then you couldn't go wrong just taking a vaporetto up and down the canals. From Piazza le Roma to San Marco along the Grand Canal must be one of the best public transportation lines in the world.

Thanks for reading please upvote and resteem. Peace x