Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Marco Polo Airport
(arrivals hall;
9am-8pm)
Piazzale Roma
(ground fl, multistorey car park;
9.30am-2.30pm;
Santa Chiara)
Piazza San Marco
(Piazza San Marco 71f;
9am-7pm;
San Marco)
Stazione di Santa Lucia
( 9am-7pm Nov-Mar, 1.30-7pm Apr-Oct; Ferrovia Santa Lucia) In the summer
months (April to October) an information kiosk sets up in front of the station and is open from 9am to 2.30pm.
Travellers with Disabilities
With all the foot bridges, stairs, and scant guard railings along canals, Venice might not seem like the easiest place to
visit for travellers with disabilities. But the city has been making a more conscientious effort lately to provide access to
key monuments, especially after the considerable embarrassment of paying millions for the Calatrava bridge without
considering its wheelchair accessibility.
In its favour, Venice is a compact city and the public
vaporetti
(water buses) are efficient and relatively easy to access.
Water bus is also the most effective way to access sites while avoiding some of those 435 bridges. Planning ahead is the
key.
The most accessible tourist office is the one located just off Piazza San Marco. A
disabled assistance office
(
7am-9pm) is also located in front of platform 4 at Venice's Santa Lucia station.
Of the other islands, Murano, Burano, the Lido and Torcello are all fairly easy to access, although the Comune has re-
cently removed the stairlifts on Murano and Burano, as they aren't currently able to offer the support needed (previously
the keys had to be obtained from the tourist office in order to operate them).
Maps
A printable 'Accessible Venice' map is available on the
Comune di Venezia
(
www.comune.venezia.it
)
website, buried
under the 'Your Life' header on the right of the navigation bar. The map delimits the area around each water-bus stop
that can be accessed without crossing a bridge. In addition, the website provides information on accessible attractions,
including 12 'barrier-free' itineraries, which can also be downloaded. The maps are also available from the APT tourist
offices.
Public Transport
Vaporetti
have access for wheelchairs, offering an easy way to get around town. Passengers in wheelchairs travel for
just €1.30 on the
vaporetto
; a companion travels free.
Virtually all local buses connecting Venice with mainland destinations are also wheelchair accessible.
Organisations
Accessible Italy
( 378 94 11 11;
www.accessibleitaly.com
)
Specialises in holiday services for the disabled, with
proceeds helping pay for accessibility improvements sorely needed throughout Italy.
Città Per Tutti
( 041 274 81 44, 041 965 54 40;
www.comune.venezia.it/informahandicap
; Ca' Farsetti 4136, San
Marco) This city program is devoted to improving disabled access in Venice and can provide the latest information
about access issues around the city.
