Venice was my 3rd and final destination on my Italy trip. Literally everything in Venice is beautiful. It was definitely my favorite city on the trip. I really had low expectations for the accessibility, but I was pleasantly surprised! Let’s get into it!
Where to Stay:
Hotel San Zuccaria - This gorgeous hotel is located in the San Marco area and only a 5 minute walk/stroll from St. Mark's Square, which is home to attractions like Doge’s Palace, St. Mark’s Basilica, and The Bridge of Sighs. Hotel San Zuccaria is a part of Hotel Savoia & Jolanda, so you’ll have to check in at their desk. The lobby of Hotel Savoia & Jolanda is accessible to enter but Hotel San Zuccaria has two short steps into the lobby. Our room was the most accessible of all the hotels we stayed at in Italy. Located on the first floor, it had plenty of space in the bedroom and bathroom, roll in shower with a real shower chair, toilet grab bars, and a roll under sink. My only complaint was that the bathroom mirror was too high for me to see.
Hotel Zuccaria offers a buffet breakfast and is served in the dining area in Hotel Savoia & Jolanda. I suggest taking advantage of this since it’s convenient and not too expensive.
Things to Do:
St. Mark’s Basilica - This iconic attraction is located in St. Mark’s Square, the most popular area of Venice, and is free for wheelchair users plus one companion. The inside, the walls are made up of thousands of gold mosaics and is absolutely breathtaking. There's an accessible entrance on the side. Once inside, there’s a tiny stairlift to get to the upper part of the basilica. From there, there’s a few steps to get to the balcony. I didn’t think I’d be able to get to that part, but some men offered to carry me up.
Tip: Carry a sweater with you and wear clothing that covers your legs. Staff won’t let you in if your shoulders or legs are showing.
Doge’s Palace is right next to St. Mark’s Basilica so I recommend visiting them both in the same day. Built in 1340, this palace was where the Doge of Venice, the supreme authority of the Republic of Venice, lived. There’s so many incredible rooms filled floor to ceiling with artwork, you’re going to want to spend a couple hours in here. It’s also free for wheelchair users and one companion. There’s an accessible entrance and elevators inside to access the different levels.
Ride a Gondola -
There’s one thing I was determined to do in Venice, and that was ride a gondola. I was very lucky and had a group of about four gondola drivers offer to carry me into the boat. It may seem cliche, but it was one of my favorite things I did in Venice. We chose Gondola Danieli which is located right outside Hotel Zuccaria. It’s pretty expensive, but totally worth it!
Stroll St. Mark’s Square - St. Marks Square is the main tourist area in Venice. Aside from St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace, there’s lots of shops and restaurants in the square, too. One of the funnest things we did was exploring the alleys and just seeing where they took us.
Where to Eat:
Breakfast/Brunch
Principessa Restaurant - This is the restaurant connected to our hotel. It had a huge buffet breakfast, perfect for filling up before a long day of sightseeing. (Try the orange juice, best I’ve ever had!)
Lunch/Dinner
Luna S.N.C Di Orlando Rizzo & C -
This restaurant is also located a few minutes away from Hotel San Zuccaria. It’s an outdoor restaurant with amazing atmosphere. We were able to snag a table right on the water!
Wildner - This restaurant is great if you don’t want to go far for dinner. It’s right outside the hotel, along with other restaurants to check out.
Cafe Florian -
This is the oldest coffeehouse in all of Italy! They serve coffee, tea, sandwiches, croissants, pastries and much more! The inside of the cafe is small but decorated beautifully. There’s lots of outdoor seating and a live band. It’s quite expensive, but is a must-visit in my opinion!
Ristorante Carpaccio Venezia -
We were drawn to this restaurant because of its location. It’s got a view of the canal so you can watch the gondolas go by while you eat. The spaghetti was delicious!
Treats
Zanin Nadia - We found this gelato shop our last day in Venice. Nothing special, but we just had to get one more gelato before heading home.
Bravin Renato & C. S.A.S. - This gelato shop is located in St. Mark’s Square, so be sure to stop while you’re exploring the area!
Transportation:
Train - We took the train from Milan (Milano Centrale) to Venice (Venezia S. Lucia). The ride was about 2.5 hours long. All of the trains we rode in Italy were wheelchair accessible and had accessible bathrooms on board.
Booking with Sala Blu - Sala Blu offers free assistance services for people traveling with disabilities. Here’s how it works:
Book your train (use Trenitalia app) at least the night before
Email the Sala Blu office that’s at your departure station. Let them know your train number, departure time, and assistance needed (list of Italy’s Sala Blu contacts)
You’ll get an email back explaining where and what time to meet the Sala Blu worker
Water Taxi -
You can buy a water taxi ticket at the kiosk right outside the train station. It was a little bumpy getting on the water taxi because the boat was rocking but one of the crew members helped me on. It took us about 20 minutes to get to our hotel but the views were stunning! It can get a little crowded but there’s designated spots for disabled guests.
Accessibility:
I had low expectations for accessibility in Venice, but I was pleasantly surprised. The bridges connecting the islands have steps but all of the ones in the San Marco area had ramps!
Some of the shops in St Mark's Square had a small step and drop curbs were sometimes hard to find. This wasn't a huge issue for me because I could bump up over the steps. I can’t speak for the rest of Venice but the area we were in was mostly accessible.
If this is the first blog from my Italy series, be sure to check out Rome and Milan next! This trip will go down as one of my favorites. From planning the trip to flying alone internationally for the first time, I feel like I've gained so much independence! Where should I go next?
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