Cruising to Venice with a scooter

We will be starting a cruise in Venice and be there a few days, Any ideas of hotels to stay at if you can't carry your own luggage and how to tour with a scooter. Is Venice doable?

Suggest you do a search of the disable forum as there has been several posts as well as threads pertaining to your specific questions.

hotel Santa Chiara in P Roma has a small elevator but not sure your scooter would fit in

In fact a scooter is going to be very difficult in Venice as there are unexpected bridges and steps everywhere

accessible venice is a website you may find useful and they do show wheelchair friendly routes.However be aware if you find references to wheelchair lifts across bridges-most if not all were taken down or not working

if you can walk short distances a collapsible travel wheelchair you can get out of and you or a companion can lift up and down the bridges while you walk up and down the few steps may give you more flexibilty

Plugging 'accessible Venice' into the search function here brought this selection of threads:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=56752436

hotel Santa Chiara in P Roma has a small elevator but not sure your scooter would fit in

 

In fact a scooter is going to be very difficult in Venice as there are unexpected bridges and steps everywhere

 

accessible venice is a website you may find useful and they do show wheelchair friendly routes.However be aware if you find references to wheelchair lifts across bridges-most if not all were taken down or not working

 

if you can walk short distances a collapsible travel wheelchair you can get out of and you or a companion can lift up and down the bridges while you walk up and down the few steps may give you more flexibilty

That is the hotel we have booked. I was advised to stay in Metre by someone we cruised with last year, but we're going to bite the bullet. Pricey...and not the most plush hotel...but at least "scooter friendly".

Carol...use the "Search" function and you will come up with info.

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No doubt about it...Venice is difficult for people with mobility issues. That is why we opted out this fall and chose Barcelona. Very scooter friendly.

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We were in Venice this past August. There are challenges but I very much enjoyed our stay. We had stayed in Venice itself previously but this year stayed in Mestre. It was actually easier to be in Mestre in my opinion. You do need to download the map from the accessible Venice site. We made extensive use of the vaparetto or water bus which is very accessible. I agree that most of the chair lifts for the bridges have been removed, probably due to the humidity causing them to stop working. However many of the same bridges have been retrofitted with ramps on one side. I made good use of the ramps. You will hopefully have someone with you to run interference as the ramps are used by people who want to avoid steps as well as families with strollers. They are also sometimes steeper than ideal so having a person to clear the way so you can get a running start on the way up and to help slow you down a bit on the opposite side is helpful. We went to the Doge's Palace, St. Marks, and the Rialto Bridge without undue difficulty. I am glad I did not have to try it as a solo traveler as I think I would have had problems.

Katisdale, I'm booked in Venice but am very nervous about it. At the hotel Santa Chiara...but am thinking it would be much easier to stay in the recommended Mestre.

How did you get from Mestre to Venice? Do you know a hotel that is on a bus stop and fairly close to the City Center?

I have a Travel Scoot but my husband will be 76 by then and I want him to enjoy the trip without having to cater to me all the time.

. Sheila read the reviews of that hotel. They aren't good.

. Sheila read the reviews of that hotel. They aren't good.

Yes, I know, Carol. But that seems to be the only choice for those of us who use a scooter and want to explore Venice.

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We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in Mestre. Our accessible room was very good, especially the bath. A bus stopped directly in front of the hotel. If you can manage a few steps up into the bus this would be ok. You can also take the train to Plaza Roma but I didn't do that. There are also taxis. We used Taxi Transfer di Santin Marcellina (http://www.taxitransfer.it) I can't remember what we paid but there were 5 of us plus the scooter and we fit well into a van. Once at Plaza Roma you can take the vaparetto anywhere you want to go.

We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in Mestre. Our accessible room was very good, especially the bath. A bus stopped directly in front of the hotel. If you can manage a few steps up into the bus this would be ok. You can also take the train to Plaza Roma but I didn't do that. There are also taxis. We used Taxi Transfer di Santin Marcellina (www.taxitransfer.it) I can't remember what we paid but there were 5 of us plus the scooter and we fit well into a van. Once at Plaza Roma you can take the vaparetto anywhere you want to go.

How did you get the scooter onto the bus? And how onto the vaparetto? It sounds like the taxi would be the best way to go.

I saw the bus stop in front of the hotel but we didn't use it. We used a taxi. As far as the vaparetto, it was truly accessible. I stayed on the scooter and rode the scooter onto it.

I saw the bus stop in front of the hotel but we didn't use it. We used a taxi. As far as the vaparetto, it was truly accessible. I stayed on the scooter and rode the scooter onto it.

Thank you. Now, we just have to find a hotel that fits our needs and then we're ready to book.