Mobility limitations are a real issue in Venice that receive insufficient coverage in many guides.

That’s why we found the “Third Age Voyager”  blog of our guests and friends Iain and Julie non only inspiring and packed with information but also extremely useful.

Here some quick tips from their last holiday in Venice:

Rialto Market
The market is served by Rialto Mercato vaporetto stop (on the 1 line). The market is in a compact area, the ground around the market is flat with no need to cross bridges to visit all the places I have mentioned, except Millevini. For rest breaks there are cafés galore, but they get very busy after mid-morning.

Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana
Both buildings are recently refurbished so have good access.  Like any gallery you have walk around to see the exhibits properly, but there were wheelchairs available at Palazzo Grassi (I did not check Punta della Dogana).  The only seats inside the exhibitions were few and far between.  Both are very close to vaporetto stops; Palazzo Grassi to San Samuele (Line 2) and Punta della Dogana to Salute (Line 1).

Food and Drink

  • Ai Gondolieri
    A walk of 300 metres (from Accademia vaporetto stop) or 350 metres (from Salute vaporetto stop) with either one requiring the negotiation of two small bridges.  Inside it has slightly differing levels (a few steps).
  • Ai Artisti
    250 metres and two bridges from Ca’ Rezzonico vaporetto stop.  A step up to get inside.
  • Club del Doge, The Gritti Palace
    Unless you happen to be staying, the nearest vaporetto stop is Giglio (Line 1) with a 200 metre walk up the narrow (not wide enough for a golf umbrella when it rains) calle and back down to the canal side entrance (no bridges to negotiate).  It is a 600 metre walk from St Mark’s Square.  If you go for the grand entrance, a water taxi will drop you straight onto the waterside terrace.
  • Caffè Florian
    1 line vaporetto stops at San Marco Vallaresso (250 metres and no bridges) and San Marco Zaccaria (400 metres and one bridge but you get to walk past the Bridge of Sighs, the Doge’s Place and St Mark’s Basilica).  All smooth paved arcades around St Mark’s Square.
  • Cantine del Vino già Schiavi
    Standing room only once you are here.  Getting here is from the vaporetto stops Accademia (Line 1) or Zattere (Lines 2 and 5) both only 250 metres away and with no bridges to negotiate.

Iain and Julie have stayed in our Ca’ Dell’Ulivo apartment.
The great art gallery of Accademia and its vaporetto stop (served by both the 1 and the 2 lines) is only 300 metres north, a walk over flat ground with no intervening bridges.

You can find the whole Venice-Rome-Turin trip report and many others of their wonderful travels around the world on https://thirdagevoyager.com