Before going to Venice, we gathered some useful information for you to have a pleasant stay.

The climate

Venice it's probably one of the most humid areas of Italy throughout the year. Winter temperatures, starting around late November, are anywhere between 32°F and 37°F (0 °C and 2.7°C) while in the summer, starting late June, can get as hot as 91°F (32°C), but due to the high humidity the city has, it feels hotter.
Beign located in the Adriatic Sea, Venice experiences thunderstorms and showers around April-May and late September-October.
We suggest to visit Venice in April, May or September, being the best months concerning the climate, and concerning the low-season it is recommended to come during the winter.

Language

Italian is the spoken language but most of the Venetians speak the local dialect that has a slight phonetic resemblance to Spanish. Unfortunately it's difficult to find people speaking English fluently when you need detailed information.

You'll find many tourist offices available around Venice in several languages.

Hygienic Services

Public Hygienic services are provided by Vesta S.p.A. There are 20 structures located mostly in the historical center and also in the islands and in the mainland. You'll have to pay € 1.00 to use them but they are free for disables. Hygienic services are opened throughout the year from 8am to 8pm (all day during the carnival).

For more information www.comune.venezia.it

Accessible Venice

To visit Venice if you are in a wheelchair is quite difficult, because streets are very narrow and crowed. There are about 400 bridges in Venice, but only some of them are accessible. One example is the Rialto bridge that has stairs both on the left and on the right side with no ramps, and also famous buildings like the Doge's Palace and Correr Museum aren't accessible handicap people.

All five-star hotels provide all necessary services including elevators; some economic hotels do not have all necessary services, so it will be a good idea if you ask for information before you make a reservation. The high-water is another problem for people using a wheelchair. Municipality of Venice provides catwalks in the main roads but they are often too narrow and full of people.
Anyway Venice the city guarantees services to make the stay of people with physical limitations as easy as much as possible. Both the station of Santa Lucia and Mestre are equipped with apposite ramps, accessible toilettes and there you can find the Centre for Assistence to disables Travellers (CAD).
Municipality of Venice makes available some itineraries in some areas of the city: Marciana area, Rialto, Dorsoduro, Frari, Santo Stefano, San Giovanni, San Paolo. Some of them have been suggested by disables living in Venice.

You can ask for more information about accessibility in Venice at the tourist offices you find in the city and on our special section on "Venice Accessibility".

Useful numbers and site to know more about accessibility in Venice:
Municipality of Venice www.comune.venezia.it

CAD
Phone: 041 785570
Time table: 7am - 9pm
Website: www.trenitalia.com/en/servizi_per/disabili/index.html
Call center: 89 20 21

Don't forget that eventhough Venice is sea-city, its local churches and some museums have a dress code. In order to enter a church, you cannot go in wearing shorts, skirts above the knee or sleeveless t-shirts. That's why we suggest that even if is hot, to wear casual summer clothing to prevent any unpleaseant situations.

The "Aqua Alta"
The high-water phenomena generally occurs at the end of the Autumn, depending on several factors:
- full-moon,
- Sirocco;
- law pressure of the Atmosphere;
- cyclical currents of the Adriatic Sea.

Venetian citizens are used to high-water; that's why when water level increases, every store and shops are equipped to confront this natural phenomena. When the water level increases over 120 cm, sirens announce it with an anticipation of 3-4 hours. The catwalks are arranged to ensure the transit is over the 120cm.
And as for the tourists? The best solution would be to come in Venice without finding this inconvenient event! Otherwise, you'll have to adapt to the situation. Buying a pair of fisherman boots would be a good think to do. Another possible solution is to use the catwalks provided by the Municipality of Venice, but they are only in the main streets of Venice.

We suggest to search for weather information before going to Venice.
(link meteo?)
(link Mo.Se)