Rome Accessible Tours

Wheelchair-accessible touring in Rome

Rome Accessible Tours runs private wheelchair-accessible guided tours in Rome, Italy, with adapted vans, airport transfers, shore excursions from the cruise port at Civitavecchia, accessible hotel bookings, equipment rental and personal carers. The footer says it "is part of Accessible Italian Holiday Group," with a copyright running from 2006, and several reviews on the site thank "Accessible Italian Holiday" and a driver-guide called Vincenzo, or Enzo. The homepage cites "our thirteen years of experience in the accessible tourism industry in Italy specifically for the disabled."

It is an operator: the company arranges its own vehicles, drivers and guides, and its services page says the tours are "dedicated exclusively to people with physical disabilities and wheelchair users while touring in Rome." The sites on its menu are in Rome and its surroundings, including Hadrian Villa and Villa D'Este. Prices on the homepage appear in pounds sterling.

The homepage is candid about the city: "in the old town the pavement is mostly cobbled stoned, the structures are old, and the means of transport sometimes difficult." Its promise is that with "the right landmarks and the correct information you can live the city in complete autonomy."

The tours and their prices

The homepage lists guided tours by length, each with a "from" price. Headlining is the Rome Wheelchair Accessible Holiday Package, 8 hrs Daily, at £ 335.00 from.

The 3 hrs tours, at £ 95.00 from, cover the Baths of Caracalla, the Borghese Gallery, the Colosseum, the Domus Aurea, the Palatine Hill, the Roman Forum, St Peter Church, and the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. Hadrian Villa Wheelchair Guided Tours run 5 hrs at £ 85.00 from.

The 6 hrs combinations, at £ 75.00 from, pair the Colosseum with the Palatine Hill or the Roman Forum, or combine the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter Church. The 8 hrs combinations, at £ 65.00 from, link the Colosseum and Roman Forum with the Baths of Caracalla, the Palatine Hill or Trajan Market, pair the Colosseum with the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums, or join Hadrian Villa and Villa D'Este. The site does not explain why the longer combinations show lower "from" prices than the 3-hour tours, or whether prices are per person or per group.

The site also groups tours by theme, with Churches of Rome ("Rome 's great Papal Basilicas and other hidden gems") and Museums of Rome, booked "with a private guide." It says "Main monuments, Rome museums and particular excursions have been made accessible."

Transport, hotels and equipment

Transport is central. The homepage links to videos of its "Full Wheelchair Accessible Van," and offers "Personalized transfer service from any Rome Airports to your destination and vice versa for tourists in wheelchair."

For cruise passengers stopping at "Civitavecchia Dock ( Rome cruise port )," the shore excursion is "a day with a guided driver and a private full accessible van." The page says the driver is "authorized to enter the port" and meets guests "at the exit of your ship," with "an expert and highly qualified tourist guide if is required," and returns them to the port at the end of the day.

Hotels are listed by code rather than name, LR01 to LR09, in areas including Navona Square, Capitoline Hill, the Colosseum, Barberini, Termini Station, Prati and Eur. The services page says they were "previously checked personally by our staff, featuring wheelchair users standard facilities," and the homepage says each comes with photos, videos and a description aimed at guests with special requirements.

Equipment for rent includes "manual and electric wheelchairs, hospital beds, hoists, portable ramp and walking aids," for "daily or weekly holiday periods."

Carers and assistance

The assistants page offers "Holiday With Assistance," describing "Fully trained nursing and care staff, a wealth of experience and personalized care plans tailored for each guest." The services page says professional disability assistance can help with "a tailored daily personal hygiene or health support during your vacation in Rome," and the assistants page adds that "Medical and nursing personnel are also on site to offer guidance where necessary." The care package is designed so guests can "come alone, as a couple or with friends and family." These are the company's own descriptions; the site does not list carers' qualifications.

Reviews and booking

The testimonials, chosen by the company, run from 2013 to 2023 and come from the USA, Denmark, Australia, the UK, Ireland, Egypt, Wales and Belgium. A family from Melbourne writes that Vincenzo began by "collecting us from the Airport in his specially modified Van" and had booked "an extremely disabled friendly Hotel." A traveler from Long Beach calls their guide "an excellent and reliable driver who met us on time." A family from Reading, USA mentions an 18 day trip taking in Rome and Florence with Enzo. Other reviewers from the UK and Ireland thank the company for airport transfers and for tours arranged around a cruise, and one lists the Vatican Museum, St Peter Church, the Colosseum, Ancient Ostia and Hadrian Villa among the sights visited.

Tours are booked through "Book Now !" buttons and a basket on the site, or through the contact page. A "Term of Use" page is linked from the menu.

What the site leaves open, and who it suits

The site does not state deposits, payment methods or a cancellation policy on its tour and service pages, and it does not say whether the "from" prices cover a group or each person. It gives no price for transfers, carers or equipment, does not name its partner hotels, and does not detail the step-free route at each monument.

What it does show is a long-running specialist built around wheelchair users: adapted vans with a driver who can meet a cruise ship, a price list covering Rome's major sites, hotels its staff say they have checked, and equipment and carers on request. That suits wheelchair users and their families who want one Rome company to handle transfers, sightseeing and a suitable room, including cruise passengers with a day in port. Travelers who need full written terms before contacting a company will have to ask for them.