Traveling with a disability

sharonlclay,

i can only speak for where i have been and to note I'm don't use a walker (yet?).

but as far as Mont St Michel, you will do a lot of walking up a lot of paths/stairs. I didn't see any assistance for anyone. I guess if they had any electric carts they could get you up to a point.

Trains. the trains i used had a lot of room once you were on board. Some of the entrance ways were almost 2 people wide. Some where at the platforms height and some had 2/3 steps up.

Subway. Theres a lot of stairs/ramps to get to/from each car. can have a lot of walking for transfers too.

Museums had some lifts, but i wasn't looking for them either.

Happy trails and good luck.

Sharon, there was this post a while back regarding Paris, may be of interest to you.
Have a great trip!
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/walking-impaired-in-paris

I am not sure exactly where you will be going in France, but if you will be going to Paris, there is a UK based website called accessinparis.org that has a lot of helpful information. It is aimed at people who use wheelchairs but you will find a lot of information about elevator availability at various sites, locations of bathrooms (or loos as they call them) that are accessible and do not require stairs, etc.. For each specific museum or palace, one has to check with the particular place to see what kind of official services are provided. For the Louvre, e-mail [email protected]. There are elevators available for those with mobility issues. For pretty much every staircase at the Louvre, there is an elevator and if you don’t see the sign for the elevator ask a guard. For travel within Paris, as others have said, I would rely on the bus system – this avoids the stairs and long walks for connections that can sometimes be part of traveling by metro. All mass transit in Paris, except the metro, has to be “accessible” by law so buses are a better bet. For Versailles, e-mail [email protected] for information on access and walker use while there. I don’t recall seeing any way to access the house at Monet Gardens with using stairs but I was not really looking. Within the gardens there should not be an issue; there are pathways and walking, of course, but it is not steep or hilly or with major elevation changes. The French train long-distance system offers excellent service for those with mobility issues (http://www.sncf.com/en/services/accessibility). Do you read French? The site is in English but the downloads that give you more specific information are only in French. Have a great trip.

The metro in Paris is not suitable for people with disabilities. There are a few lines that are accessible (the 14 and 1 for example) but most involve considerable walking and stairs. Buses on the other hand have space for wheelchairs, kneel at the curb, and are excellent for those with mobility issues.

The Louvre has elevators for every stairway -- the place is filled with stairways -- sometimes in a gallery you will go up and down stairs to get to the other side of the gallery, but there are ALWAYS elevators. If you don't see them ask. d'Orsay is also accessible although because of its layout it can be a challenge, but there are ramps or elevators or escalators.

To get from the main garden to the water garden at Giverney you have to go down stairs under the road and then up another set of stairs. I do not know if there is any system for getting people with mobility issues around that.

For Versailles, you can rent a golf cart to tour the grounds which would be a great idea. You can do the same at Vaux le Vicomte which is wonderful and not crowded as Versailles is.

I would think Versailles with its total crush in the Chateau itself would be pretty harrowing for someone with mobility issues.

Mont St. Michele is simply an inappropriate venue for someone with mobility issues. The entire experience involves steep inclines followed by numerous stairs. There is no way round that. Their accessible shuttle bus when we were there still required a long walk from the parking lot; it does take you across the causeway to the base of the mount. The problem though is that once deposited at the foot of the mount, there is no assistance walking up to the top.

There are publications specifically focused on these issues and you will probably get some good tips from them and how people have dealt with or found special resources at these old pre-industrial sites.

You'll probably take the Thalys train from Paris to Amsterdam and boarding assistance is available with 48 hours notice; see https://www.thalys.com/be/en/services/before/your-train-journey#disabled-passengers in addition to the links in earlier messages. This newer train is easier to board than older styles, but you would still expect one or two steps up into the compartment. Within the big cities, when you don't have your rental car, a taxi can be an affordable option, say 20 euros for a 20-minute ride in Paris.