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Overdoing 1st 3 days... The pits

In Paris another 3 days & on to Switzerland for 2nd leg of 3 weeks Europe. Anyone have suggestions for museums or things to do without a ton of stairs/walking? Or even rent wheel chair & be able to get around at least enough for husband & friend to get me around? Was stupid to do 1/3 of The Louvre couple days ago, then Orsay & Rodin yesterday. I have multiple chronic pain problems & barely able to walk today. The pits!!!

Posted by
2742 posts

What about a Seine cruise? that's just sitting. Or maybe even the hop on hop off bus but just don't 'hop off"?

Sorry!

Posted by
8293 posts

How about riding buses 42 and 69 on their entire routes? Both of these buses pass many of the sites we all want to see so it is a nice tour of the city. To get seats, board the 69 at Champ de Mars, and the 42 at Gare du Nord, behind the station. Obviously, taking a taxi to either location would be best.

For a wheel chair, I would ask a pharmacist, or maybe your hotel front desk?

If you could manage small museums, the Jacquemart-Andre, the Nissim Camondo, and the Musee de Montmartre might work for you. The Arc de Triomphe has an almost hidden elevator which you can ask to use, if you want to go to the top. Of course, there are the Seine boat rides but you have probably already done that. Also in the vicinity of Sacre Coeur there is one of those little "trains" you can take for a short tour of the area, though it may not be running in winter.

Posted by
2349 posts

Spend a few hours sitting in a cafe. Don't think of it as wasted time. I mean, haven't you always wanted to sit in a cafe in Paris? Really feel it and be in the moment. If you get tired of the one you're in, mosey on down to the next one. Read or write or just watch.

There's so much to do in Paris, but sometimes the best part is doing nothing. It wasn't your choice but you can make the best of it.

Posted by
15677 posts

Here's a list of resources for wheelchair rental in Paris:

http://en.parisinfo.com/practical-paris/visiting-paris-with-a-disability/info/guides/practical-information-for-disabled-visitors/equipment-hire-for-disabled-visitors/rental-of-medical-equipment-including-wheelchairs

And if you'd like to see more of the Louvre, they have loaners:
http://www.louvre.fr/en/accessibility

"Manually operated wheelchairs and folding seats are available for loan free of charge at the information desk in exchange for an ID card or passport. No reservations required."

And this printed guide from Rick himself (not exactly current; Les Cars Rouges is now Big Bus Paris) with some idea for attractions with good accessibility, and accommodating tours:

http://podcasts.ricksteves.com/pdfs/easy-access-europe/07_ESEZA06_Paris.pdf

Posted by
3200 posts

I agree with Karen. I love watching people while on vacation. I would start with a patisserie (or 2) though and then move on to a cafe. Sit in the park. Stay in your neighborhood. Sometimes by not 'seeing it all' you see more. Let your husband and friend head off on their own, more people will talk to you without them and they won't be annoyed with you for cramping their style. At the end of the day you will all have much to talk about.

Posted by
7977 posts

One strategy is for you to sit at a nice sidewalk cafe while the others climb nearby towers and run about nearby museums. My husband does this all the time since he has a thing about heights and I climb every tower in every town. The key is to frame this as 'doing something'. We one spring spent 10 days in Paris where we literally went to a different park each day and sat and read; this is not much of an option in December but the idea here is that just sitting and enjoying the ambience is also 'doing something' and because there are cafes all over Paris you can do this sort of thing without the others in the group having to make that same choice. You could even get a wheel chair rental and go to places via bus (the buses are ramped and have wheelchair spaces) and then hang at a cafe if the particular thing they want to do isn't wheel chair friendly.

Here is a walk you could do with wheel chair (best at night) go to Concord and then walk up the Champs Elysees to the Grand Palais, turn left and cross the Pont Alexandre which is the very scenic ornate bridge in Midnight in Paris, if you time this for the top of the hour the Eiffel Tower will be sparkling-- great view from this bridge and great photo op for the Christmas card, and then return to the Champs and walk towards the Arc du Triomph. Nice stroll in the evening; the sidewalks are wide and will be reasonably easy to do in a chair.

There are some ways of seeing things that let you sit: Foxcity bus tours of the city, the canal boat trip, HOHO buses, Seine cruise (the Pont d'Alma dock is ramped and easy to access, some of the others involve steep stairs). Of course this may not be the weather for sitting in an open boat (the Seine Cruises will have glass covers though, but the canal boats I don't think do) or on top of a bus, but if the day is pleasant they are good options. Many cafes have heaters on the terrace so sitting outside at a lively scenic spot is definitely an option.

Posted by
1625 posts

This happened to us on day 16 of our 18 day tour, we overdid it and my husbands back and hips were hurting him and he said he just could not walk 10 miles that day or climb a bunch of stairs, so out went the itinerary and we just took the subway to a shopping district, he sat in a café drinking beer and I shopped, checked in on him, we found a cool tobacco shop for him and some other shops, had lunch...just two slower paced days. I really like the suggestion of the Hop On-Hop Off bus, brilliant! And the cruise. Maybe go to the movies? We really wanted to catch a show but with our early morning itinerary they started to late for us and we had 2 different theaters close by.

Posted by
17 posts

Thank you all SO SO much! We did Seine cruise yesterday. Doing Versailles tomorrow. My husband checked on wheelchair for that & seems to have rentals. Then, another day at Louvre & Arc. We'll have to figure out Amsterdam when we get there I think. Hoping 2 days riding around site seeing in Switzerland in between places will help me heal enough to really enjoy rest of trip. Depending on the last leg back being in less pain

Posted by
2111 posts

Check out some of the canal cruises in Amsterdam, especially if you can go on one of the smaller barges Lovely scenery along the way.

Posted by
1878 posts

What Karen said – I agree. The more experienced I get as a traveler, the more I want to just slow down and be in the place where I am. Most people don't do this in Paris, because there are so many great sights to see.

Posted by
7122 posts

I've never used one, but possibly try the "Hop On/Hop Off" bus when you reach Amsterdam and just plan to ride it to each location without stopping.

Posted by
784 posts

One way to avoid stairs and lots of walking is to use the public buses to get around rather than the Metro - same tickets - and you're above ground, so see a lot more. If a cane would help, it might be easier to find one than a wheelchair, and it would still give you access to elevators that are pretty much reserved only for the disabled. Paris is a long way from being easy for people with mobility issues, but I have always found people to be helpful and accommodating. And, do spend some time cafe sitting. IMO it is the best way to savor Paris.

Posted by
277 posts

Rick's 2016 Paris guide book has several tours that don't require much walking - old 2CV (Citron?) cars, pedicabs, Nighttime buses, Floodlit Paris Taxi Tour, as well as jazz and blues clubs.

Posted by
17 posts

Thanks everyone. Great help! Did have my cane with me today & rode buses everywhere to take it easy. Problem became buses changing or not running regular stops with all the world leaders in town. Was a good day. Heading out to Switzerland early in morning. Lausanne is calling us! Hoping for some signs of snow! I will then check another bucket list item! Anyone want to make any suggestions for short 2 night stay?

Posted by
1626 posts

A couple of suggestions that have worked for me when I reach the point where my feet just can't take it anymore. May not work for you and your husband, but ideas for others reading this post.

When we were in DC last month, we used the Citi bike share for 24 hours ($8.00). After renting the first afternoon, we biked up Embassy row, swapped bikes and road back. The next day we road from the Capital to the Lincoln Memorial and back.. You have to turn in your bikes within 30 minutes to not incur a charge, but DC had the bike racks all over the place, so it wasn't as if we were on the bikes all day. It was a great way to experience the DC and save my tired dogs after a week of walking a lot. We plan to do the same thing in Paris next spring when we are there.

A couple years ago in Italy after 10 days of walking, I had a couple of bad blisters on my little toes. The timing couldn't have been better, but I'd reserved a Segway Tour for Florence. While you still have to stand, we spent 3 hours seeing all the sights of Florence from a Segway with a guide speaking through headphones in the helmet. Plus it was great fun and would highly recommend for a whirl wind city tour. In addition, since you are about a foot "taller", you get a great view of sites above the crowds.

Posted by
17 posts

Thanks! I've wanted to do bikes in Paris but it's just too cold in this weather. Also wind burn easily when in cold & even a little wind. Pretty much gonna have to make use of my cane & make use of the weight baring it can take while standing. Would love to do the Segway but that's standing I can't do much of. Pretty much have come to terms & accepting the fact that my body won't do Paris the way I'd love most.