In two weeks I am traveling to Paris with a 21 year old girl with limited vision, ie she walks with a white cane. Her one wish is to see the Eiffel Tower which we plan on doing. We will be in Paris for 5 days and any advise on things to do with the visually impaired would be most appreciated.
Kate
Kate, is her vision good enough to detect light movement in the dark, such as twinkling Christmas lights? The Eiffel's illumination lights sparkle brightly every hour of the evening (until 1:00 AM) for 5 minutes, and great spots to view the "show" are from the Trocadero or the lawn in front of the tower (Champ de Mars).
Does that sound like something she might be able to enjoy?
(Edited to add a youtube video of what I'm talking about):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuPOcIuVCQI
And check out the Tactile Gallery at the Louvre?
http://www.louvre.fr/en/accessibility
http://www.louvre.fr/en/tactile-gallerya-new-tour-sculpting-body
Maybe a concert at Sainte-Chapelle? Does she like music?
https://www.classictic.com/en/concerts_at_la_sainte_chapelle/10055/296480/?fin=c8
Here's a website which might do some good.
It's the parish of Saint-Antoine des Quinze Vingts in the 12th arrondissement:
You'll have to translate it via Google - look for Arts and Culture.
https://www.paris.catholique.fr/-arts-culture-.html
If you are with her all the time, she will be fine. People pay attention to white canes.
There are curb cuts, and also white boxes on traffic signals that you can push - which do work, but are in French.
Some museums allow you to touch statues but with a "guide". You'd do better to go to the official websites of any museums you want to visit.
She won't have any trouble with a white cane, giving her access to the head of the line. If she has minimal sight, get there after dark, about a quarter to 8 PM. The Eiffel Tower will sparkle for only 5 minutes.
Take her to the Eiffel Tower at night and in the daytime. If she can see a little, being up close to the structure is cool. The twinkles that you see from a distance are bright strobes when you're up in the tower at night. That may be OK for her or it may be too bright as they flash.
So how about the other senses? Markets and bakeries will have great smells and tastes. Chocolate shops. Churches and cathedrals like Notre Dame will have atmospheres that you can really feel even without sight. Luxembourg gardens or the Tuileries. Walking along the Seine, hearing the boats and feeling the breeze.
Take one of the Paris Walks and learn the history of a neighborhood.
And I just now read that Louis Braille is buried in the Pantheon. Whether or not she reads Braille, that may be meaningful to her.
Others have given you good positive suggestions. I would like to warn about the low lighting in some museum galleries. I am nowhere near blind, but I am 65 (at which age your eyes need more light) and am not corrected to 20/20. On my recent trips I have found it harder than in the past to appreciate museum galleries with low lighting designed to protect textiles, drawings, etc. I also had some trouble during night hours in a museum originally (I assume) planned for daytime use only; there was no light coming through the skylights, and it was a bit too dark for me in the skylit rooms.
So my tip is to be cautious about specialty museums focusing on textiles and drawings. In museums with a bit of everything, If the view is murky, head to the sculpture, glass or ceramics gallery.
I've never done this, but I read about some places in Paris where she would be able to have her own perfume created from what smells good to her.
One of my favorite sculptures of a smiling angel is in the Louvre touch area.
Thank you all for your time in responding to my request. I have tears of gratitude in my eyes. I did not know the schedule for the Eiffel Tower Light Show. We are staying at an Airbnb on St. Dominique/Rue Cler just 11 minute walk from the Eiffel Tour and will go there on Sunday - our first night. I have also bought tickets to go to the top on Tuesday.
I will check out the Tactile Gallery at the Louver - I have also heard the Cluny has a special area for feeling the Tapestries. The Concert would be a great idea - but I did not see anything available in our time frame. I will check again. I understand the Rodin museum lets the blind touch the statues.
She does read braille and I think going to the Pantheon is a great idea. I also have a visit to Pere Lachaise Cemetery on my list.
Visiting the markets will be delightful and she has requested to go to Galeries Lafayette Haussmann and Le Bon Marche.
I appreciate the warning about some museums being dark.
Again thank you all for your advise - it was far more than I expected. Kate
You should know that Pere Lachaise cemetery is all cobblestones with large gaps between them. Just so you know - there aren't any sidewalks.
You will have to go to the official websites and subscribe if you want to touch the statues or anything else in the museums. They are very popular, and space is limited.
Edit: I'd purchase tickets for about 7:00 PM, because it takes time to get to the summit of the Eiffel Tower by elevator.
Thanks for the information on the cemetery. I have been to Paris many times but never there and I thought this was a chance to see it. I will contact the museums in regards to touching availability. Kate
Montparnasse cemetery is flat, and I don't remember cobblestones or difficult pavement. Of course, different people buried there, if you were going for someone specific.
Have you read the book "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr. It's set partly in Paris, about a blind girl during WWII. If you haven't you both need to before the trip. Really.
Karen - thank you so much. No I have not read 'All the Light We Cannot See' I will check it out. Have you read The Lady and the Unicorn?
Thanks for the recommendation. It's now on my list.
