Traveling with an elderly person with bad knees

One other thing you might keep in mind is that taxis may be very helpful. Don’t try to walk from place to place - save her walking for within the places.

I would do 1 private tour in each city, go the rest on your own. You understand you’d be expected to keep tour pace with the group in small group tours- that would not be workable for you. I did the semi-private early access to Vatican (it was supposed to be private but they had a guide call in sick and combine us) and it was FAST paced and nonstop walking.

I’d rethink catacombs, do museums on your own. Just pick any MUST see items otherwise simply relax, sit, stroll and look and see what you see.

"... top things we are thinking we Must See ... Eiffel Tower (do we need to go up in it?)" There are no rules, there's nothing you Must See or Need to Do. ;-) You're both likely to have a better time, whatever you do or don't do, if your mother's not in pain. For example, the Catacombs involves a lot of walking and stairs. If you want to go, you might look for something else your mother could do, or an enjoyable place she could be, while you're doing that.

It's hard to help without knowing what your total time is for this trip. You could easily spend a week in each of the three cities you mentioned, especially with some day trips from Florence. A big museum one morning, followed by a leisurely afternoon, will be much easier on you both than two big museums in one day. And I agree with the advice to use taxis whenever you can, to minimize walking. (The Paris Metro is great for getting around, but involves a lot of stairs and sometimes long tunnels between different lines. Rome's subway is very limited, and Florence has none.)

I have a minority view here re the Eiffel Tower. The Tour Montparnasse is much easier to go up, just one elevator ride, much less crowded, and has a terrific view that includes the ET. You might consider it as an alternative, even though it's not the very highest point you can theoretically reach from the ground.

We will be in Paris for 5 full days and 2 half days in which we are doing some traveling. We will be in Florence for 4 full days, and we will be in Rome a full week. Thanks!

Do her knees benefit from some type of injection? My hubby got one for his hip and was ok on our trip!

My wife has been mobility challenged the last 3 years. We found a Luggie personal scooter on Facebook Marketplace, and it's been a lifesaver.
We've been to Europe twice in the last year and also to Las Vegas and 3 National Parks. She rides thru airports and down to the door of the airplane. The scooter folds up and it's gate checked--returned at the final airport.
It's faster than I walk and has a 10 mile range.
She also sometimes uses it in the house instead of a large electric wheelchair.
Fortunately I'm capable of picking up the Luggie and moving it into cars and up stairs. It weighs 48 lbs. and can be rolled manually.

Sometimes it is not the walking as much as the standing that can really irritate knees. Talk to your mom and find out how she does standing in one spot as during a museum tour where you walk briefly and then stand a lot and listen. I know it is the standing that gets to me! You may need to pare back on the museums or at least really space them out if standing is an issue.

Take advantage of places to rest and refresh in the museums or galleries. The Uffizi Gallery has a very nice rooftop cafe that is a great spot to break away from the "tour", sit down, and have some refreshment and a break. When she is refreshed, you can continue through the museum.

I totally agree with the idea above to take taxis or Uber and save the walking for key places. She doesn't need to be going up and down a ton of steps each day just to get to places.

I'm going to say that I thought going up the Eiffel Tower was really important, until I did it. I discovered for me that it wasn't that big of a thrill and the crowds and worry about pick-pockets really took away an "thrill" I think viewing it from the Trocadero is probably my suggestion unless it has been a lifelong dream to go up it.

I’d skip the Catacombs. I’ve been going to France (Paris) since 1981, and I have never been because the idea of being underground looking at bones terrifies me so clearly I am biased but the website suggests that a visit is not for the mobility impaired. It’s 131 steps down to go in and 112 to exit. As a person who tore her meniscus and has had knee surgery to repair it, it’s the down steps that kill you. The plus side of that surgery is that I now no longer have to cop to a fear of being underground with skulls to avoid the Catacombs when I am traveling with people who want to go.

Check with the main museums you want to go to about wheelchairs. Museums often have ones you can borrow during your visit but you might have to book time ahead of your visit. Try searching "accessibility" on their websites.

Bonus of being in a wheelchair is that the crowds usually part and you can be wheeled to the front to get a better view of the paintings.

At the Louvre, wheelchairs, folding chairs and canes with rubber tips are lent free of charge. Ask at the Help Desk under the Pyramid. Equipment is available in exchange for a piece of ID. If your mother's cane has a metal tip, you should know that she will not be allowed to bring it inside. The Louvre has some suggested self-directed tours that suggest routes that maximize the use of the elevators and escalators: https://api-www.louvre.fr/sites/default/files/2021-01/louvre-parcours-conseilles-decembre-2019.pdf The documents are in French but I think they are accessible for a person who cannot read French because they use illustrations and there is always Google translate.

Have you considered a concert in St. Chapelle? If you can book around sunset that adds to the magical feel. You can wander around before or after the concert. If you can, go early or late and buy any tickets ahead that you can. Check with guidebooks and or goggle where the entrances are for timed entry because they’re not always obvious. The crowds swell and then dissipate by late afternoon. We visited the Louvre the last time late morning and it was packed but by 3 pm it was cleared out and there were no lines waiting to get in. The Borghese is all timed entry and we thought their audio guide fitted our needs. We were in Florence in May and the lines for the Uffizi and Accademia were long every time we went by for those waiting to buy tickets. If I were to pick one place to get a guided tour in Florence, it would be the Uffizi. We went to the Duomo museum early and it was wonderful. There are lots of benches and I believe they have an elevator. Last year tickets were sold at a different location, so check that out ahead. It’s in the same area, but trying to save you steps.

A cane will make is easier to ask for consideration i.e. admission without waiting in lines etc.

The Louvre has wheel chairs under the pyramid for those who are disabled. There is an office for this. There are elevators for every staircase and since the Louvre is an ancient palace there are lots of staircases. This is one to do in a wheelchair.

The Catacombs are out -- it involves going down very steep circular staircase and then climbing out another one at the other end.

The Eiffel Tower is an easy one since it is all elevators. If standing in line is difficult that may be an issue.

The Uffizi is accessed by lots of shallow stone steps but the galleries are on a level floor. There is an elevator and she should be able to access that on request; definitely use a cane.

The access to the Seine cruise at Pont d'Alma on the right bank is ramped so that would be a good choice.

St. Chapelle involves narrow steps to the main room. Probably not a good choice.

Academia is on level ground as I remember but you want a timed reservation -- lines can be very long here.

Look at the web sites of each place you want to go for instructions for those with mobility issues.

I am so thankful for everyone's excellent tips and information! All of these are helpful! Thank you!

I'll just add a few more points. I was in Paris with a friend who used one of the seated canes which was excellent. Often when museum line monitors would see the cane they would take her (us) out of line and let us in. Make sure she practices with the cane at home as it can be awkward to deploy, sit on and then fold back up.

I 2nd the borrowing a wheelchair at Louvre and at Orangerie if you go there. We did not borrow one at Orsay so not sure where to go for it. BE SURE TO TAKE YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE with you on your trip. I think many leave them at home but you'll need to leave a piece of ID when you borrow the W/C and that felt safer than leaving my passport. The people at the desks where the wheelchairs were borrowed were SO wonderful! Really kind and helpful. I found the Louvre difficult as sometimes the small elevators that go a half a flight were not working. At one point my friend was able to walk up the short flight while I carried the WC up. I could not do that more than once. I will also add that the "pusher" gets pooped while the seated person does not. Be sure to take breaks when you need to even if Mom isn't tired.

Download the G7 app to your phone. This is a taxi company in Paris and we used it several times. It was easier to call from the hotel and take a cab to our first location of the day, had a little difficulty getting one when we were out and about just because we often couldn't figure out the address where we were located. (User error, lolol!). I added my credit card to the app and that made it even easier as it was automatically taken care of.

Before that trip I'd never really had data when I was out and about in Paris but realized I needed it that time and got hooked on it for use with G7 and then Citymapper.

Honestly, I would not spend money on semi-private tours. They may go faster than she wants. If it's a museum, just get an audio guide and go at your own pace.

Have a wonderful time!

I agree with Dick.
Go up the Tour de Montparnasse instead of the Eiffel Tower.
It's elevator all the way to nearly the top, then just a short flight of easy steps, maybe 12? , to the outside viewing deck.
You can see the E. Tower from up there, as well as miles in every direction.
Pick a clear day, or go up just before sunset to see the E. Tower sparkling.
I used to sparkle every half hour, not sure about now?

About a month to six weeks before you leave, perhaps your Mum can step up her walking and knee exercises to strengthen them before your trip.
There are many videos on YouTube for knee exercises.
Believe me, they really help.

Re Eiffel Tower -- it is not about the view -- it's about going up the Eiffel Tower. If she wants to do that, do it. This may be her last chance to do it. There are lots of free viewpoints in Paris. Tops of department stores; the terrace at Institute Monde Arabe which is free.

Whatever she really wants to do, do that if at all possible.

Also sidewalk cafes are your friend; in Italy when I took my 80 year old mother, for the first time I spent the big bucks to sit at cafes for breaks -- so worth it and have never looked back.

Borrowing a wheelchair at the Louvre is very easy. I thought we might get a few questions since the wheelchair was for my teenage daughter. She had blown out her knee a few weeks before our trip and could not walk very far without her knee swelling and causing a lot of pain. But she looked perfectly healthy, other than a soft knee brace, and was walking normally when we walked into the assistance office. But their was no hassle at all.

The random mini staircases you encounter throughout the museum are annoying, as the lifts are slow and sometimes not working. You are going down these long straight hallways and then suddenly there will be 5 random steps you have to navigate around.

Caution: the attendants really do not want you touching the lift doors, even if the buttons are not working. My only negative encounter with anyone in France was a worker who was upset when I started to reach for the lift door to manually close it when it was not responding to the button. I immediately pulled my hand away, but he kept chewing me out for a minute or so. I am glad my French is not good enough to pick up what he was saying. Better for you to go to the other side and call the lift for your mother and avoid their wrath.

The flip side to dealing with the lifts is that the wheelchair gives you access to the area directly in front of the Mona Lisa with no waiting. It is the only way IMO to really get a good look at the painting without getting a job at the Louvre.

I think you could make Sainte Chapelle work. It is a narrow spiral staircase, but there are not that many steps and the chapel is not very big so there is nowhere you really need to walk once you are up there.

The Catacombs, on the other hand, are a really bad idea.

I am not sure how high on your list Sainte Chapelle is, but when we attended a concert, we used a different entrance than the one used for day time entry. If you Google “St. Chapelle concert entrance” there was a TripAdvisor thread that described our experience. The thread describes in enough detail for you to decide if it’s doable. There is also an elevator in the Palais de Justice, but you need to be escorted to use it.

And don't forget to let your airline know that you need assistance. Airports can be big and there's nothing better than being whisked around on a golf cart when others are trudging along on foot. I managed a five week trip with my knee in a hinged brace and a cane with lots of reliance on assistance options.

Oh, Aussie Nomad! Great point!

When traveling with my friend she'd asked for WC assistance in the airports. At CDG it was so wonderful to be whisked to a van and transported to the Immigration area, met with a wheelchair, went thru the line on the far left for Crew and First Class passengers. The border control person barely glanced at our passports. I was able to go with her everywhere they had a special line for assistance.

So yes, make sure you book this with your airline and check again a week or so out from travel that it is listed on her reservation.

No to the Catacombs, for all kinds of reasons.

Also bear in mind you're travelling with a senior with mobility issues, you should probably cut your list in half and even then you will not complete it. Don't rush!

I love Paris and the ET but have never gone up it and don’t feel at all like I’m missing out. I agree with others that the Catacombs would be challenging. For getting around if a taxi isn’t available the buses are excellent in Paris (and okay in Rome) as a back up option.

1. Eiffel Tower (do we need to go up in it?)

No you do not, the view from the Eiffel Tower is missing the Eiffel Tower itself. After going through all my photos of Paris, the most scenic ones had the Eiffel Tower in the background somewhere, either up close or in the distance.

As suggested, skip the Catacombs. IMO, it both overpriced and overrated. Not to mention dealing with all the steps...

The best times we have are in the evenings sitting on the lawn or in the park area behind the tower waiting for her to twinkle. It's a great time to wind down the evening, of course, weather permitting. The views from Trocadero are also nice.

I loved the view from the Arc de Triumph. There is an elevator and then a short staircase.

I also have limited mobility and now travel with a rollator/walker with a seat so I can sit as needed. (I also have a wheelchair but with all your planned spots it would be a too much to transfer. As my husband says, he’s become my sherpa.) But we have traveled in Italy and France and have found great service in both. Notify the airlines before hand and they will set up assist at the airports. A nice thing thing about Paris is that it’s full of curb cuts and all the museums have wheelchairs you can borrow. Most buses and trams have ramps for easier access. The metro is full of stairs! Have a wonderful trip!!

There is absolutely no reason to live with bad knees. Get a knee replacement. It is a common surgery nowadays. Anyone I know who has had knee replacements has never regretted it. It will improve your life. It is covered by Medicare.
I don’t believe you can do so before your trip to Europe, but certainly look into it at some point.
There was a recent thread on here about flying after a hip replacement. That is another why not do it procedure in this day and age.

You might want to look at this page on Rick's website for more advice about traveling with mobility issues:

https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/trip-planning/travelers-with-disabilities

In 2006 he published a book called "Easy Access Europe," but found it didn't sell well and was too expensive to update. So he put the pdf version on the Web for free. Since this information is at least 17 years old, it is mostly out of date. However, there may be general information that would be helpful to you.

https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/easy-access-europe

As for traveling within Paris. I agree with other posters about the G7 taxi app. It is wonderful and it has an English version that is easy to use. Unlike Uber, taxis in Paris are allowed to use the bus lanes, so your trip will be faster. Plan on using taxis for most of your city trips so that you can save your mother's energy for the sights you visit.

This will be a wonderful trip for you and your mom, but please don't overbook each day with must-do sights. Take it easy, the way most Parisians do.

When I had bad knees and went to Italy anyway, I had a fold up cane.
We were offered priority boarding on all flights, whisked to the front of lines, and offered seats by kind shopkeepers everywhere.
It was amazing how kind people were.
And, I agree with someone else who said that it’s the standing, not the walking, that can be much harder.
I hope your Mum is seriously thinking about knee replacements….best thing I ever did!