Walkable Paris with Limited Mobility

I will never understand the Rue Cler fetish -- it is inconveniently located IMHO to everything except the Eiffel Tower. It is also not incredibly convenient for public transport.

I would choose a neighborhood near the river in either the 5th or 6th.

Note that the metro involves stairs sometimes as many as a dozen very steep staircases on one trip if a correspondence is involved. For anyone with mobility issues, the buses are a better choice. A cane will help signal the. need for a seat as buses are filled with people who can't use the metro and while 75 is the age you are eligible to 'claim a seat' -- there may be many other elderly or disabled people sitting in the seats.

Consider also a cab ap and using cabs..

The Luxembourg garden area is slightly hilly, and rue Cler is miles from anywhere else of interest besides Eiffel Tower. I second the recommendation for somewhere close to the river in the 6th - more so than in the 5th, but the 5th is a bit cheaper.
Parts of the Marais close to rue de Rivoli / rue Saint Antoine are also good, in my opinion. Both areas have convenient bus lines to other places, and a typical taxi fare around the central areas of Paris is €10-12, €7 being the minimum fare.

Agree with what Janet & Blaso said. I have traveled to Paris many times with my mother who was mobility-challenged. I found that the best location was being closer to the river in the 6th. (The first time we visited Paris, we stayed in rue Cler area because my mom had read about it in RS and I can attest to all Janet said). My mother also had a bit of a time with the stairs in the metro.

You don't mention where you might want to walk to, or a budget for your lodging.

I've never stayed here, but perhaps you and your mother might enjoy a little more space than a hotel room allots (while still having the services of a hotel). I am using this as an example of what is very central walking to many things. https://www.discoverasr.com/en/citadines/france/citadines-saint-germain-des-pres-paris?utm_source=google&utm_medium=gmb&utm_campaign=CitadinesSaintGermainDesPresParis

You can explore St. Germain easily, Luxembourg Gardens is a little more than half a mile walk, the Louvre is less than a half mile walk, D'Orsay is just under a mile walk, Notre Dame is half a mile walk.. You can also easily map out your day in a half mile walk that provides some rest before walking another half a mile, etc. then get a bus back to your area. There is a bus stop almost in front of the hotel and another just down the street (with different lines).

If you share your budget, you will get better recommendations for hotels.

We enjoyed staying in the walkable Le Marais. It is minutes to the river, restaurants, and a block to a bus stop. We love the vibe of this area! Our hotel: https://www.carondebeaumarchais.com/en/
This charming unique hotel has character & was cozy, comfortable, clean, & staffed 24/7. It has a lift as well. We chose an upper floor balcony room. The breakfast was additional but plentiful to share. We would definitely return for another stay!

That is indeed a charming hotel in the Marais, which is a nice area. (Hôtel Caron de Beaumarchais)

If you want to keep your museums smaller (rather than seeing the Louvre or D’Orsay), from that location in the Marais, there is the lovely Musée Carnavalet, the Picasso Museum and the Musée Cognacq-Jay. Also, Place des Vosges and Ile St. Louis — all about a half mile or less from that hotel.

It depends really on where it is you want to walk to or what you want to visit. I would figure that out, map walking distances from places you are considering and that will give you a better idea of what might be the best location for YOU in particular :-). You’ll get varying opinions of the best area to stay — everybody has their favorites.

I’ve stayed, as mentioned, in the rue Clear area and wouldn’t do that again. I’ve stayed in the 2nd, near Châtelet* in the very charming Hotel Britannique (https://www.hotel-britannique.fr/en/) — it is central but I wasn’t in love with the area, I’ve stayed on the southwest side of Luxembourg Gardens and while it was nice to walk through the gardens each day on our way somewhere, I found it to be just a bit too much of a hike day-to-day. I've also stayed on Ile St. Louis and while it was charming & quite it was slightly less convenient to transportation. And, I’ve stayed in the St. Germain area between Blvd St. Germain & the river several times and find that to be — for me on the trips with my mobility-challenged mother in particular — the most central and walkable to most things. On my last trip, we stayed in an apartment on Cité overlooking Pont Neuf and that was probably the most central locations of all :-)

*I would note that I personally learned quickly with my mobility-challenged mother to avoid using or connecting through Châtelet metro. It is massive and you can walk a mile between connections.

Well, I'm in the minority but I enjoy the Rue Cler area. It is flat and there are lots of restaurants o Rue Cler and nearby. I love watching the Moms and Dads walk their kiddos to school in the AMs and it feels like a neighborhood to me.

When I was there last fall with a friend she was having back issues and like you we didn't want to "waste" her energy. I downloaded the app for the taxi company G7 and used that for our sightseeing. We'd arrange for a taxi pick up from the hotel to whatever museum we wanted to see, then would try to use the museum wifi to get a taxi home. Sometimes we were able to hail one on the street but that is pretty difficult.

I did go with an International plan from my phone company. I went with one that charged by the day as I knew I would not need it every day. I left my phone in airplane mode until I needed to use it to arrange for a taxi when we were out and about and only wound up having to pay for 5 or 6 days. For us that worked well.

Have a wonderful time with your Mom! I went to Paris a few times with my Mom back in the 1970's and they were lasting memories for both of us!

...Casting my vote also for Rue Cler. Does my opinion matter because I am also in my 70s...but I can walk farther than ½ mile.I think the main consideration is, " Is this the first trip to Paris for your mom? What is high on her "must-see" list? On our first trip to Paris with our friends, we stayed in the Rue Cler district because high on my list was the Eiffel Tower (in fact, we could see it from our apartment). That was before the fencing went up around it...and we walked over to it several times, during the day and at night. I liked the fact that there are so many restaurant choices close by.
I like Rue Cler because I like being near pedestrian-only streets. Another area we have stayed in as recommended by "Kerouac 2" is close to Châtelet and Les Halles. We were in an apartment, with family, right on Rue des Petits Carreaux/Rue Montorgueil...another pedestrian-only street.
The metro is a convenient way to travel, but sometimes it seems one has to walk "more than ½ mile" upon entering the metro, and there can be many steps.
I think Pam (who also likes Rue Cler) has an excellent suggestion, for taking the taxi; thus saving energy and steps for museums, etc.
Best wishes for a wonderful trip for you and your mom.

I followed the RS advice long ago and stayed at the Grand Hotel Leveque which was the worst hotel experience we have ever had in France. I am sure it must have been renovated since then but it was a nightmare. Terrible beds, shower that leaked into the bedroom, incredibly noisy -- I think you could hear ever step by every patron and every flush anywhere in the hotel -- and truly surly awful staff. We were there several days and our babysitter tried to reach us and were told we were not staying there.

The market street is fine but staying on a market street is not my idea of a good time. And it is inconvenient in location.

To each his own -- those who have stayed there and love it, go you. But those who haven't might want to think about it.

Janet, although I've never stayed there the Leveque has undergone an extensive reno over the last 2 years. Some pictures I saw showed they had taken things back to the studs.

https://www.hotel-leveque.com/en/

I indicated I stay in the "area" of Rue Cler and to me that includes hotels such as the Hotel Muguet on Rue Chevert and the Hotel Relais Bosquet on Rue du Champ de Mars. Many enjoy the Hotel Londres Eiffel which is not too far distant from the market street and is where some of the RS Best of Paris tours stay.

In your situation, where you want an easy-to-walk street with all the shops, a place for taxis to pick you up or to catch a bus, yes, rue Cler. I have never stayed there, I hadn't been over to that street in decades since I worked near there, but from what you describe, it sounds like it would work for you. It's a squeaky clean place.

IMHO, Châtelet and Les Halles are a tiny bit gritty for a first-time visitor (and I've lived in gritty, (Metro Chateau d'eau). Le Marais has a few narrow sidewalks on some streets if you are concerned about mom's stability. The Seine isn't as close as all that: from Place des Voges to the Seine it's over a kilometer, or over a half mile, and you have to cross a major boulevard, rue Saint Antoine. So, I'd list them first, rue Cler, second, the 6th (also has some narrow sidewalks), and finally Le Marais.

I never understood why rue Cler was the go-to in the RS books, but last week during the Monday night broadcast, Steve Smith explained that he lived on rue Cler as a student, took RS there, they developed a relationship with the hotel owner, and that's the end of finding other areas in Paris to stay. The truth is that there are several market streets in Paris; it's also true that this is an easy place to navigate if mom has health issues and your plan is to catch taxis.

If you read Rick's chapter on Rue Cler, he goes shop by shop and is just fascinated by all of them. C'est la vie.

I would vote for the St Germain area, we stayed at the Parc Luxembourg and it was excellent and there were plenty of dining options nearby, and a taxi stand at St. Sulpice.

I agree with all those suggesting alternatives to Rue Cler. First adult trip to Paris, we stayed in one of RS’s suggested hotels on Rue Cler and every restaurant, cafe and shop we entered was filled with fellow travelers clutching their blue and gold RS guide. Plus it was inconvenient to pretty much everything we wanted to see. Subsequent trips have seen us stay near the Pantheon, and our most favorite for the past few visits, the Île St. Louis. Agree that the 6th ar. of St Germaine would also be a good location. When my late then-aged Paris-loving mother used to travel there she always took the bus; while we have usually preferred the metro, as we age the buses are looking more and more attractive, as some of the connections one has to walk underground can be incredibly long.
What a great trip to be able to take with your mother regardless of where you land- enjoy!

I agree wholeheartedly with Janet, Janis and Elizabeth. I would not recommend staying in the rue Cler area, too far from the heart of Paris (the area around and near Notre Dame), too boring for me, and filled with Americans clutching RS book as Elizabeth said. I also would never recommend Les Halles, in part due to it’s gritty-ness as Bets said.

As Janis said, I’d stay in the Marais, as close to rue St Antoine as possible. Great transportation and easy to get a taxi. Easy to walk and lots of charm.

I do not agree the Luxembourg Garden area is “hilly.” It is not hilly at all, but the roads from the river up to the LG do have a gradual, slight incline.

I’m mobility challenged, I stay in the Marais, I walk everyday (with rest stops) to the Luxembourg Gardens… my favorite place on the planet.

Speaking from mobility-challenged experience - another vote for St Germaine. On our last trip (2019) I was severely challenged with a foot that needed some corrective surgery. The sight of steep metro stairs made me queasy and cobblestones were a total no-go. We were staying up a hill (ok, that was a mistake) near the Pantheon, but I managed by using the Citymapper app to carefully map out my route options to minimize walking and relied heavily on the convenient, excellent buses. Riding the buses daily to and from the 5th arrondissement, as I looked out the windows at the flat sidewalks in the leafy, St Germaine area, I kept asking myself, why am I not staying here!?!

In two weeks I’ll be in Paris again (yay!) staying in… St-Germaine-des-Prés. Although I’ve had my surgery and recovered, I’m still needing to be cautious (cobblestones!) and will pay special attention to mobility issues while there and I’ll report back in the review section.

That said, I think that many of the other areas mentioned could work with some planning. I’m a bit of an arrondissement-hopper, always looking for my next favorite neighborhood, so we’ve stayed in several of the areas mentioned in this thread including rue Cler, le Marais, and the Palais Royal area (not far from Les Halles).

The Marais would be my next choice especially if the hotel is within a block or two of rue Saint-Antoine or rue de Rivoli - where the 69 bus runs - and away from the heart of the district where sidewalks are slivers and cobblestones reign. The aforementioned Hotel Caron Beaumarchais fits this criteria.

I do appreciate the charms of rue Cler. It is cozy and it does have the Eiffel Tower! However, it’s not high on this list, mostly because transit connections thin out in that area.

Have a wonderful time with your mom!

These comments were incredibly helpful today. Thank you! I had done a tremendous amount of research for a previous iteration of our trip, and now, everything was changing and I had a short timeline during which to make decisions. Thanks to the forum members, I took another look at the Luxembourg Gardens area in the guidebook, which I had thought was much farther south. We have found a recommended hotel in the northern part of the 6th, close to the Seine. It's my first trip to France and she hasn't been since her days flying for TWA!

As a old guy with bad knees, I know subway stairs are a problem. The busses are great and convenient especially #69 and #63, excellently described in RS guides. It would be wise to stay in a place with easy access to these bus routes.

wherever you end up in the city, take the time to just look around your neighborhood. you'll find plenty to delight and enjoy, don't get hung up on "must-see" locations. have a list but be ready to change it.