Walking impaired in Paris

Well I have stayed in a hotel that is very very central.. only a few minutes walk from the Seine and from there you can see Notre Dame.. an easy walk if you go slow.
You step outside hotel and will be among cafes, atm, shops..

It is not a fancy hotel.. it is however clean, has a/c, and mini fridge in room( which I stock with my own drinks and snacks) The front desk staff were helpful.
There is an elevator.. but there are 3 stairs up to the level the elevator is.. might have been only two. but will err on side of saying three.

Rooms are small.

Another good feature is how many buslines you are close to.. many right on street less then 1/2 block away.. and if mobility is an issue then take buses definitely not metro( long corridors and many steps)

I love the Eifel Tower area which is close to Rue Cler. I also have some mobility issues, but don't use a chair. Yet. I went to Paris alone last year with my 11 year old grand daughter and stayed at Hotel Eber Mars. The elevator is very, very, small, though, so I don't know if your wife will be able to ride it standing, but it probably won't fit the chair. The owner of this hotel is so very kind and helpful, and he gave very good advice: He told me to buy the ticket for the "red-line" hop on hop off bus, and that way we could see the entire city, and only get off at the sites we wanted to see. This bus covered ALL of Paris, while the yellow one did not. My Grand daughter got a kick out of riding under the Arch du Triumphe (sp), we got off at Champs Ellyse (I am so sorry for the bad spelling, I speak Spanish and some Italian, no French!) I'm pretty sure they will accommodate the chair, but ask Mr. Eber-Mars when you call.

This hotel is within walking/pushing distance for you to sit on the bench in the park and watch the Eifel Tower light up every night. The park is beautiful.

Rue Cler (Rick S.' favorite street) is just one block away, as is the big Invalides square, military museum, etc. Lots of cafes, and
you just can't beat walking down this street past the flower stands, vegetable stands and charming restaurants. There are inexpensive and very high quality pizza places near as well as cafes with outdoor seating.

I don't know if my hotel suggestion will work for you, but I liked this area for me and my difficulties. You can call the hotel and
ask them about the chair, and if they have a place to store it at night. The owner is wonderful, and speaks perfect English. Make sure you speak to him. There is another hotel on this street, Hotel Bourdonnaise (sp). I think it may be more expensive, though.

Also the hotel is very close to the boats that go down the Seine river (Also hop on hop off) which will allow your beautiful wife to see all of the beautiful bridges and scenery, and won't involve a lot of walking.

You sound like a delightful man and I hope you and your lovely wife have a fabulous trip to the City of Lights! Sleep late, and stay up late to see those lights! We did, and I was with my little princess. I will never regret it! Paris, as a city, is a good choice, because unlike many other places it's pretty flat!

Frank, folks here will want to know what yours and your wife's interest's and priorities for sightseeing are. Is art of interest? Do you love or dislike museums? Is architecture your thing? Giving some background as to your interests will help us respond more effectively.
Renting an apartment is often a good way to go, but if you will need a ground floor or elevator building then starting a search right away would be a good idea. On the other hand a well located hotel may be more to your liking and have better resources for your needs.
I'm not sure about the relative accessibility in Paris, others may be able to answer that. I would assume there is a French version of the U.S. ADA, but that can be hard to accomodate in very old buildings.

Good luck, and enjoy Paris!
Best, Dave

The metro will be unpredictable without checking each station and hoping the scoop is up to date.

Buses have kneel-downs.

Sidewalks have cut-outs at intersections.

Museums have entry ramps and elevators between between floors.

Stay central, rather than in the far beyonds such as Rue Cler.

"Stay central, rather than in the far beyonds such as Rue Cler. " I agree!
Considering your situation, I'd recommend staying in the 5th arrondissement (Latin Quarter) in the area between the Luxembourg Gardens (north, northeast and northwest) and the river to be in the most central area of Paris. The 6th (St. Germain) is good too, but generally more expensive than the 5th. The 4th (Marais) as close to the river as possible is also an option, but for me it would be the 5th/6th because the Luxembourg Gardens are high on my list of places to spend time... they are amazing. Have a wonderful trip frank, I love Paris and hope you do too!

Here's some information about accessible Metro and RER lines, part of the excellent Paris by Train website. It lists stations with elevators, but notes that few trains have "roll on" access from the platforms. This means your wife will have to step on and off the trains, but from my experience that's a pretty small step. Metro line 14, the newest, is fully accessible. It runs from Gare St-Lazare down to Gare de Lyon, then swings across the river to Olympiades. This covers some of the major tourist areas.

You could look for a hotel with an elevator close to Line 14. I think booking.com lets you filter for elevator access. If I were you, I'd go for a newer place with big enough elevators and rooms for you both to be comfortable, even if it lacks Olde Worlde charm.

My wife walks OK but has pain on stairs and we didn't use the Metro together on our trip last fall. It's one of the oldest subway systems in the world, full of short stairways, and, no, France has no ADA counterpart that I know of. We rode the buses, some of which can "kneel" for wheelchairs and all of which, I believe, have places where a chair can be placed and secured. Bus travel lets you see the street life but can be very slow. Also, it's not always easy to find the stops for particular lines. A lot of buses stop at the Opera Garnier, but each bus has a different stop around a big circle surrounding the building. You can spend a lot of time and energy just figuring out the buses and getting to the right ones in unfamiliar places.

We found the Musee d'Orsay very frustrating for someone trying to avoid stairs, especially since they just spent huge sums renovating it. You can get up and down, but it isn't easy or convenient. The Louvre was easier, and certainly has enough in it to fill all the museum time you could want to spend.

We rented an apartment in the Marais, on the fifth floor with an elevator. It was fine, but to get there we had to go through a cobblestoned alley and courtyard. Nothing about the apartment listing (on homeaway.com) told us this. It didn't matter to us, but if my wife had been in a chair it would have been a big problem. So if you go the apartment route, be very clear about what you need and make sure you're getting it.

Not to put you off with all this. Paris remains our favorite European city, maybe our favorite city period. With some planning and flexibility, you and your wife will love it. Have a great time!

Susan,

How steep is the hill on Saint Michel going from the river up to Lux Gardens - - enough to matter?

Ed, I wouldn't consider it steep at all, and I wouldn't call it a hill if you go up boul miche... up rue des Carmes for instance, yes, that's steep (short, but steep for a chair). But you probably know the gradient better than I. Last time I was there I had some serious walking issues and I walked from Ile St. Louis to the LG and back at least once a day for weeks and had no problem.
But they can always take the bus which leads me to...

I think Ed's rec to use the buses in Paris is good advice. I would not use the Metro if using a chair, or with any significant walking/knee issues.

The buses are great and you can see Paris while riding.

Ed, I really respect you, being the BEST expert on France in total, but being a "romantic" I still like the area I recommended, because it's so sweet seeing the Eiffel Tower at night, and the boat ride down the Seine was wonderful. The Eiffel Tower is to many of us Paris!

So, Frankgeiske: I have done some research: The Best Western Eiffel Auteuil is accessable, as are the following: Art Hotel Eiffel, Eiffel Seine. All Novatel hotels, Best Westerns.

A great website to look at for persons with accessability needs is: Sagetraveling.com

Happy Travels, and my absolute Best to you and your lovely wife!

donna, that website is a great tip, lots of helpful info.

For this situation I would forget the metro for the most part -- most of it is inaccessible. The buses however go everywhere and are designed for wheel chair use with ramps and with a space for chairs on the bus -- Get a Navigo Decouverte pass and you can use them even for short hops.

The Louvre is full of stairs BUT there is an elevator for every staircase -- you will get used to spotting the signs for them -- they are everywhere and you can get anywhere in the Louvre with a wheelchair.

Many restaurants, shops and such are not very accessible -- old cities are like that but sidewalk restaurants and cafes are your friend. Perhaps for a special dinner you can take a cab since she can walk a bit.

Be also very careful with hotel that the room is accessible and that the elevator comes to the lobby -- a surprising number of hotels we have stayed in in Europe, have steps to climb to get to the elevators.

You will get priority entry at museums for the most part with a chair.

Hope you have an amazing trip.

A side note: if your wife has a handicap placard for car from your state DMV, she can use that along with the registration paper it came with that has her name on it , and her ID to get discounted rates on museums and attractions. Also go to the website of the attractions/museums and it should tell you what entrance to use with a wheelchair and you do not have to wait in line. This will save you time and pushing her around looking where to go. If the info is not on their website, send them an email. I always got a reply.

We have been to Paris many times and I have on several occasions suffered from an immobile knee injury (Viet Nam) and I then use a cane. Not a problem: take taxis. They are not expensive around the center of Paris and are fairly easy to find. Plus, if you can speak some French, the drivers can be a helpful source of information. Forget the Metro...too many steps, but the buses are great if you're not in a hurry and why would one be in a hurry in Paris?
Best.
Don M.

Thank you all for your most informative ideas. I really appreciate your input, plus links to additional help. Sharon