I will be traveling with my husband who has recently had great difficulty with endurance when walking.( doesn't need a wheelchair yet ) I plan on renting an apartment hopefully near the Louvre and not far from a metro. Any suggestions on how to plan the time in Paris?
Posted by
Downingtown, USA
2450 posts
Suggest you look on graffiti site about senior travel and also people with disabilities. Be sure your apartment has elevator. Also suggest a walker with a seat attached, is great if there are any mobility issues. I rented one for trip to Edinburgh as had just broken four toes and even with a boot it was challenging. This walker was great! I seem to remember a lot of metro stops have stairs so bus might be better. Good luck and enjoy.
Posted by
Charleston, SC, USA
925 posts
Short of having a personal driver, I suggest making use of the HOHO busses. They will take you all over Paris and the walk to most sights is pretty short. You can buy multi-day passes which will reduce your cost. The commentary is pretty decent as well. I believe that there are two companies that run these busses in Paris, so you can check out each one's routes, pricing and timing. This will help you choose the one that suits your itinerary best. Many of the stops are adjacent to the biggest attractions. I am pretty sure there are stops at the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and the Tuileries. There are many more stops and sometimes, it's just nice to ride around for a while and see the city. Enjoy!
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
Also not only should apartment have an elevator, but I would make sure to book only the first 2 floors cause elevators break.
Posted by
San Francisco/Marin County
9436 posts
I would suggest you use busses instead of the Metro. The Metro can involve a lot of walking getting to platforms and often times a lot of stairs. Busses will be much easier for your husband.
Posted by
Ottawa
1446 posts
I had to use a cane in Paris this year. My endurance issue is with balance when I get tired. The cane is a big help to me if I stretch my limits, which Paris does... in a good way! I agree with the earlier comments that the buses are much easier to deal with than the metro, which has lots and lots of stairs and long corridors. The buses run everywhere and are very easy to manage. The RATP provides a free fold-out paper network map, plus the website has a good planning tool/map (http://www.ratp.fr/plan-interactif/). Also, the people on the buses were very quick to cede the seats reserved for the less steady-on-their-feet; only once that I remember having to specifically ask for it :-)