Paris sightseeing suggestions with a bad knee

Debbie I have taken three FT bike tours( between two visits). I would take one again in a heartbeat. They are fun and the bikes are very comfy fat tires so ride is not bumpy and comfy seats..

I would start with a simple day or night tour of Paris as it covers mostly flat ground. I have done the Night Bike tour and my friend and I loved it so much we booked for the Versailles on the next day. I had been reluctant to do a bike tour, but really enjoyed it.

The Versailles bike tour is problay not as good of a choice for a bad knee.There is more peddling, and a few gentle but longish hills,, plus we do take the bikes on the train and lift them on and off ourselves. Anyone without a bad knee would have a great time though,, and guide does help kids with bikes and would likely help hurt people too!

The last bike tour I took was to Giverny , Monets Gardens. Lovely,, really lovely, mostly flat, and bikes do NOT come on train, so easy,. The ride is on an old decommission rail line that has been smoothed out. Very nice. One smallish hill to go up though, but not a huge deal.

There were older kids and teens on all three rides, none had any real trouble, there were also some folks who aged me by a decade or two ,, and I am mid forties,LOL so you can see its pretty doable by all.

Best part about the day or night tours.. NO reservations needed.. so you can just show at the meeting place beneath the ET and go when you feel like it. This is great because the tours go rain or shine, and I would hate to reserve and then wake up to a rainy day( for the daytrips reservations ARE required,, so DO check weather reports for days you plan to go) biking is way more fun not wearing a plastic poncho.. LOL

Anyways, suggest you start with a day or night tour( night tour includes the Siene Cruise the day tour does not) its a great way to get orientated to Paris too.

On a different note , learn to take and use the bus system. The metro system is fast , easy and personally to me,, easiest to learn,, but it is a nightmare for those with bad knees. Stairs,, lots of stairs, then long corridors, then stairs again. You get the picture. The buses run everywhere and often so learn to use them for knee saving.

If you want to use the bus system in Paris, get a copy of the Rough Guide Paris map. ($8.95) It has little red numbers on it which show many of the bus routes in central Paris and also has circled T's to show where the taxi stands are. Very useful if your knee gets tired while you are out walking.

You might enjoy the Hop-On Hop-Off sightseeing bus. There are two companies in Paris, you'll see them both at all the big sites. They are double decker buses with the top being open air. Some people like them and some don't. We enjoyed it a lot.

You can also visit one of the Ti's buy a Paris Pass ( http://en.parisinfo.com/ ) and a Paris Metro Pass ( http://paris.conciergerie.com/pass/paris_metro_pass.php/?O=PO ) and a good bus route map for day and night busses. The Metro system is fast, but hard to maneuver with a bad knee. My experience is that the Metro stations are not very handicap friendly ( NO elevators in most stations ). What you will discover about the bus system in Paris is that, if you go underground you WILL miss one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I LOVED the bus, day or night. Take your time, don't worry, if you get lost, look at where you are, YOUR'E IN PARIS! Get a cab and go where you need to go, you might only have to do that a couple of times. Also recommend that you do the Hop On- Hop Off when you get there, that might still be your best bet to enjoy Paris recovering from knee surgery. Also check this site out ( http://www.paris.org/Metro/ ) might give you more ideas. Always remember if you get lost " bonjour, parlez-vous anglais" and " Je dois obtenir ici "? That's " hello do you speak English " and " I need to get here "? If they don't speak english, POINT. The French were always helpful with us. Be humble and interested in what they might have to say, BUT never let your guard down! ENJOY

Thanks for the great advice on the Fat Bike Tours and the bus instead of Metro.

It makes sense to opt for a bus, having traveled in Europe before and used the mass transit system and Eurail often with a good knee and then there were lots of stairs!

I have decided that we may have the best time in Paris ever as we cannot be concerned with how much we see, but rather enjoy the time as let the knee be the guide.

Sounds like more opportunities for a glass of wine and some people watching!

That's the perfect attitude Debbie! Have a Great time!

Another way to visit Paris is the segway. There are now Paris segway tours. check out http://citysegwaytours.com/paris
It's fun and I'd guess may be easier than ride a bike even with a bad knee as you don't have to pedal at all but just stand on it and it's a fun means of transport!

You can also tour Paris in a vintage Citroen 2CV automobile with a private driver/guide. They have a variety of different tours, or you can work with them to create a custom tour if there are only certain spots you want to go to. There are a number of different outfits that offer Citroen tours, such as Paris Authentic, but pricing is different depending on the tour lengths, so check around before you book a tour with one.

Take the night cruise on the Seine River and take bus #69 (not on Sundays) just stay on and see lots of blockbuster sights out the window ie..Louvre, Pompidou Ctr, Les Invalides, Eiffel Tower etc. when you tire out just stop at a cafe and watch Paris life go by. Enjoy.