PARIS

Paris: Disabled Access and Travel

by Pablova Symonds

There are a great many opportunities for an enjoyable vacation in the city of lights for the disabled. Numerous hotels and restaurants as well as the city’s Eurostar (railway service) provide special amenities for the disabled to make their trip more comfortable and secure.

The Eurostar, for example, has a dedicated wheelchair passenger space in a top of the line carriage. The staff need to be informed at least 45 minutes prior to departure and will be available to help disabled guests board the train with a special ramp. Disabled toilets are available at the end of each carriage. Accommodation that has been awarded the Tourisme & Handicap sign provides facilities for various disabilities that include physical, mental, hearing, and visual.

Getting around Paris is relatively easy with a large number of buses being equipped with lifts for the disabled. The older buildings tend to be more difficult to access, but new constructions are coming up everywhere, which cater to the needs of the disabled.

Food lovers should head out to the Place de la Madeleine. The flat, wide sidewalks make it easy to negotiate as you sample the offerings of Maille, Fauchon, Ladurée, Hédiard, and La Maison du Chocolat. The Lavinia wine store provides an elevator and a restroom.

Paris on Wheels and Access Tourism offer a range of tours that disabled travelers can enjoy. Families will love Disneyland Paris. All the boutiques are wheelchair-accessible, while some also have dressing rooms for wheelchair users. The six hotels in the area all offer extra-large bathrooms with support rails and a raised toilet.

The Eiffel Tower is one of Paris’ must-see monuments. Disabled access is available for levels one and two. The Louvre—considered the largest museum in the world; it was once a royal palace in France—offers partial access for the disabled. Similarly, the Pantheon, which is the final resting place of Voltaire and Victor Hugo, provides disabled access on the main floor, while the medieval church of Sainte-Chapelle, built to house relics from the Crusades, offers a restricted amount of disabled access.

Despite the restrictions for safety, there are many things to do and see in the accessible areas and difficult to negotiate areas can still be accessed if you are accompanied by a reliable able-bodied travel companion. If you’re traveling alone, some tour operators provide such a companion as an optional service. This easily broadens the scope of your visit, enabling you to see far more in the beautiful, romantic city of Paris.

Link to: http://www.holiday-velvet.com/paris