Sorry, I do not think three 60 yr olds and one 50 yr old should have any trouble with three flights of stairs,unless they are very fat I supose, or have bad legs. OP did not mention anything but age and overpacking as making the three flights difficult.
I would agree that carrying large suitcases up there would be hard, but, you only had to do that ONCE right? I personally think large suitcases are a bad idea anyways.
I do agree with you, there was definately a communication breakdown, and since I assume you communicated with them in english, not in french, that they did their best with their second language to understand you, but you were not able to communicate with them in a second langauge right? I would have asked what floor the unit was on,, and that would have made it fairly clear that there was no " three steps" involved.

Hi LoveItaly,

Thank you. My husband thinks I am crazy because I have this need to climb steps. I don't know why but when I am in Europe I feel that I have to eat all the bread, pastries and butter that are in front of me. I read Apres Londee trip report and I wish I could be her. She didn't eat at all while she was in Paris.

Anyone who doesn't "eat at all in Paris" is sick and not to be admired but pitied. Maybe you were exagerating to make a point, , but I don't find eating disorders funny, and being on vacation and being diet obsessed is not my idea of something I would want to emulate.

I'd way rather walk a flight of stairs and have the bread and cheese.

When you visit light houses and such, they always post how many "steps" to the top... For example, when we climbed up inside of the Statue of Liberty recently, and it clearly states how many "steps" up. I remember fondly, because we are active and we count steps. Our children love shouting out how many we climbed. And my mother, who is also in her 50's complains and refuses to turn around if we climbed up the wrong area, which always makes us laugh. You asking about steps is not that far-fetched as other people have commented. Obviously, there was a miscommunication and you've learned from it. I doubt you'll ask the "step" question again without further researching "flights" too.
Thank you for sharing (just in case someone else with knee problems, bad hips, heart problems, lung problems, or people traveling with small children - could you imagine toting luggage and a stroller up 3 to 4 flights?) Congratulations too on the weightloss. All that effort wasn't in vain.

Sorry, I meant to quote "stairs" instead of steps... Steps, stairs, levels, floors, whatever... Does it really matter? Some people are more sensitive to this because they suffer physically. Giving negative feedback isn't necessary when all they were trying to do was forewarn other travelers of possible miscommunication and recommended making enquiries clearer. They pretty much admitted that this was their problem and was trying to save someone else the trouble. Give them a break!

It is a good point to be aware of how many flights up you may be, and how many steps or stairs make up a flight. Our apartment in Paris was 109 stairs from first to last - 6 flights (on the 5th French floor). (We coundn't resist counting.) I too lost weight, and was delighted to have done so, but even with some conscientious training it was difficult for one of our party to go up and down each day. Oddly, I felt fine throughout our month-long stay, and I went up and down several times a day, but after our Air France 747 flight home, during which my knees were squashed by the seat in front of me, my knees ached for weeks. Travel is perilous.

It's a good word of warning. Especially if anyone has bad knees or whatever.

That said, I'd never go overseas with a "large" suitcase or travel around with 2 bags per person. That's just too much stuff to drag around, stairs or no.

Oh, and I do agree, it's normal to count the flights, not the actual number of stairs
:-)

Okay, I have been up and down my stairs at least 20 times since this thread started, and I continue to forget to count my steps.

So I just ran down and ran up my 3 flights again. I have 53 steps to my 3rd floor apartment. But it is a two-level apartment, so I came up another 13 steps to the computer to give this report. And my legs feel fine, even though my age is not all that much less than yakka.

No, it is never fun when I am also carrying my baggage, but I am absolutely satisfied to still be able to do it. When I can't anymore, I'll probably stop traveling.

4 large suitcases 3 small roll bags and a suit pack for 6 weeks????

I am sorry you had a problem with the stairs but being a carry- on only person, I could not help but notice ..........

that's for 4 of them, not one person.

At the risk of sounding obvious -- 50 plus steps several times every day for someone who has lived with them for years has no relation to someone who lives with no stairs at all. This is as silly as the old AC argument. (I don't have AC in my own apartment and it doesn't bother me, so I don't understand why someone who lives with AC all the time at home should need it either -- DUH!)

Travel broadens the mind and strengthens the legs. If it doesn't, something is wrong.

I'll be staying in the apartment that Apres mentioned it her report; looking forward to trying out those stairs.

The apartment that i lived in in Paris was on the 4th floor (5th US). It was in the 9th in a bourgeois building (I can't think of a better description) by which I mean that the ceiling heights were all around 10 + feet. So, there were more steps per flight than we are used to here in the US with our 8' ceiling height.

That said, I have learned over the years never to travel with large suitcases, and I love the exercise and overall experience of being somewhere different. That is why I travel. And I have bad knees, feet and hips, which get better with exercise.

Never heard of asking for the number of steps.

If the building doesn't have an elevator (and if it does that would be listed) you would have to ask how many flights of stairs - or what floor the apartment is on.

You would then assume somewhere around 20 steps per flight or story.

Thanks for all your remarks .We had been on a cruise for a week , formal clothes , .Took warm cloths for England and then didnt need them and had summer clothes for Dubai . for the return .I never travel light .But am coming to the US and one week on a cruise to Alaska the rest of the time Florisa .Summer . so once again am having fun deciding on clothes

It's a good warning to know how far up your apartment is, if that is important to you. For people who are indifferent because they are healthy and vigorous, then you won't need to ask, but not everyone is equally fit or capable.

Last year I stayed in a 5th floor apartment in Paris (90+ steps -- I'd lose count after 90). I'm 60 with breathing issues, but I "trained" for Paris at the gym. Made it up the narrow, dark, winding, uneven stairs hauling a 40 lb. suitcase and every subsequent trip up got a little easier. At the end of the week, I could sprint up (not really).

For this year's trip I made sure there was an elevator in my rental.

Yakka, ignore the naysayers. I ask how many steps up to an apt due to a bad knee (and also I honestly don't want to navigate flights of stairs if I've been out at the bar til 4am). I want to know what I am getting into. I wouldn't ask if it was more than a "ground" or 1st floor apt as I would not rent one unless in an elevator building. I have 12' ceilings in my apt and the climb to our roof deck is a PIA and more stairs than one would think.

As far as your luggage, it kinda isn't anyone's business to judge how much you want to pack. But what do I know? I just travel. I don't know it all.