We are spending 4 days in Paris, 4 days in Rome, 2 days in Florence & 2 days in Venice. My travel arrangements & hotels are confirmed. My wife cannot walk long distances, how can we get to see and do the most. Tours? car services ? any help would be appreciated.

Hi Mike,

The tourist areas of both Venice and Florence are quite compact. You can see a lot slowly.

Both Paris and Rome have hop on/hop off tours.

You might like the Batobus in Paris. www.batobus.com

Also see
Helpful Information: Italy 2
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34568596

Paris Superthread
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34519236

Not to be insensitive but what do you mean by long distances?

If you men she can;t do miles then everything is manable with careful use of a combination of public transport and taxis. If you mean she can walk only a block or two at a time then I think you should seriously consider renting either a scooter or a foldable wheelchair in each city.

Inside many museums can require quite a bit of walking. Venice, esp needs to be done mostly on foot if you're to do any exploring at all.

For Paris and Rome, I would suggest that you take a taxi to get from here to there. That saves a lot of wear and tear and effort and saves your energy for the actual site you are visiting.

Venice requires lots of walking if you plan to see lots of sites. But with just two days, you will need to choose wisely where you plan to go.

We were exhausted after our first day in Venice because we walked all day long, but only because we did not use the vaparettos very much. Once we got the knack of using them, we realized that they were terrific time savers and feet savers.

Also be sure to research the sites you are planning to visit for accessibility. You may want to eliminate some because some have long walks just to the entrance, some are uphill and some have several staircases which may be difficult for your wife. Elevators are not always available.

Here is a site for Rome accessibility that you might find helpful: http://www.tour-web.com/accessibleitaly/inforom1.htm

This site is for Venice: http://www.tour-web.com/accessibleitaly/infovene.htm

My parents joined us for a trip to Paris, Switzerland, Venice, Florence and Rome over the Christmas holidays. My Mom has had both knees replaced a couple of years ago and cannot walk long distances without stopping to rest. My recommendation is this: 1. invest in some excellent walking shoes like Eccos. There's a long thread on this forum about the best walking shoes. 2. plan your day. decide what sites to see that are in proximity to each other, allowing for extra time to stop and rest and don't fret if you have to skip something. 3. enjoy the best of what Paris and Italy can offer..which is the ability to sit at a cafe and people watch or a slow stroll through a beautiful piazza or garden. 4. Take public transportation and cabs when you're tired. There's nothing wrong with that. At times, my husband and son would take off walking to a designated destination and I would hop in a cab with my parents because they weren't up to walking at that time. The bottom line is that if you plan ahead with what you want to see, allowing adequate time for walking then you'll be fine. Just take it slow.

I replied on your "HELP" question! You probably check both, right?
Have a wonderful trip....know you will!

This may not work for her, but there's a
Segway tour of Paris that looks interesting, and would definitely save on walking.
http://www.citysegwaytours.com/paris/

Mike,
I just returned from Rome. It is possible there to rent golf carts in the city to drive around in. If you rent the electric carts you are allowed to drive them in the pedestrian only areas, as well as on the streets. The gas powered carts are only allowed on the streets.
minnie.