Wheelchair bound for Paris
 

A friend who uses a wheelchair is considering visiting Paris next year. I am trying to get information for her about handicapped access hotels, with bathrooms that would accommodate her. Anyone out there have experience with this. Thanks in advance for your help.

A few of the hotels that I have stayed at,I have noticed ,accomodate people in wheelchairs by keeping rooms on ground floors available for handicapped persons.<BR>One of those would be the Danube on rue Jacob and the Angleterre on rue Jacob.<BR>Good luck~

I don't have the experience, but these websites may help<BR><BR>www.fhwa.dot.gov<BR>www.access-able.com<BR>www.jsrd.or.jp/dinf_us/disability_resources/travel.htm<BR>www.disabilitytravel.com<BR>www.flyi ngwheelstravel.com<BR>www.geocities.com/Paris/1502/disabilitylinks.html<BR>

Thanks, ladies. I am passing along the info.

Unfortunately most of the smaller hotels in Paris really would not be good bets for a wheelchair bound visitor .. that's only based on my observations over the course of many trips. Even elevators in most small hotels are so tiny it would be difficult to handle a wheelchair in one of them. Ground floor rooms may be available, but still there could be some steps (street to main entrance for instance). Frankly, I'd check out the major chains .. i.e., Holiday Inn, Hilton, Novatel, Meridian, Marriott and see what they say. E-mail the individual hotels too. I'd think you would stand a better chance of finding handicapped equiped bathrooms, etc. at one of these larger chain hotels. Not so charming perhaps as a small place, but more suited to the situation. Holiday Inn has a good website incidentally.

You see Lori,there are some hotels in Paris that are small and have small elevators.So their handicapped facilities are on the ground floor,making it possible for wheelchairs to roll right in.<BR>People need not give up the charm of a small hotel on the Left Bank for a Holiday Inn!

Yes, xxx, I know there are some hotels that would permit a wheelchair bound person to roll right in and that they have ground floor rooms too. However ... I'd want to be real sure they are actually handicapped equiped rooms,i.e. suitable bathrooms, etc. Personally, I'd prefer a small hotel to a chain hotel anyday, but if circumstances warrented checking into a chain hotel because they were able to supply the right accommodations then I'd do it. After dozens of trips to Paris I do not think it is a particularly handicapped-friendly city..again, only my observations (and I have family there too so I sometimes see things from a different viewpoint).

Hi Beth, <BR>After reading Lori's post, I got out a guide book,Fodors Rivages Hotels of Character and Charm in Paris.<BR>They have a hotel on each page and descriptions, on a lot of them they will tell if they have facilities for the disabled.So this might be helpful to your friend.The last time we were at the Angleterre,we talked to a lady that was in a wheelchair and staying in the hotel,so I know for a fact that they accomodate wheelchairs.

I suspect the bathroom facilities will be more of a problem than getting in and out of the room itself. I also checked one of the above websites, and none of the public transportation is wheelchair accessible. And, in April, I noticed that even where there were cuts in the sidewalk, there was a car parked across it!! Thanks again, everyone.

It's not your question, but I thought you might want to know : handicapped access to the metro is basically non existent in Paris...

What in the world do the poor Parisian handicapped people do?

Beth--I am going to Paris in 3 weeks with my brother, who is in a wheelchair. Researching for the trip has been tough, as very few guidebooks have really been much help.<BR><BR>AAA puts out a small guidebook to Paris which I bought at the AAA office; in it are listed most major museums and historic sites and their level of handicapped access: none, good, very good, and excellent. Notre-Dame, for instance is listed with good access, St. Chappelle has none.<BR><BR>After searching several hotel websites, I found Expedia does the best job of searching on criteria such as handicapped access; your friend can plug in some dates and give it a try.<BR><BR>I found a ground-level apartment through a friend, and got a copy of the floor plan. The owner and I have talked and I believe this is going to meet our needs. It's a 1 bedroom ground floor apartment with a large bathroom. Obviously, I'll know better after I return on June 20th.<BR><BR>I left the AAA guidebook with my brother until the trip, so I can't give you the exact title, but I will check if you are interested. Feel free to e-mail me directly for more input. Barb

Using a wheelchair, I heard about how difficult Paris can be - I would beg to differ - Paris can be wonferful with a little planning. I was there last year before heading to the Loire Valley - There are plenty of hotels in many price ranges that have access in varying degrees. Access often depends on one's needs - your friend should be explicit about what she requires (how wide should doorways be, are small steps ok? (they are for some wheelchair users) are bathtubs OK, or is a roll-in shower required? Does she need handrails in the washroom) Frequently, a hotel may say they are accessible but access isn't defined by US standards - so being clear and explicit is necessary. Ask specific questions based on what is required. Also, beware of elevators - many of them are very small - sometimes too small for even a small wheelchair. <BR><BR>Two hotels I checked out are:<BR>Le Clos Medicis (email: [email protected]; phone number: (33) 1 43 29 10 80; website http://www.france-hotel-online.com/F...eS_Search.)has an accessible room (but no roll-in shower) on the ground floor - it is in a great part of town - near many sites - which is good because as one person wrote - transportation, such as the Metro, is generally not accessible. There is a small lip of a step to get in, but again that may or may not work for your friend. And the Jardin de L'Odeon, which is where I stayed, (web:hoteljardindelodeon.com - email: [email protected]) which wasn't far from Le Clos Medici. <BR><BR>There are lots of other resources - One good site to check out for information is -http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/services/tourism/policy-areas/guides.htm<BR>It has access guides for numerous European countries and can be very useful in planning a trip. <BR><BR>http://mundial.sapo.pt/Society/Disabled/Travel/ is another site that has links to all kinds of web resources with information on traveling with a disability. <BR><BR>I hope this is helpful. Good luck planning the trip.<BR><BR>

I have been copying and forwarding your responses. My friend is so very grateful for all your wonderful suggestions. I hope those of you on your way have great trips.

Some good info on here, so I'm topping it.

Also, just as an FYI....

Society for Accessible Travel &amp; Hospitality

http://www.sath.org/

Links that were provided in here are worth savings. Thanks fellow fodorites!

I would double check those links carefully, as this is a very old post.