I would check the websites of the attractions you wish to visit to see if they have wheelchair accessibility. Pretty sure the Arc de Triomphe is going to be out of the question, as well as likely the Eiffel Tower and Sainte Chapelle as well.

There would still be lots of do-able attractions, such as the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, and Notre Dame de Paris.

There are cobbled streets and other non-smooth surfaces such as dirt that may make some places less accessible, but I’m sure a determined person could still see a fair amount of the city.

Well I know a wheelchair isn’t the same thing as a busted foot but I had a rocker boot on the entire time i was there and I didn’t have a problem…but then again you’re talking about accessibility so I guess I probably shouldn’t answer.

AS for the person above me, the Arc De Triumphe has an elevator so you can still experience it! Of course i didn’t know this until I had walked all the way up. haha

I know they have a lot of ramps in their subway stations but a lot of them have stairs going down that you may not be able to avoid ;/

I was last there in 2005 and I definitely think that being in a wheelchair + taking the Metro could be problematic, so I would recommend doing lots of research in advance to avoid problems. I think Montmartre is the only neighborhood that struck me as being a real conflict; otherwise, so many other parts of the city (the Left Banke, area around the Eifel Tower, etc) are accommodated to their heavy volume of tourists. I think Paris, and Montmartre especially, is beautiful and totally recommend going.

Check with a reputable travel agent. Theyshould be abble to find this info out for you.

The Eiffel Tower should not be a problem – almost everyone who visits it uses the huge elevators.

I recommend visiting places that normally attract a large number of tourists at off-hours. It isn’t mobility that I think you may find daunting, but the crush of people who may make negotiation of space difficult.

Thanks everyone!

The laws in recent years make it mandatory for public spaces and services to accommodate for disabled people and wheelchairs. However, of course, not all historical monuments enable accomodation but you will find that most do, especially the main ones (Le Louvre, le Château de Versailles, ...)
You may access the funicular to go up to Montmartre. A few metro stations may pose a problem but most don’t.
Many hotels also do but you should double-check with them.

Enjoy a magnificent city !

Paris is not very wheelchair friendly. A matter of fact, it’s funny that you would ask this because I was just thinking about that yesterday. Most metro stations do not have elevators. Here’s an article that may be of help.

http://www.globalaccessnews.com/parispasserelles05.htm

As you can read the touristic places have thought about wheelchairs, but when you get off that route than it’s harder.
If you have someone with you that can help.. and than still not everything, even with help, is accesable.
I do remember that on the Champ d’elysee the stores have a platform for wheelchairs to roll in, and at the Louvre is the same thing (and elevators).

If you stick with the touristic spots you should be fine (if you like the crowds)
- oh and don’t go in the Eiffeltower.. okay it’s something special, but the lines are crazy (last time I went was 2hours!), it’s expensive and what you get.. a nice view and there are a lot of places in Paris to get a nice view. It’s nicer to look at the tower than be in it ;-) -

Hello,

It is funny that you ask this because I’ve just spent a weekend limping around town.
There are a lot of stairs in the subway but the entire line 14 is accessible for people in a wheelchair. This line goes near by many points of interest in Paris so this is a good thing for you :) .
As it was already said, places like le Louvre are crowded and you might have a hard time circulating.
To get up the Eiffel Tower, there are lifts but I wonder if there are not a few stairs anyway.

I hope you will enjoy your time here … :)

Hi! I can help with this question because my husband uses an electric wheelchair and has no mobility. We visited in 2006 and were not optimistic, but Paris is now one of our favourite places and we have been dying to go back since. The pavement are suprising good (from a Londoner’s view) with most having dropped kerbs. Most of the attractions were accessible via lift, like the tower and the Louvre. I believe the Notre Dame is not at all, but I may be wrong. There is a great, great book called Rick Stein’s Easy Access Europe and there is a whole chapter on Paris which was incredibly handy.

The most important thing, as disabled people know, is to always ask questions before travelling. Check and double check. Blag your way into areas. By that, I don’t mean being cheeky, but approach anyone you can because you will often find that people working at the sites, hotels, etc can offer extra help that is not apparent to the public. You just have to ask. Try to remember to say ‘step free’ rather than disabled access because people’s opinions on access can vary.

Have fun!

The thing is that I wouldn’t be going purely as a tourist. If I go, it would as a part of an art school to stay for a month.

So I would like to know if it’s going to be unconfortable to live there for that time, though some of your answers helped and of course I have to investigate more. But this was my first step :P

Lalu: I’m not you, so I don’t know what your tolerance is for frustration or your willingness to assert yourself is. Even with that disclaimer I’d urge you to give Paris a try. Also, look at other people’s information about traveling there using a wheelchair. Here’s one start: http://www.rollingrains.com/ and Scott’s likely to be a guide to other resources.

I was there last in 2003 with a 2 year old in a stroller. Paris is not at all wheel friendly.

Most metro stations have only stairs – not even escalators. The streets generally do not have ramps at cross walks. Many attractions have elevators, but if you are going to try to get around the city, you’re going to need to take taxis everywhere and this will add up fast.

The paving in squares is often cobbles – too rough to negotiate in a typical wheelchair. Also, Parisians don’t clean up after their dogs so you’ll need to keep a sharp eye on what you’re rolling through (this goes for walking too – stepping in it was an almost weekly occurrence when you’re a foreigner with your eyes on the lovely architecture).

Most residence buildings in Paris have the very old manual cage style elevators – they’re not simply push button affairs.

As an American who is used to seeing everything made wheelchair friendly, Paris was a bit of a shock.

I don’t want to crush your dreams and Paris is really lovely, but I wouldn’t go if I were wheelchair bound unless I had money for cab fare and friends that would stick close to help me negotiate obstacles – probably by picking you up in the chair and lifting you over things or bumping you over curbs and such. It is common to see couples on either side of a stroller carrying the thing up and down stairs in the metro and other places because of the lack of elevators, ramps, etc. Going out alone with a stroller was simply not doable.