City of Lights, Part 5: A Final Look at Handicapped Travel Resources in Paris
Posted June 22nd, 2010 in access guides, Accessible Travel, Train Accessible Travel and Wheelchair Accessible Attractions
A last look at the city of romance
Photo by: Koetsy18 (Stock Exchange)
Bonjour! No, ladies and gentlemen, summer has not made me forget about Paris! You know, after about four posts, you might think we’ve done just about everything it’s possible to do in the City of Lights here at Disabled Travelers. But, in fact, I’m here to prove there’s a little bit left to round out our five-part access guides for the capital of France. We’ve covered a lot, but there’s still a bunch of great stuff that didn’t quite fit into any of our other topics. So, as we bid farewell to the land of wine and cheese and get ready to move on to our next destination, here’s “everything else” you haven’t seen.
Paris on Wheels is a wheelchair tour operator that provides personal attendants, private transportation, and accessible excursions to a wide range of attractions in and around Paris, including Versailles. They also provide personalized “consultation” from an inside perspective on accessible hotels, restaurants, transportation options, and everything else you need for Paris – and if your thirst for travel isn’t quite satisfied, you can get the same service for the Big Apple at New York on Wheels.
The Times Online of London has information on Eurostar transportation around Paris and also links to the incredibly useful Access Project page for Paris, which has a slew of accessible hotels and general information on getting around and seeing the sights. Of course, we did a point-by-point rundown of Paris hotels a while back, but there are even more than we didn’t cover courtesy of Access Project. It seems like there’s really a slew of options, well-positioned to your favorite Parisian attractions! Paris by Wheelchair is another great article, courtesy of Transitions Abroad, that covers similar subjects.
An American in Paris’ “Handicapped Travel” article offers the all-important “street level” view of accessibility challenges and opportunities in the city, while A Night in Paris fills in some critical gaps in our knowledge, telling all about where to rent wheelchairs, pointing out even more delicious restaurants that promote mobility impaired access on their grounds, and even giving us a hint where to find a tour operator or two who can design, book, and lead a customized Paris vacation with all the details settled in advance. There’s also Paris Private Guides, offering drivers, attendants, and itineraries for the handicapped. They’ve posted some great information on major museums throughout Paris, many of which are free to wheelchair users and one attendant.
Last but certainly not least, don’t count out Global Access News, with its article by Howard Chabner and Michele DeSha telling you all about Wheelchair Accessible Travel in Burgundy and Perigord. Mention of Paris itself is brief, but this provides some great context for other areas of France from the same helpful contributors who told us about the Paris passerelles not too very long ago.
We’ve had a great time in Paris, but now it’s time for Disabled Travelers to move on. So, after our first (and very likely our only!) five part series, we bid Paris a fond adieu. And as for you, we’ll meet again on our next rendezvous. Until then, aventure en avant – or something like that!
