Page 428 - Lonely Planet France’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

¨ Comités régionaux de tourisme (CRTs; ¨ Countrywide, many SNCF train carriages are
regional tourist boards), their départemental accessible to people with disabilities. A travel-
analogues (CDTs) and their websites are a ler in a wheelchair can travel in both the TGV
superb source of information and hyperlinks. and in the 1st-class carriage with a 2nd-class
¨ French government tourist offices (usually ticket on mainline trains provided they make
called Maisons de la France) provide every im- a reservation by phone or at a train station at
aginable sort of tourist information on France. least a few hours before departure. Details are
Useful websites include: available in the SNCF booklet Le Mémento du
Voyageur Handicapé (Handicapped Traveller
French Government Tourist Office Summary) available at all train stations.
(www.france.fr) The lowdown on sights, activi-
ties, transport and special-interest holidays Useful resources:
in all of France’s regions. Brochures can be
downloaded online. Accès Plus (%09 69 32 26 26, 08 90 64
06 50; www.accessibilite.sncf.com) The SNCF
French Tourist Offices (www.tourisme. assistance service for rail travellers with
fr) Website of tourist offices in France, with disabilities. Can advise on station accessibility
mountains of inspirational information organ- and arrange a fauteuil roulant or help getting
ised by theme and region.
on or off a train.
Infomobi.com (%09 70 81 83 85; www.
infomobi.com) Has comprehensive information
TRAVELLERS WITH DISABILITIES on accessible travel in Paris and the surround-
While France presents evident chal- ing Île de France area.
lenges for visiteurs handicapés (disabled Access Travel (%in UK 01942-888 844;
visitors) – cobblestones, cafe-lined www.access-travel.co.uk) Specialised UK-
streets that are a nightmare to navigate
in a wheelchair (fauteuil roulant), a lack based agency for accessible travel.
of kerb ramps, older public facilities and Mobile en Ville (%09 52 29 60 51; www.
many budget hotels without lifts – don’t mobile-en-ville.asso.fr; 8 rue des Mariniers, 14e,
let that stop you from visiting. Efforts are Paris) Association that works hard to make
being made to improve the situation and
with a little careful planning, a hassle-free independent travel within Paris easier for people
France Travel Guide TRAVELLERS WITH DISABILITIES
accessible stay is possible. Download Lone- in wheelchairs. Among other things it organises
ly Planet’s free Accessible Travel guide some great family randonnées (walks) in and
from http://lptravel.to/AccessibleTravel. around Paris.
¨ The Paris tourist office runs the excellent Tourisme et Handicaps (%01 44 11 10
‘Tourisme & Handicap’ initiative whereby 41; www.tourisme-handicaps.org; 43 rue Marx
museums, cultural attractions, hotels and Dormoy, 18e, Paris) Issues the ‘Tourisme et
restaurants that provide access or special Handicap’ label to tourist sites, restaurants and
assistance or facilities for those with physical, hotels that comply with strict accessibility and
mental, visual and/or hearing disabilities dis- usability standards. Different symbols indicate
play a special logo at their entrances. For a list the sort of access afforded to people with physi-
of qualifying places, go to www.parisinfo.com cal, mental, hearing and/or visual disabilities.
and click on ‘Practical Paris’.
¨ Paris metro, most of which was built decades
ago (and some of it more than a century ago), VISAS
is hopeless. Line 14 of the metro was built to
be wheelchair-accessible, although in reality ¨ For up-to-date details on visa requirements,
it remains extremely challenging to navigate see the website of the Ministère des Af-
in a wheelchair – unlike Paris buses which are faires Étrangères (Ministry of Foreign Af-
100% accessible. fairs; www.diplomatie.gouv.fr) and click ‘Coming
¨ Parisian taxi company Horizon, part of Taxis to France’.
G7 (www.taxisg7.fr), has cars especially adapt- ¨ Visas are generally not required for stays of
ed to carry wheelchairs and drivers trained in up to 90 days (or at all for EU nationals); some
helping passengers with disabilities. nationalities need a Schengen visa.

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