Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [312]
Office de Tourisme de St-Denis Plaine Commune (Map; 01 55 87 08 70; www.saint-denis-tourisme.com, in French; 1 rue de la République; 9.30am-1pm & 2-6pm Mon-Sat, 10am-2pm Sun Oct-Mar, 10am-1pm & 2-4pm Sun Apr-Sep; Basilique de St-Denis) This helpful tourist office is 100m west of the basilica.
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TRAVELLERS WITH DISABILITIES
Paris is an ancient city and is thus not particularly well equipped for les handicapés (disabled people): kerb ramps are few and far between, older public facilities and bottom-end hotels usually lack lifts, and the metro, dating back more than a century, is inaccessible for those in a wheelchair (fauteuil roulant). But efforts are being made and early in the new millennium the tourist office launched its ‘Tourisme & Handicap’ initiative in which museums, cultural attractions, hotels and restaurants that provided access or special assistance or facilities for those with physical, mental, visual and/or hearing disabilities would display a special logo at their entrances. For a list of the places qualifying, visit the tourist office’s website (www.parisinfo.com) and click on ‘Practical Paris’.
Information & Organisations
The SNCF has made many of its train carriages more accessible to people with physical disabilities. A traveller in a wheelchair can travel in both the TGV (train à grande vitesse; high-speed train) and in the 1st-class carriage with a 2nd-class ticket on mainline trains provided they make a reservation by phone or at a train station at least a few hours before departure. Details are available in the SNCF booklet Le Mémento du Voyageur Handicapé (Handicapped Traveller Summary) available at all train stations. For advice on planning your journey from station to station contact the SNCF service Acces Plus ( 0 890 64 06 50; www.accessibilite.sncf.com, in French).
For information on accessibility to all forms of public transport in the Paris region, get a copy of the Guide Practique à l’Usage des Personnes à Mobilité Réduite (Practical Usage Guide for those with Reduced Mobility) from the Syndicat des Transports d’Île de France ( 0 810 64 64 64; www.stif-idf.fr). Its Info Mobi (www.infomobi.com, in French) is especially useful. Also helpful is the RATP’s Assistance Voyageurs à Mobilité Réduite (Assistance for Travellers with Reduced Mobility; 01 53 11 11 12).
For information about what cultural venues in Paris are accessible visit the website of Access Culture (www.accessculture.org).
Access in Paris, a 245-page guide to the French capital for the disabled, was being updated at the time of research and should be available from Access Project (www.accessinparis.org; 39 Bradley Gardens, West Ealing, London W13 8HE, UK) by the time you read this.
The following organisations can provide information to disabled travellers:
Association des Paralysées de France (APF; 01 40 78 69 00; www.apf.asso.fr, in French; 17 blvd Blanqui, 75013 Paris) Brochures on wheelchair access and accommodation throughout France, including Paris.
Groupement pour l’Insertion des Personnes Handicapées Physiques (GIHP; 01 43 95 66 36; www.gihpnational.org, in French; 10 rue Georges de Porto Riche, 75014 Paris) Provides special vehicles outfitted for people in wheelchairs for use within the city.
Mobile en Ville ( 06 82 91 72 16; 1 rue de l’Internationale; www.mobile-en-ville.asso.fr, in French; B.P. 59, 91002 Evry) Association set up in 1998 by students and researchers with the aim of making independent travel within the city easier for people in wheelchairs.
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VISAS
There are no entry requirements for nationals of EU countries. Citizens of Australia, the USA, Canada and New Zealand do not need visas to visit France for up to three months. Except for people from a handful of other European