Paris is becoming more and more accessible for everyone, and can be visited from along the Seine riverbanks. Follow our accessible itineraries for wheelchair users to discover Paris, its monuments and its most iconic places, from the Hôtel de Ville de Paris (Paris’s City Hall) to Trocadéro on the Right Bank and from the Musée d’Orsay to Beaugrenelle Paris on the Left Bank.
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This accessible itinerary starts at the city’s administrative centre: the Hôtel de Ville de Paris, the Paris City Hall. This superb, majestic neo-renaissance building sits on a parvis of over 12,000 m². The seat of the Paris City Council, the Hôtel de Ville can be visited during European Heritage Days or by booking a tour with the city’s Protocol Department.
Please note: the Hôtel de Ville is accessible to visitors with reduced mobility and is equipped with lifts and disabled toilets.
From the parvis of the Hôtel de Ville, cross the Seine on the Pont d’Arcole to reach the Île de la Cité and its famous cathedral: Notre-Dame de Paris. Known throughout the world, and Paris’s most visited monument until it was partially destroyed in a fire on 15 April 2019, Notre-Dame is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture with its two towers, its rose windows and its gargoyles.
Please note: following the fire that partially destroyed the cathedral on 15 April 2019, visits will recommence once restoration works have been completed (year of reopening not yet announced).
Leave the Île de la Cité via the Pont Neuf to get to the Louvre Museum and its Pyramid. Paris’s largest and most famous museum is a must-see with its 35,000 works and 70,000 m² of exhibition rooms. Discover everything from Egyptian antiquities to Islamic art to the museum’s collection of ancient paintings, one of the largest in the world. From the Mona Lisa to the Venus de Milo to the Raft of the Medusa, there is so much to see at the Louvre that you can’t just go once! The museum’s welcome area and ticket office await you in the famous glass Pyramid in the centre of the Napoleon Courtyard.
Please note: the Louvre Museum does the utmost to properly welcome wheelchair users. Entry is free for disabled visitors and the person accompanying them, and the museum offers nearby disabled parking spaces, accessible routes, priority access with no wait, wheelchairs for hire and visio-guides for inaccessible spaces, among other services.
From the Place du Carrousel, head to the Place de la Concorde by crossing through the beautiful Tuileries Gardens. This formal garden à la française was created by André Le Nôtre, the famous gardener who notably designed the gardens at the Palace of Versailles, and is a favourite spot for Parisians to walk and play.
Please note: the Tuileries Gardens are accessible to visitors with reduced mobility via the Place du Carrousel and the Place de la Concorde. Another entrance is located at 206 Rue de Rivoli.
Continue down the banks of the Seine until you reach Avenue Winston Churchill, where you will discover the Grand Palais, another of the capital’s iconic monuments. This architectural masterpiece built for the 1900 Paris Exposition now welcomes major events and exhibitions.
Please note: the Grand Palais is equipped to welcome visitors with reduced mobility, and was even tested and approved in 2015 by the association ‘Paris en fauteuil roulant’ (‘Paris in a wheelchair’).
A little further off, past the Pont des Invalides, you will find the pier of the famous Bateaux-Mouches that glide along the Seine day and night giving you views of the City of Light from its river. The Compagnie des Bateaux-Mouches and its 14 boats offer tours with commentary, as well as brunch, lunch, show and dinner cruises.
Please note: the pier and the boats are adapted to welcome wheelchair users. Disabled toilets are available on the pier but not on the boats.
Further still, past the Pont de l’Alma, a monumental marble building houses two grand museums dedicated to modern and contemporary art. In the west wing of this Art Deco masterpiece built for the 1937 Paris Exposition is the Palais de Tokyo, one of Europe’s largest centres of creation and contemporary art. In the east wing, the Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris (MaM) presents its permanent collections dedicated to 20th century art, as well as major temporary exhibitions.
Please note: near the museums are parking spaces reserved for visitors with reduced mobility. The two establishments are accessible to wheelchair users. Entry is free for disabled visitors and the person accompanying them, and wheelchairs are available to hire.
Next, head to Trocadéro with its stunning view of the Eiffel Tower. Trocadéro is home to the majestic Palais de Chaillot which, like the Palais de Tokyo, was created for the 1937 Paris Exposition Universelle. Today, the Palais de Chaillot houses three grand Parisian museums: the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine, the Musée National de la Marine and the Musée de l’Homme.
Please note: to reach Trocadéro from the quay, take Avenue Albert de Mun (there are steps with no alternative at the top of the Trocadéro gardens). The three museums are accessible to wheelchair users. The Musée National de la Marine is currently undergoing renovation and will reopen in 2021. Entry to the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine and the Musée de l’Homme is free for disabled visitors and their accompanying person.
This accessible itinerary to discover the Left Bank of the Seine starts in front of the splendid Musée d’Orsay. Housed inside what was once the Gare d’Orsay railway station, the museum has a rich collection dedicated to Western art from 1848 to 1914. The Musée d’Orsay is notably renowned for having one of the largest collections of Impressionist paintings in the world.
Please note: there are parking spaces reserved for disabled visitors close to the museum. The entire museum is accessible to wheelchair users, who are granted free entry (along with the person accompanying them) with priority no-wait access at the museum’s Entrance C.
Two kilometres away, after taking the Parc Rives de Seine, another major Parisian museum stands above the banks of the Seine: the Musée du Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac. Easily recognizable thanks to its original architecture and amazing plant-covered wall, the museum presents a large collection of works from Africa, the Americas, Asia and Oceania. Plus, you can also discover a garden of nearly 2 hectares with 170 trees and some 30 species of plants.
Please note: disabled visitors and the person accompanying them are granted free entry to the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, and all of the museum’s spaces are accessible to wheelchair users. The museum was even tested and approved in 2015 by the association ‘Paris en fauteuil roulant’ (‘Paris in a wheelchair’).
Your stay in Paris would not be complete without a visit to the Eiffel Tower. This imposing symbol of the French capital is 325 m tall and is located just next to the Musée du Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac. Its three floors can be accessed via stairs or lift, and on the top floor an exceptional 360° view of Paris awaits you.
Please note: wheelchair users can access the 1st and 2nd floors of the Eiffel Tower by lift, but not the 3rd floor for security reasons. Free priority access with no wait is granted to disabled visitors and the person accompanying them.
At the foot of the Eiffel Tower, you will find the pier of the Bateaux Parisiens who offer cruises with commentary on the Seine. This is an original way to see the city’s most remarkable sights, and you can even combine sightseeing and food with a lunch or dinner cruise.
Please note: only certain boats are specially equipped to welcome wheelchair users, so it is recommended that you request an accessible boat when you book. The pier of the Bateaux Parisiens has disabled toilets and an access ramp onto the boat.
Another cruise company located at the foot of the Eiffel Tower is the Vedettes de Paris, who offer 1-hour sightseeing cruises as well as themed cruises such as the Impressionist Cruise and the Mysteries of Paris Cruise.
Please note: manual wheelchair users must be helped down a few steps leading to the boat. The disembarking point has disabled toilets, as do the Paris Etoile, Paris Iéna and Paris Trocadéro boats.
Continuing along the Seine you will discover the Île aux Cygnes (‘Isle of the Swans’) and its replica of the Statue of Liberty. Opposite the Pont de Grenelle is the Beaugrenelle Paris shopping centre, housed in a 50,000 m² glass building. This is an ideal place for shopping with around 100 shops (fashion, beauty, home, culture, etc.) as well as relaxation with its restaurant and 10-screen cinema.
Please note: the Beaugrenelle Paris shopping centre does the utmost to properly welcome visitors with reduced mobility, offering reserved disabled parking spaces, step-free entry to the centre and its shops and accessible changing rooms, toilets and lifts.
Museums and monuments in Paris accessible to disabled people
