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Paris for the visually Impaired.

French speaker?: Whilst at one time you had to have a good knowledge of French, most of the French in Paris now are very good English speakers but it does help if you start off with your best efforts!

Public Transport:

The Metropolitanunderground is the easiest to manage although you will often find the overland route is quite short. The Metro is similar to the London Tube, each line is distinguished by a colour and an M number. Trains are determined by the station at the end of the line. Most stations have attendance and ticket offices. Just ask for your destination station. If you want a day return, ask (Allez retour) you will get 2 tickets, however there have been some reports in the English Press that their electronic ticket systems sometimes fail resulting in a 40 Euro on the spot fine! You have to put a ticket into a barrier machine, then remove it from the top, then push open the barrier. Pedestrian underground routes to platforms are in general well signed, each platform has a list of stations on route at its entry point, most platforms only serve one destination. Trains have buttons to open the doors inside and out. Some older trains have a small door lever which is rotated. There are alternative ticket options for repeated zone travel. There are no large print maps (unlike London).

The SNFC RAR railways can be a bit more complicated, tickets systems are the same but platforms have visual display indicators which can be confusing. At Gare du Nord getting tickets and the right platform needs plenty of time, however the Eurostar terminal is OK. There are help desks in the station. Direct line to Charles De Gaul Airport No. 2 for Terminal 2F costs 8 Euros single. If you are going to Versailles you need Invalide Metro interchange and additional tickets. There is a half mile walk at the other end and much more in the gardens.

On the streets of Paris: If you can manage a map, you need a detailed one – the tourist versions avoid many important streets. Straight forward routes are OK but most streets follow irregular patterns which makes navigation tricky irrespective of how well you can see – Street names require high magnification but there are much better signs at major street junctions.

All museums and galleries are free to blind and partially sighted people together with your carer/guide. You may be asked for your certificate and you don’t always get the official who understands this concession first time – just try someone else, You are also permitted to jump queues if you can find an entrance avoiding them. Most establishments also have handheld audio guides in English which cost a few Euros. These are designed for the general public and only occasionally fully audio describe the item, but they are to be recommended. As frequently happens, it is often difficult to find the number beside the item for you to punch in.

Restaurants are not cheap allow about £24 per person, highly recommended are the (pricey) evening dining boats on the Seine.

Paris is always worth a visit even for a few days.

GKF Apr03