How friendly is France for people in wheelchairs for accommodation, travel and tourist spots, including wineries?
A. The news isn’t good when it comes to wheelchair-accessible travel in France. Roughly paved footpaths and cobblestoned streets, a lack of kerb ramps, haphazardly parked cars and steps in front of museums and hotels can make getting around tricky. Also public toilets with disabled access are rare. With broken lifts and lack of ramps, using metros will be difficult in Paris. Some main-line train stations have ramps, while at others your friend will be relying on the guard to help out. High-speed TGVs include wheelchair space in first class, which must be booked in advance (with no extra charge); timetables for other trains will indicate if trains are wheelchair-friendly. Taxi drivers are obliged by law to assist and some taxi fleets include specialist services. In Paris, AMHAP (Association pour la Mobilite des Handicappes &225 Paris; Ph: 01-56-61-91-00) has a fleet of specially equipped vans. Before you leave home, you could purchase an information guide online from the UK-based Touris
