Disabled access

Paris is a city full of historical heritage, which often implies difficult or limited access for people with disabilities. The city is making a visible effort to adapt, and so to offer a greater accessibility to its treasures... thanks to notable improvements in a variety of installations open to the public, such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, transports, museums and different leisure venues.

Since 1997, the French Secretary of State for Tourism has been taking steps to raise awareness and mobilize representatives of the tourist industry in order to improve the integration of people with disabilities into the world of tourism.

In 2001, an intensive campaign of identification has been undertaken on a national level, with reference to 4 main categories of disability: physical, mental, visual and hearing. The "Tourisme & Handicap" label aims to provide accurate information for clients with specific needs, regarding the accessibility of holiday and leisure venues.

In addition to this label, there is a set of regulations in France dating from 1978, outlining the measures to be taken to ensure that new facilities open to the public are accessible to people with limited mobility.

The "Tourisme & Handicap" label

The "Tourisme & Handicaps" association, in existence since 28 February 2001, aims to heighten the awareness of tourism professionals to the needs of people with disabilities within holiday and leisure venues, and to implement and manage the measures favouring policies that contribute to the provision of these facilities.

Contact the "Tourisme & Handicaps" association on: tourisme.handicaps@club-internet.fr


The "Tourisme & Handicap" label has been created for use nationwide: its role being to provide a reliable, detailed and objective source of information, both concerning the accessibility of tourist sites and facilities, taking into account 4 categories of disability: hearing, visual, mental and physical, and also to develop a range of tourism products that are adapted and integrated into the general range of tourism services, in particular accommodation, restaurants, cultural sites (museums, monuments, etc.) and leisure facilities.

The Ile-de-France region is also taking part in this initiative and the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau is helping to promote sites awarded this label.

You will find them on our web site designated by the logos indicating accessibility for one or more disabilities:

Physical disability

Mental disability

Visual impairment

Hearing impairment

To consult the list of sites in Paris with this label, see the different parts of our visitors website www.parisinfo.com or click here
To consult the list of sites in the Ile-de-France region with this label, visit the website of the Comité Régional du Tourisme Ile-de-France (Regional Tourist Authority): www.pidf.com

Regulations - establishments considered to be accessible according to disabled standards ("accessibles normes handicapés")

In addition to the label, there exists a set of regulations in France dating from February 1978, outlining the measures to be taken to ensure that all new facilities open to the public are accessible to people with limited mobility (accommodation, restaurants, museums and monuments, show venues, town halls, hospitals, libraries, etc.)

Establishments conforming to these regulations are indicated by the mention "accessible normes handicapés" (disabled access) on their information sheets on our web site. This information does not necessarily correspond to the criteria laid down by the "Tourisme & Handicap" label and are conveyed under the sole responsibility of the owner or manager of each establishment.

You will find this mention specifically in the "Accommodation" section of our visitors website, under "Hotels" and "Aparthotels". According to current regulations, it is compulsory for all hotels built since 1978 to provide one or more rooms adapted for persons with physical disabilities:

one adapted room for a total of less than 20 rooms,
at least two adapted rooms for a total of less than 50 rooms,
and above that, one adapted room for every 50 additional rooms.
The Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau endeavours to assemble and to circulate as much information as possible on accessibility for disabled persons, for all types of service and establishment.