Toilets, Paris

My wife has arthritis in her ankles and hips which make movement slow and somewhat difficult (although she can walk slowly without assistance.) We stayed in four different hotels in France selected from 3 and 4 star accommodations in major cities -- Paris, Lyon, Grenoble, Avignon. Three of the four had bathroom facilities - tubs/showers- that were impossible for her to use safely without help - high clearances to enter the tubs; no slip-resistant mats/ strips in the tubs; no grab rails; and otherwise clumsy facilities.

She also observed that many (well over half) of the restaurants we dined in did not have restroom facilities on the ground floor. As noted, she can manage stairs with effort, but had much difficulty; anyone requiring full wheelchair access will find that the availability of handicap facilities is far less than we are accustomed to in the US. It is an unfortunate reality that many of these historic (or at least old!) buildings are not accessible to those with mobility limitations.

Thus, we recommend that travelers with difficulty walking check out these facilities in advance whenever possible.

Don't be surprised if you see someone of the opposite sex using the wc next to you. Toilets in Europe are unisex. Yes, yes, yes I know... I didn't like it either but what could I do?? when you have to go, you HAVE to go! doesn't matter who is next to you!

There are loads of free toilets in Paris. They are brown shed like structures. I would only use these in an emmergancy though because you either have to squat or sit on a wet seat. They are ideal for a guy wanting a quick slash.
As you would expect the main tourist attractions have toilets and most like the Grand Arch are free once you are in.

If you are visiting Paris with a young child who is still in diapers, please be prepared to change his or her diaper on park benches or other such places. Most places, whether they are touristy or not, do not provide changing tables in their bathrooms.

The only places I have been able to find a changing table so far include:
- St. Joseph's Catholic Church on Avenue Hoche
- Printemps department store, Printemps de la Maison (basement level (-1) near the baby clothes) on Boulevard Haussmann
- Eiffel Tower, 1st level public bathrooms next to the gift shop, ask the bathroom employee to open the handicap bathroom
- Chateau de Versailles, restroom near the chateau tour entrance (not really Paris, but good to know)

My poor son has had to be changed on benches by Notre-Dame de Paris and Hotel Des Invalides! I know other people around us may not appreciate this, but we are not given any other choice.

*will update list as more are found

After I fell down and hurt my knee in Paris, which, as I write three months later, is still hurting, I realized how unaccessable the bathrooms are to people with physical disabilities. I would include extreme overweight in that catergory in this case too. Bathrooms are often down in the bowels of the resto where you must use either a spiral or very steep staircase. The spiral staircases are so narrow that if you are in the obese catergory you might have a problem also.

This is not so much a warning or a danger. It's a reminder to be sure you have some loose change handy. You never know when you will need to use the toilet and quite a few public toilets have attendants sitting inside expecting some change; generally any small change will do. Others like the ones (separate WC's for men and women) in the Jardin du Luxembourg have a fixed price! And an attendant is there to make sure you pay up.

You must pay .50 EU to use the washrooms at Versailles. The first washroom that we encountered near the bookstore had a long line out of the door. The line consisted of men and women and it was later discovered that men could walk to the front of the line, pay and use the washroom. I got in line and ended up having to leave once I got to the front because I didn't know and I didn't see the sign that said you had to pay. I didn't have any small change on me and I had to leave to find my husband. ONce you pay, you will get a ticket. Keep it, because they could ask you for proof later on. When I was there, there was a man that just wanted to wash his hands. He went in without paying and the attendant yelled and chased after him. She stopped and didn't follow him into the washroom but she then started asked to see our tickets because once you pay and get a ticket, you're still in line for a good 5 to 10 minutes!

The famous Samaritine department store has some great (free) washrooms on the 5th floor. The women's room has automatic sanitary napkin disposals (you just wave your hand in front of a sensor), a special liquid to squirt on your toliet paper to clean the seat, automatic sinks and blowers. Beware the if you go to the 9th floor where they sell souvenirs, there are coin machines on the washroom doors.