Planning an Accessible Trip to the Paris Olympics
Planning an Accessible Trip to the Paris Olympics
The United States will host the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics — How will their accessibility compare to this year's Olympic Games in France?
The Games of the XXXIII Olympiad kick off in Paris, France this summer, opening July 26 and concluding on August 11. The Paralympics follow, opening August 28 and concluding on September 8. While I had previously planned to attend the games, I missed the initial ticketing window and assumed that the limited number of wheelchair accessible seats would have sold out immediately.
Last week, after reading an article in The New York Times about accessibility preparations for the games, I was encouraged to give it a second look. The article fairly questions whether France has done enough to prepare for the arrival of disabled athletes and fans, but it also confirms an argument I first made in 2015, that international sporting events like the Olympics and World Cup improve accessibility for disabled residents and visitors. This Olympiad will have a bigger impact on accessibility than recent games, since most of the world was barred from attending those held in Tokyo (2020) and Beijing (2022), where planned investments in accessible infrastructure were curtailed.
(I’m eagerly awaiting the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics, because we need a lot of accessibility improvements in the United States!)
Accessible Seating at the 2024 Paris Olympics
When I began my search for tickets to this year’s Olympic Games, I was surprised to find that there are plenty of wheelchair accessible seating options still available, including at many of the sessions where medals will be awarded.
At most events, the cheapest tickets start at €24 EUR (about $26 USD) each. Companion tickets are not free, which came as a surprise to me — these games are being held in France, after all, where there has long been a critical focus on equity for disabled people. Read about the many wheelchair accessible attractions in Paris where admission is free for disabled people and their personal care assistants.
Tickets can be purchased from the Olympic Ticketing website and Paralympic Ticketing website, which has an extremely well-designed interface with the ability to filter events by location, venue, sport, date, price and the availability of wheelchair accessible seating. The noted “tickets from” price in search results reflects the lowest price available for standard tickets, but accessible seating may still be available in a lower price category which is otherwise sold out (The boxing event shown in the screenshot above, which lists tickets “from €150,” actually has wheelchair spaces available for €24).
“I guess I’m going to the Olympics?”
Given that I’m a huge tennis fan, I started my search there — when I found accessible seating for the men’s semifinal matches and women’s gold medal match (at center court, no less!), I scooped up the tickets without so much as a thought.
Sometimes, I admit, I struggle to control my adventure impulse, which leads me to make rash travel decisions. But, in fairness, seeing the top tennis players in the world compete for an Olympic medal at Roland Garros (site of the French Open) is tough for any tennis fan to pass up.
Once I hit submit on the payment screen, I said aloud (in an empty house and in a somewhat questioning tone), “I guess I’m going to the Olympics?”
Planning an Accessible Trip to the Olympics
You know as well as I do that securing tickets to a sporting event is one of the simplest pieces of the accessible travel puzzle, and I’m going to have a lot of planning to do. Where will I sleep? How will I get around? How long will I stay? There are so many questions to consider!
After taking a brief peek at flights and hotel rooms, I realized that the trip will be an expensive one. I won’t be able to stay for the entire Olympics, and I’ll have to pick and choose events wisely.
Building an itinerary
Although my itinerary is just beginning to take shape, I discovered that attending events outside of Paris — in cities like Nice and Marseille — would give me access to cheaper hotel rooms while allowing for the exploration of a region that I have longed to visit, the French Riviera.
So, in addition to the tennis I’ll see in Paris, I’ve also purchased tickets to a couple of football games in Nice and Marseille, including a women’s soccer group stage match between the United States and Australia (a rematch of the 2020 Olympics Bronze medal contest).
I am planning to spend a few days in each city and make a side trip to Monaco (a new country for me!) before continuing on to Paris. Although I will certainly enjoy the Olympic Games, my real purpose in extending the trip is to develop new content for WheelchairTravel.org — Readers frequently ask about accessibility in the cities on France’s Mediterranean coastline, and I’m looking forward to researching, writing and sharing those insights with you!
Finding accessible hotel rooms
When I am traveling on a budget, particularly outside of North America, one of the first places I look is the major hotel chain that is winning the accessibility race. While unfamiliar to many Americans, the chain has brands across the price spectrum and has rarely failed me — I’ve stayed in their properties in Europe and South America.
Although I have booked hotels in both Nice and Marseille, I am waiting to finalize my itinerary before making reservations in Paris. Paris is a big city, and I would prefer to stay at a hotel relatively close to where I will attend the most events. Although I will attend a few tennis matches, I am also interested in other events like fencing, volleyball and gymnastics, which are in different parts of the city. Once I have finalized my event plan, I will feel more comfortable reserving a room.
Wheelchair accessible transportation
The majority of travelers visiting the Olympics are traveling to Paris, France, and the cost of airfare reflects that — flights to Paris are expensive!
But, if you’re comfortable starting your trip in another city, there are plenty of deals to be found. I ultimately decided to book a flight from the United States to Nice, France using frequent flyer miles, but noted cash fares to the airport were unexpectedly affordable (under $700 USD round trip from the East Coast).
Flights were certainly important to nail down, but my number one consideration when traveling is the availability of wheelchair accessible ground transportation.
Public transit in Marseille and Nice appears to be largely accessible (with the exception of the Marseille metro). My initial research suggests I shouldn’t face any problems getting from the airports to my hotels, and onward to local attractions and the football stadiums. For the 100-mile trip between Nice and Marseille, I’ll plan to take a train for less Tham $50 USD.
Public transportation in Paris is much less accessible, but I’ve visited the city many times and am comfortable getting around on commuter trains and city bus services. Olympic organizers told The New York Times that Paris will quadruple the number of wheelchair accessible taxis from 250 to 1,000, just as Uber pledges to increase its UberWAV fleet from 40 to 170 wheelchair accessible vans. Let’s hope they hit those targets, and that the additional capacity remains long after the Olympic Games.
A few final thoughts
If you’ve considered traveling to attend the Summer Olympics — let this be notice that there is still time to plan a trip! It’s an event that only comes around once every four years, and many accessible seats remain!
While I’m thrilled to see Olympic sports in person, and to share my trip with you on the website and in this newsletter, I am also keen to observe and critique the accessibility preparations and planning that are so crucial to the experience of disabled attendees. The United States is officially on deck, set to host the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics, and I hope to bring back lessons from France that can be shared with the host cities and organizers. While the Paris organizing committee has repeatedly assured that the Olympics will be accessible, I expect to find opportunities for improvement which could benefit future international sporting events.
Have you attended the Olympics in the past, or are you traveling to the 2024 Games? Let me know in the comments — I would love to learn about your experience!
We will be attending Olympic events in both Marseille and Paris. In Paris, they are offering disabled shuttle service to events (you need to pre-register), but it adds hours to your event. We registered, but will make a game time decision once we see about other options.
Hi John, I was wondering if it would be possible to join you for the trip to the Games. Like a little group trip. You have such amazing abilities to plan everything so well, and I know it's really late notice, but... My summer plans fell apart and what if go to see Olympics!? I am disabled with ability to transfer, a bit despared to get out of my four walls