Are you planning a trip to Paris soon? Are you looking to do something a little different during your time in the City of Light? If so, you must take a ride on the coolest little blue train the city has to offer with Another Paris. There is no better way to see the streets of Paris.
Update: Another Paris little blue train is no longer operational.
What is Another Paris?
Another Paris is a unique tour that takes you through the little side streets of the city to experience the real Paris and enjoy panoramic views from the comfort of the little blue train. There are five different routes to choose from and they are all wheelchair accessible. So you’re sure to find one that interests you…if not them all. If we had more time in Paris we’d definitely do all the routes.
- Royal Route – the île de la Cité, the Marais and the île Saint
- Academic Route – upper part of the left bank of the river Seine
- Artist Route – Saint-Germain des Prés and the plain of Grenelle
- Elegance Route – the luxurious Paris- Palais Royal, Garnier Opera House etc
- Bohemian Route – Montparnasse, secret areas in the 14th district
Accessibility on the Little Blue Train
Another Paris offers great accessibility for disabled passengers. Wheelchair users will access the train via a ramp at the back of the third carriage, which can accommodate a total of two wheelchairs. Wheelchair users are advised to book in advance to allow the driver to prepare and remove the necessary seats to better accommodate your wheelchair.
We arrived for our tour at 11:30am and met Anne, our driver, and once inside the train, she made sure my wheelchair was secure and safely in place with belts.
Before going on the tour I was worried about how secure I was going to feel on the Another Paris train. I had visions of my wheelchair moving around and my butt feeling every bump in the road.
I didn’t have to worry about any of that because the whole journey was pretty smooth and my wheelchair didn’t move all at. This is helped by the relaxing pace of the train as it moves along at 15 km/h ensuring everyone feels safe and comfortable at all times.
Each carriage of the little train is fitted with screens displaying images and subtitles on the approach to each building of interest, which is in perfect sync with the audio-guided tour.
To hear the audio you must wear the provided earphones and switch to the correct channel to hear it in either French, English, German, Spanish or Italian. There are headphones available if you prefer or have difficulty wearing the earphones.
The Another Paris little blue train provides great viewing for everyone including wheelchair users, which is often rare on other forms of transportation and bus tours.
Panoramic views are enjoyed through the large side windows and glass rooftop. This gives amazing views of the streets, buildings, trees and even the tops of buildings, which you wouldn’t get on regular bus tours unless you are on the top deck of an open-top tour bus (not accessible for wheelchair users).
The little blue train is fully enclosed making it perfect in any weather and the glass rooftop protects you from bad weather. So whether the sun is splitting the sky or it’s pouring with rain you’re going to enjoy a comfortable ride. The following two photos were taken looking through the glass rooftop.
Little Blue Train Experience
We decided on the Academic Route for our first day in Paris. This route starts and finishes outside a restaurant called ‘Hippopotamus’ on n° 9 rue Lagrange (Lagrange Street) in the 5th arrondissement (district). The route covers the Latin Quarter and the Observatory, which is located in the upper part of the left bank of the river Seine.
During our 1hr 15 minutes tour of the Latin Quarter, we got to see an incredible 45 points of interest. Points of interests that we would not have had the chance to see if we hadn’t decided to book a tour with Another Paris.
Some of the most well-known buildings included Pantheon, Musée Cluny (Musée National du Moyen-Âge), Luxembourg Palace and Luxembourg Garden, Paris Observatory, Saint-Séverin Church, Art and Archaeology Institute (Allan loved this red brick building – see photo below) and Notre-Dame Cathedral.
The tour ended outside Hippopotamus around 1:20 pm, so we decided to stop there for some lunch and it was so good. I’d highly recommend having something to eat in this restaurant after your Another Paris tour. After lunch, we walked across to Notre Dame Cathedral as it was a short 5-minute walk.
Final Thoughts
Another Paris tourist train tour was a great way to kick-start our trip to Paris in a really cool way. It was fun, educational and gave us the chance to get our bearings while seeing the little side streets of the city that we probably wouldn’t have seen otherwise.
The tour is extremely enjoyable and comfortable compared to regular bus and walking tours. Our driver, Anne was incredibly warm, friendly and reassuring. With a great passion for Paris and her company, she has earned many awards including Tourisme & Handicaps in 2013 and Trophée de l’Accessibilité des Régions in 2015. Tickets are very affordable costing only €13 for adults and €6, 50 for children.
I highly recommend taking a wheelchair accessible tour with Another Paris to experience the true Parisian streets. You won’t be disappointed and you’ll leave wanting to do more of the routes.
Looking for a hotel while in Paris, read my review on Hilton Paris Opera!
Disclosure: I received one complimentary ticket for the Another Paris train tour in return for sharing my experience on my blog. All opinions shared in this post are my own and have not been reviewed or endorsed by Another Paris.
