Visitor with visual impairment

The Parc zoologique de Paris is introducing a number of features to make the zoo more accessible to visitors with visual impairments.

Reception

Admission is free for disabled visitors and their carers on self-guided tours, on presentation of valid proof at the ticket office such as an official document available or a declaration on their honour.

Any additional accompanying person must pay for a ticket at the current rate.

A guide strip has been installed from each entrance gate to the ticket office, where reception staff are on hand to help you as soon as you arrive. Our reception staff are trained to welcome disabled visitors.

The information point is located after the access control. Wheelchairs can be loaned on request, in exchange for proof of identity. Please ask the information officer.

Tour itinerary

Floor markings have been put in place to make it easier for visually impaired visitors to find their way around the site independently. However, it is still advisable to bring a companion.

The walkway is flat, with the exception of two staircases (a step in front of the sea lion pool and a footbridge in front of the rhinoceroses), which are lined with walkways accessible to all.

Benches are provided at regular intervals throughout the tour, with the exception of the enclosed areas (Great Tropical Greenhouse, European Vivarium, Giraffe Gallery).

The signs presenting the species on the site have been designed to be easy to read for the visually impaired (contrasts, large print).

Orientation

Visitors follow concrete walkways 2 to 4 metres wide. The delineation between this path and the surrounding vegetation helps to guide you along the route.

You'll be able to spot the animal-watching areas thanks to the slight gradient and more natural ground. Depending on the animals you meet, these areas open onto railings or picture windows (indicated by a small step).

Important intersections are indicated by grooves in the ground, detectable by foot or cane. The main walkway is in light-coloured concrete. Secondary paths are indicated by dark areas with a more pronounced grading.

Visiting tips

The animals presented at the zoo remain wild animals, so it is not possible to arrange to touch them.
Shaded areas are available in the picnic areas (at Les Clairières and near the African Plain) in case of very hot weather. The zoo is also equipped with misting devices (on the forecourt, under the arch of the great rock and on the terrace of the Zarafa restaurant). It's best to visit in the morning or at the end of the day.

Tourism & Handicap Label

The Parc zoologique de Paris has been awarded the Tourisme & Handicap label, with the motor, visual and hearing pictograms.