We brought along our trusted lightweight stroller for the trip. I couldn’t say Paris is a very stroller friendly place, but having it definitely saved us from strained arms.

We didn’t check in the stroller at the airport. I have heard stories about broken or lost parts due to improper handling and didn’t want to take the risk. Anyway, we could leave the stroller with the crew at the bridge and collect it again when we land, I believe the chance of retrieving a damaged stroller will be minimized.

On ground level, using a stroller posed not much of a problem. The walkways are wide. There is plenty of space to walk, well, except for Champs-Elysees, which is packed with tourist. There are plenty of pedestrian crossings, so we don’t have to worry about dashing across streets. However, I am still unsure about how their zebra crossings work. I noticed that most approaching vehicles didn’t stop at the zebra crossings (those without traffic lights) to allow pedestrians to cross. I usually wait for all the cars to clear before crossing, just to play safe.

Getting into the Metro or train stations gets more challenging with a stroller. It is a system built many years ago, so I guess it wasn’t designed with stroller or wheelchair in mind. Expect to fold the stroller and carry it up and down various stairs. Most stations aren’t fitted with lifts; those with lifts see hordes of commuters squeezing into them.

However, train commuters are very helpful towards the elderly or parents with infants. They readily give up their seats upon seeing those in need, almost immediate like reflex. Some even helped by holding the closing doors open so we don’t have to miss the train. These commuters, I assumed they were the locals, looks so cold and expressionless but were not hesitant to lend a helping hand.

Bringing along the stroller to places like museums, churches, palaces and gardens can be challenging too. The cobblestones roads are very bumpy, especially to those lightweight, small wheels models. Most of the gardens are paved with sands or small stones. Slightly bumpy and not too smooth, but not as bad as the cobblestones ones. We also skipped climbing up the churches, not wanting to carry the load of the stroller.

Not too sure about the other museums, but Musee d’Orsay isn’t stroller friendly too. The staff let me in without having to queue, but inside the museum, we were greeted with many steps. Not those long flight of stairs, just a few steps here and there, so we were able to carry the stroller around. We tried looking for the lift to bring us to the higher floors, but couldn’t find any. The escalators helped though.

After a week of wheeling it around, my new and well maintained stroller now look well seasoned. Though traveling with it was rather inconvenient at times, I am still glad to bring it with us. It was always very handy when the child became tired and refused to walk anymore or when she needed her nap badly.