Paris with a Chemo Patient: 12 First-Hand Tips for a Fun and Comfortable 4-Day Trip

At the start of my breast cancer journey, a wise woman told us to celebrate the milestones because the road is long. After one year of chemotherapy, nine months of antibody therapy, an operation to remove three tumours, six weeks of radiotherapy, six months of anti-hormonal therapy and too many side effects to count, we had numerous milestones to celebrate.

And I really needed a break.

Miss M had a 5-day weekend for Karneval (lots of Berliners). By chance, it was also our twelfth wedding anniversary. It was the perfect opportunity for a few days away.

We were not going to let the opportunity pass us by.

As Julia Ormond says in Sabrina (1995 remake), “Paris is always a good idea.”

But whatever we chose to do, our trip to Paris would have to accommodate my health.

This is how to do—and not to do—Paris with a chemo patient.

(These tips work for short holidays and city trips to other destinations during cancer treatment, too!)

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Should you travel during cancer treatment?

This is my experience. I spoke to my oncologist before we booked, and he understood how much I needed this trip to clear my head. He warned against overloading our itinerary, asked me to consider taking a wheelchair, gave me special plasters for my feet, wrote repeat prescriptions for my anti-nausea and diarrhoea medications, and told me stories about learning to suture in Paris.

Each cancer patient is different. Your needs will differ from mine.

Please consult your doctor before you book your trip.

Whether you are still undergoing chemotherapy or other cancer treatment, your doctor is best placed to discuss with you the risks, precautions, timing, and other considerations of such a trip.

If you plan to fly, your doctor may need to provide proof of fitness to fly.

And your doctor may want to test your leucocytes for risk of infection before you go.

Get insurance

When travelling with a pre-existing condition like cancer, you need to ensure your insurance policy covers any necessary medical care while abroad. This includes any emergency treatments, hospital stays, and repatriation if you need to return home earlier than planned. Look for policies designed for cancer patients or those with serious health conditions. Read the fine print to ensure you’re fully covered.

Unfortunately, insurance issues don’t always stop for cancer patients when their treatment finishes. Some companies won’t offer you insurance until you’ve been cancer-free for some months or even years. Be prepared for higher travel insurance costs if your treatment finished recently. Prices generally go down the longer you’re cancer-free.

A much-needed break

The light at the end of the tunnel was a long way off, and my endless treatment was taking a toll on me. For months, I had only been to appointments with my doctors or specialists (for treatment and procedures), the hospital (for scans), the chemist to collect medications, and the supermarket for groceries (though I used delivery mostly). Introspection was my middle name after staring at the same four walls for so long.

My constant gaze was annoying my belly button.

I needed a change of scenery. Clearly.

I also relished the chance to focus on something other than my treatment and side effects. This alone was therapy. I even made a mini app for our trip.

As a family, we also needed some time together without the normal burdens of school, work, treatment, and caring for an elderly relative.

And we had much to celebrate. Carnival. A year of treatment (my first chemo was on Carnival Monday 2024). Still being happy together after 12 years of marriage and a very difficult year. Miss M’s place at her preferred secondary school.

We intended to celebrate.

How we chose where to go

To a large extent, where you live and how you are coping with your treatment will dictate where you can go.

You need to be reasonably fit for a city trip, even if you don’t want to see all the city has to offer. Yes, you can travel with a wheelchair. But the cobblestones and stairs make most older European cities not wheelchair-friendly, despite legal requirements.

We considered going to the seaside, where I could sit and enjoy the view while Peter and Miss M were more adventurous. This would have been too cold as it was still winter. Besides, I could people-watch better from a cosy cafe in Paris.

We considered various cities. Many were rejected because they were too far away (we’d have to fly to Italy or Spain, adding additional expense; Budapest or Vienna would mean 10+ hours on the train each way), we’d been there too often (Berlin, Brussels, Munich), hotel costs were prohibitive (Amsterdam), or there were few things we still wanted to do (Hamburg). I wasn’t up to camping or hiking. Skiing was unrealistic and out of our budget. 

It is also important to consider the rest of your party. Miss M was going, too. She is 9 years old and developing her own opinions. We wanted a range of activities she would enjoy, too. She deserved the break as much as Peter and me.

Why we chose Paris

Paris checked all our boxes.

Miss M and I had been to Paris before (and have the posts to prove it). Peter and I had been there before. I went to Paris regularly when I lived in Brussels. We had been to Disneyland, but we had never been to Paris properly as a family. And we had never done Paris with a chemo patient. 

Familiarity was part of the draw. We knew our way around and had visited all the major sights (at least individually). We knew the city, could judge distances, were familiar with public transport, had stayed at our hotel before, and spoke enough French to communicate needs or ask about ingredients in meals. Familiarity also meant I would not suffer FOMO if I had to take a break (and not go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, for example).

Paris has a good range of options. It has 136 museums, as well as churches, parks, and interesting quarters to visit, even in winter. Miss M was eager to show Peter some of her favourite places. She longed to go up the Eiffel Tower.

Crossing off a bucket list item can also help with your mental health while having cancer treatment. An Australian study from 2024 found that travel was a key bucket-list item for many cancer patients and their friends and family. And Paris was on my bucket list.

Paris is also the city of love, and it was our wedding anniversary.

Choosing when to go

In Germany, school attendance is compulsory. Parents can be fined for taking their children out of school without approval. We had to present documents and get approval for Miss M to miss two days of school to attend a wedding in Australia. Unless we want to risk a fine, our vacations are limited to weekends, school holidays, and pupil-free days.

The weather will not necessarily affect your timing, but it may affect your choice of location. In winter, a city with various museums and places that are dry and warm will be better than camping out on a hillside. That’s why we chose to visit Paris with a chemo patient.

Timing is everything. Plan your trip around your treatment schedule. For most chemo patients, the best time to travel is immediately before the next round of treatment. There is no point going if you know you will need to sleep for a few days to recover from treatment and effectively miss the holiday.

You also need to be fit enough to travel.

Fortunately, it was a pause week in my chemotherapy treatment and the third week in my immunotherapy cycle. This was when I felt best during my treatment. And travel was on my bucket list.

How to travel

We chose to drive.

I wanted to avoid trains (and train bathrooms). Rushing to make connections, air turbulence, and the increased risk of blood clots from a flight put several possible locations out of our reach. Being in a confined space with 100+ other passengers would also have increased the risk of developing an infection or illness at a time when my immune system was battered.

Driving meant we could stop for a break whenever my side effects demanded it. 

Other considerations

Again, every chemo patient is different.

If you are considering visiting Paris with a chemo patient, be prepared for the potential side effects of treatment.

These can include fatigue (pick me!), increased risk of infection, blood clots when flying or sitting still for a prolonged period, lymphoedema (swelling), and sun sensitivity. The last one was not too much of an issue for us, as it rained and was bitterly cold for most of our trip. But summer or spring would be different. 

While you may be a seasoned solo traveller, I would NOT recommend a solo trip when you are undergoing cancer treatment. Freedom is great, but what happens if you are having a bad day and are physically unable to continue without support?

What to do in Paris with a chemo patient

We wanted to ensure our itinerary had a good mix of activities to satisfy all our needs and be flexible enough to adapt to my health issues. After all, we were visiting Paris with a chemo patient. 

Our itinerary also had to be child-appropriate. Miss M helped choose what we would do. She had her bucket list and numerous optional activities. For example, she chose the Musée d’Orsay over the Louvre and the Orangerie. Peter also decided we would spend a day at Disneyland Paris, which delighted Miss M.

Unfortunately, what we did and what we had planned to do are not the same. Seeing Paris as a chemo patient was more challenging than I had expected. Some of my side effects also decided to flare up (hand-foot syndrome and my chronic diarrhoea). We had to adjust some of our plans to allow for more rest.

Despite this, we had a great time and filled our days to the brim.

Day 1 – Paris with a chemo patient

The first day was a travel day with some Paris sights thrown in. Peter had to work late the night before, so we left later than planned. Our trip also took longer, too, because we (well, I) needed several comfort breaks.

We arrived at our hotel around 3 pm and checked in. Our hotel was located on the outskirts of Paris, a 20 to 25-minute train ride from the city centre.

When we reached our hotel, we took a break. I took a much-needed nap, Peter checked in with his office, and Miss M had some time on her iPad.

Once we were ready, we caught the train into the city centre. Our first stop was going to be Avenue Hausmann, but due to our delayed start, we headed straight to Les Invalides. Plans change and all that.

Les Invalides – Aura Invalides

We stopped for a quick croque-monsieur and fries at a small cafe near Les Invalides. We wanted somewhere close, and our options were few. 

The first official event of our trip was a wonderful multimedia show inside Les Invalides, called Aura Invalides. There were clearly more French than English speakers at the show (it seems to be more popular with locals than tourists), but everything was in English, too.

Aura works with the dome’s architectural features, highlighting them through a beautiful and educational light-and-sound show. It is a fantastic way to see the dome of Les Invalides, the tombs of Napoleon Bonaparte and his brothers, and the mausoleum of Vauban.

Eiffel Tower

From there, we walked to the Eiffel Tower. It was closed the last time we were in Paris (Bastille Day preparations), and Miss M was itching to visit the viewing platforms. Friday evening was the only time I’d been able to get tickets – make sure you book yours in advance!

I sat on a bench and enjoyed the daily light show while Peter and Miss M took the elevator up to the second floor. I’d booked tickets for them to go all the way to the top, but Miss M chickened out. She had a healthy respect for the shaky elevator and the significant platform height.

After a delicious crepe, we made our way back to our hotel. Conscious that I was flagging and still had 3 days to go, Peter hailed a taxi to get us back to the nearest station (Opera). Needless to say, I slept like a log despite the strange bed. 

Paris with a chemo patient – Day 2

After a leisurely breakfast at a local bakery (a Paul chain bakery, but the food was perfect for our needs), we caught the train into the city. This time, our destination was the Jardin des Plantes.

Jardin des Plantes

Miss M and I spent a lovely day in the garden and at the sublime Natural History Museum when we were last in Paris. It is a delightful oasis in the busy city.

This time, we strolled through the garden and visited the Menagerie. And went on the Dodo Carousel of extinct and endangered animals, of course.

A walk along the Seine

After a delightful morning, we strolled along the Seine to Île Sainte-Louis for some delicious Berthillon ice cream and macarons. IYKYK. I don’t remember ever visiting Île Saint-Louis to see the island itself, but it is a delightful, relaxed area to stroll through with various boutiques and cafes.

We continued along and crossed the pedestrian bridge – the seventh to span the gap between the two islands – to Île de la Cité and Notre Dame Cathedral. The cathedral reopened to the public three months earlier; this was our first chance to see it.

The queue at Notre Dame was long, VERY long, and we had not been able to get tickets online. You can only book them a couple of days in advance; by 8 a.m. each morning, they were booked out. A few days later, tickets were available just after midnight (European time) – perhaps that’s when you should book?

Sainte-Chapelle

After a few obligatory photos and a couple of souvenir keyrings, we continued past Notre Dame to Sainte-Chapelle. Unlike Notre Dame, entry to Sainte-Chapelle is not free. 

It had been on my bucket list for years. 

I didn’t know I would need to walk up several flights of stairs to reach the chapel. I struggled, but the view was worth the effort.

I could have sat and admired the stained glass windows for hours, but rumbling stomachs destroyed the mood.

Despite the snail-like descent (I’m poor on stairs at the moment and keep falling), and the scaffolding blocking one of the stained-glass windows, I’m thrilled we went.

After the exertion, we found a Brasserie across the road (Les Deux Palais) for a little break. We had planned to try one of the cafés in Galeries Lafayette (Miss M would have loved the milkshakes and hot chocolate at EL&N), but hunger got the better of us.

Les Deux Palais may not be the best restaurant in Paris, nor does it serve any viral dish or have any Michelin stars, but it was perfect for our needs. 

Sunset at Galeries Lafayette

Refuelled on cheese, crepes, fries, and a delicious salad, we caught the metro to Galeries Lafayette to watch the sunset from the rooftop. Entry to the rooftop is free, and the view of Opéra Garnier and the Eiffel Tower is sublime. 

To get there, take the lift or escalators up, up, up to the 7th floor of the Galeries Lafayette Haussmann (not the neighbouring Lafayette Homme or Lafayette Gourmet). Keep an eye out for the signs hanging from the ceiling indicating the roof terrace, and take another escalator up to the 8th floor. The terrace is open from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (except in inclement weather).

While we were at Galeries Lafayette, we shopped (unsuccessfully) for a handbag for my birthday and watched delighted faces collect their stuffed baked goods at the Jellycat Patisserie (5th floor). 

Peter and Miss M were lucky enough to be the last people allowed on the Glasswalk, a 9-metre-long glass walkway suspended 16 metres above the ground under the gorgeous stained-glass dome. My sweaty palms took shaky photos while I waited, but the adventurers loved the view. We did not need a booking, but it was winter, and we had a bit of luck on our side. You can book your time slot here. Access is from the third floor.

With the store closing, we made our way to a Chinese restaurant near the Opera. The food was great, but the service was terrible. The ladies were friendly, but Peter is still waiting for his beer…

Exhausted and replete, we made our way back to our hotel.

Paris with a chemo patient – Day 3

Brunch in Sainte-Germain

Sunday started in Saint-Germain. We’d hoped to visit Loulou’s Australian diner for our anniversary. I thought it would be a nice touch, given we got married in Australia. I had not been able to reserve a table for brunch, and the line was too long. 

Instead, we dined on delicious crepes and galettes at Crêperie Bobo, which has the sweetest and most helpful waiter/owner.

After brunch, we strolled through the quarter and stumbled upon a small flea market. This is not uncommon in Paris – I have stumbled upon numerous markets over the years. Miss M fell in love with a cute but unusual ring and purchased it with money from her Oma.

Museum d’Orsay

Our stroll along the Seine took longer today. The Bouquinistes (little stands selling books) and their wares provided distraction, and I felt the effects of our exertions the day before. Visiting Paris with a chemo patient is not always easy.

Our destination was the Musée d’Orsay. Miss M had picked it as the one museum we would visit. She had learned about and imitated Van Gogh, Monet, and Frida Kahlo in art at school and wanted to see some of the originals.

Our visit coincided with the first Sunday of the month. This meant our tickets were free, but had to be booked a month in advance (on the Monday after the first Sunday of the month before). It also meant the museum burst at the seams.

With museum entry free, I splurged on audio guides. This was a highlight for Miss M; she did not want to leave. The kids’ audioguide is led by Pompom (a white polar bear, named after a statue by François Pompom) and Lily (a frog who lives among Monet’s water lilies at the Orangerie). She flitted from masterpiece to masterpiece, listening to the commentary. 

We had a much-needed break for drinks, ice cream, and cake at Café Campana. The views through the clock face are iconic. Miss M flitted around further, taking photos of the iconic clock and the view. (The clock was off limits to those who were not dining at the café.)

A cruise along the Seine

Miss M milked the audio guide for all it was worth, staying at the museum until the very last moment. 

When we emerged from the hallowed halls, we decided to take a boat tour. We had floated the idea of a dinner cruise for our anniversary, but decided against it. A tour without food was still doable.

Paris is charming from the Seine. Floating along, taking in the sights, is a delightful way to rest while sightseeing. We took a sunset cruise.

For dinner, we decided to return to Les Deux Palais. We had a delicious Brasserie meal, and our waiter was courteous and attentive, in a good way. And the crème brulé was a performance!

And we already knew how to get back to our hotel, where we headed next!

Paris with a chemo patient – Day 4

Disneyland

Monday took us to Disney Studios (now Disney Adventure World) and Disneyland. 

Mid-week tickets are often cheaper in winter. We must have chosen a holiday weekend in various countries because there was no price difference. Oh well.

I won’t go into much detail here: check out our Disneyland Paris review instead.

But I will comment on visiting Disneyland Paris with a chemo patient:

1. I could not ride everything. Between latent nausea, queue length, and general fatigue, I was not up to all the rides. Any ride that went round and round too much, went up, then fell (Twilight Zone Tower of Terror), or had a queue of more than 45 minutes was beyond me. Several rides were also closed for winter, renovations, or technical issues (Hyperspace Mountain).
2. The new Avengers Campus is open! The Aerosmith coaster is now Avengers Assemble: Flight Force, and the new Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure was fun. The food at Stark Industries’ Italian restaurant was average, but it was a great place for me to rest while Peter and Miss M went on a couple of rides I couldn’t do. You will need a break. (The new Arendelle/Frozen area opened at the end of March 2026!)
3. Walking was more difficult at Disneyland than at Disney Studios (renamed Disney Adventure World in 2026). I have peripheral neuropathy (one of my fun chemotherapy side effects) and stumble on uneven ground, especially when tired. Disneyland’s paths were a challenge – Frontierland was the worst. 
4. The Disney Studios entry (World Premier Plaza) was being updated. This meant fewer food choices in Disney Studios. I stumbled most on the footpaths of the alternative entry.
5. Disney facilities are kept clean, but finding them is like navigating a rabbit warren. If nausea or other stomach issues are a problem, make sure you leave enough time to reach them.

Paris with a chemo patient: What if you don’t want to go to Disneyland?

It’s Paris – there is so much to do. And most of it is suitable for a chemo patient.

If your nausea level is not up to the roller coasters and other rides of the Disney playground, try some of these itineraries instead:

1. Visit a museum, like the Petit Palais. The permanent exhibition of the Petit Palais is free, and Café 1902 is lovely. We’ve got 5 alternative museums to suggest if you, like me, are visiting Paris with kids (and not only a chemo patient). 
2. Select a neighbourhood in Paris and take a stroll or a tour. I planned to go to Montmartre, wonder at the Moulin Rouge, visit the Love Wall, and find a cafe or restaurant to rest and refuel. We had been to Sacré-Cœur before, and the funicular was under repair… There was no way I would make it up the stairs. Or the hills of Montmartre. 
   We also considered the Marais (and Le Semaritain department store for some art nouveau charm), or a picnic at Jardin du Luxembourg, some medieval marvels at the Cluny Museum, a stop at Saint-Sulpice Church, and afternoon tea in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
3. Visit a park or garden. Go for a stroll. Sit and people watch. Our favourites are the Jardin des Plantes, Parc Monceau, and Parc des Buttes-Chaumont. And who can go past the Jardin du Luxembourg or Jardin des Tuileries (combine it with a visit to the Musée de l’Orangerie). 
4. Go shopping! Try one of the Grand Magasins: Galeries Lafayette or Printemps on Boulevard Haussmann, BHV in the Marais, Le Bon Marché in the 7th arrondissement, or Le Samaritaine near Pont Neuf. If it’s raining, try some of the 21 covered passages: Galerie Véro-Dodat and Galerie Vivienne near Palais Royale, Passage Choiseul near Rue Sainte-Anne, Passage des Panoramas near the Grandes Boulevards, or Passage du Grand-Cerf near Metro Étienne Marcel. 
   While some of these are great for coins, stamps, and vintage postcards, try the flea market at Porte de Clignancourt (Marché aux Puces Saint-Ouen) for more variety. It’s the largest antique market in the world (7 hectares!), so don’t plan to see it all.
5. If you are a fan of the film Sabrina, take a self-guided tour of some of the sights in the film! The 1954 movie used a sound stage for its French scenes, but the 1995 remake filmed around Paris. Make sure you include Place du Trocadéro, le Soleil de la Butte, Pont des Arts, Pont Alexandre III, and Shakespeare & Company bookshop. There are Emily in Paris tours and our Miraculous tour, too.
6. Take a trip outside of Paris, such as to Versailles. Follow in the footsteps of Camille Pissarro and Vincent van Gogh and visit Auvers-sur-Oise and nearby Pontoise (about 30-45 minutes from Paris). If Monet is more your style, visit Giverny and tour his house, gardens, and the lily scenes from his most famous paintings (April to October only). You can also tour the Loire Valley and castles like Chenonceau, Chambord, and Amboise with a small private tour. 

Recovery

Is it worth visiting Paris with a chemo patient if they will need the length of the trip to recover afterwards?

According to my watch, we walked more than 400% of my daily steps. I missed my afternoon naps. My joints were swollen and painful, particularly my knees and hips. Paris has millions of cobblestones. I had blisters and cuts on the soles of my feet despite the preventative bandages.

When we returned home, I wiped out. Peter cooked (well, ordered in). 

My oncologist had warned me. The fatigue was real. 

For the rest of the week, I took copious long naps. I woke up for appointments and not much else. I took shorter walks to prevent stiffness, and needed time with my legs elevated. I had an appointment with my podiatrist, too.

(Yes, I have one now due to the impact of the chemo on my feet and toenails. They are not summer-ready!)

And then my next chemo round hit me.

While recovery took longer than I would have liked, I do not regret going to Paris or the experiences we had. 

What we ate

Food aversions are a common side effect of chemotherapy. What do you eat in the city of love when French delicacies are incompatible with your tricky palate?

While I could not stomach too much cheese, or anything popular on TikTok, we did enjoy numerous French specialities:

• Croque Monsieur (a toasted ham and cheese sandwich with a creamy sauce and cheese on top) and fries near Les Invalides
• Fresh crepes at the Eiffel Tower
• Croissants and hot chocolate for breakfast
• Berthillon for ice cream and macarons on Île de la Cité
• A cheese platter as an afternoon snack
• Salade du chèvre chaud au miel (warm goat’s cheese salad with honey), reminiscent of our French afternoon tea sandwiches!
• More crepes
• Galettes (buckwheat pancakes) with bacon, egg, cheese, and potato for brunch
• Free crepes with strawberries and white chocolate
• Chocolat liégeois (chocolate ice cream sundae) and 5 mini-choux pâtissiers while enjoying the view from the Musée d’Orsay.
• A perfectly cooked steak
• Crème Brulée – with a performance to caramelise the sugar
• More delicious crepes at Disney Studios
• More traditional bakery food.

We had considered a dinner cruise to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Between the limited set menu and my difficult palate (one of the most fun side effects of chemotherapy), finding something I could eat on the cruise would be challenging. 

Sometimes we had to adjust our plans. We were starving and could not wait to eat at one of the gorgeous cafés at Galeries Lafayette. We ended up eating at a Brasserie instead. We enjoyed delicious crepes purchased from street vendors when hunger struck. We grabbed a quick croque-monsieur from a brasserie close to Les Invalides before watching the Aura. 

We passed on the fine-dining options, and couldn’t record any TikTok posts to turn some new Parisian experiment viral. But we enjoyed our spontaneous menu. And several crepes. I guess this is the downside of eating your way through Paris with a chemo patient. 

Where we stayed – and where we should have stayed

We booked our hotel months before learning my chemo would not end in February as planned. And we paid in advance.

We chose a hotel we’d stayed at before. It is about halfway along the train line between Paris and Disneyland. We knew our way around the nearby shopping centre, bakery, and train station. And they have on-site parking.

It was a fraction of the price of a hotel room in Paris, and slept three people to a room, albeit with little space for much else. 

For most trips, the hotel would have been perfect. 

But this was not a normal trip. 

This was Paris with a chemo patient, and my needs were a little different.

There were two problems with our hotel choice. 

First, the train stop is in a shopping mall which closes late at night and on Sundays. When we returned after our first day in Paris, we had a 20-minute walk back to our hotel – the long way around with copious stairs. Stairs are perilous for someone with peripheral neuropathy as a side effect of her chemotherapy. 

Second, like many chemo patients, I need an afternoon nap. I still do. Our hotel was a 20- to 25-minute train ride away from Paris. This made it inconvenient to return to our room during the day. To solve this problem, we enjoyed a longer break each day. Our brief holiday still sapped all my energy.

One tip: Book a hotel in the middle of Paris (or whatever city you are visiting). 

Yes, budget is a consideration. Paris is expensive, especially if you need a room which sleeps more than two people. But proximity to the sights you wish to see and a convenient Metro or bus stop are also important when you’re visiting Paris with a chemo patient. 

If our hotel had been closer to some of the sights we wanted to see, I would have returned each afternoon for a nap. I needed them. 

Miss M and Peter could have used the downtime to relax and avoid overwhelm. Or they could have gone sightseeing without me. 

(I had been to Paris numerous times and was not worried about FOMO if I needed a break. This was also one of the reasons we chose Munich last year for our brief summer holiday, while I recovered from my lumpectomy.)

My recovery would have been shorter with naps.

The trip back to our hotel each evening would also have been much shorter and not drained the last ounce of my energy each day. 

We should have booked a hotel close to various restaurants, so we could take only a short stroll for dinner when I was unable to walk much farther. We had good memories of the restaurant in our hotel. It is no longer open on weekends, leaving us with few options in our area. 

You may also want to check that your hotel has lifts (elevators) and a fridge in your room to keep any medications cool.

Was Paris the right move in the middle of my therapy?

A thousand times, yes.

Yes, it took a lot out of me. And yes, I needed five days to recover. But the benefits for my mental health were immeasurable.

For weeks before our trip, I booked tickets, found places that would be fun but not too taxing for me, and calculated the best way to get there. I coordinated our itinerary with Peter and Miss M to incorporate their wishes. I even made us an “app” with everything we needed from a packing list to all our bookings.

I had time on my hands; watching reels on what to do in Paris took less concentration than reading or watching Netflix.

The trip gave us something to look forward to, not just plan. This was helpful when I was struggling with the monotony of my weekly schedule (doctors, chemists, supermarket ad nauseam) and the side effects of my treatment, and how long my therapy still had to go. 

Our whole family could look forward to our trip. And we needed a few days away as a unit after the year we had had.

The trip away forced me to focus on something other than myself and gave me time to clear my head.

I may have come back exhausted, but I felt much more positive about the treatments still to come and my ability to cope with the side effects.

My best advice

Simply: Manage your expectations.

A trip to Paris – or any large city – is not a normal city trip when travelling with a chemo patient. 

As a chemo patient, you need to be aware of it. And your fellow travellers need to understand your limitations, too.

To see the city, you will need to walk. A lot. 

Yes, there is the metro system, but even if you vow to use as much public transport as possible, you will still have to walk up and down stairs (it was scary how many lifts were not working), and within the stations. Cobblestones are hard on the joints. And you will walk slower than your “normal” or “healthy” tempo. Keep this in mind when planning your routes.

Consider taking or hiring a wheelchair, but be aware of the cobblestones and inaccessibility of many metro stations (either because there is no wheelchair access or because the lifts are out of order). 

Avoid travelling in peak times if possible, as you will be slower and more unsteady on your feet than the general public. 

At the same time, there are lots of little cafes and parks, where you can sit with a view and watch the world go by, without feeling like you missed out or wasted your sightseeing time.

You will tire. Quickly. A packed day will exhaust you and may even end in tears. It is not a case of “not being 20 anymore” but not being yourself at the moment.

Choose one or two activities to do each day. Schedule them for the morning (assuming it’s your best time of day when you are in Paris with a chemo patient). Keep the rest of the day flexible so you can adapt, as needed, with a longer break, a nap, some food, or a stroll.

You will also still have food aversions. Your palate will not appreciate many of the viral delicacies you would like to try. I saw some online that I would have loved to try. When I had the opportunity, I either didn’t want it enough to queue or couldn’t stomach it on the day.

As long as you take it slow and can manage expectations, you will have fun, even as a chemo patient. You should not expect to run a marathon or see everything the guidebook suggests, but that is okay.

You will also want to ensure you’re travelling during the best week in your treatment cycle.

Yes, it is possible to see Paris with a chemo patient

I know first-hand how gruelling cancer treatment can be. But a short break during chemotherapy does wonders for your soul and your ability to cope with more arduous treatment.

Yes, you will have to take precautions. Yes, you will need to be flexible. Yes, you will need a plan B – and probably Plan C. Yes, you will need to time your trip well. And yes, you should get the approval of your treating oncologist for your trip.

You will have milestones to celebrate. You will need a change of scenery and outlook so that you don’t become too introspective. You will need something to look forward to and plan that is not the next round of treatment or a doctor’s appointment.

And our 12 tips for taking a city trip while having chemotherapy will help.

Perhaps Audrey Hepburn’s character said it best in the 1954 film Sabrina:

“Paris isn’t for changing planes, it’s for changing your outlook, for throwing open the windows and letting in la vie en rose.”

And that is always a good idea. Especially when you are going to Paris with a chemo patient.

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