Safety in Paris

I wanted to pose this question as a more general question than another post that addressed womens%26#39; safety.

Regarding Paris, and the city center arrondisements, how safe is the city? I%26#39;ve gotten a general sense that as long as you%26#39;re on the normal defensive (keep an eye on belongings, wear wallets and purses close, etc) it is a pretty safe to be.

I don%26#39;t want to start an alarmist thread but based on experience what has everyone felt/experienced?

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schmittyUVA wife and i were in Paris in Sept. of this year and Paris(France) and Japan were probely the 2 safest countries we have been to(in our opinion) and we have traveled alot...We walked @ night along the Siene and to the Eiffel Tower and never felt uncomfortable..Always felt safe on the Metro even late @ night...

Safe Travels ..Jimmy

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You said it yourself. Just take the normal precautions and you%26#39;ll be allright. It is no different than when you are at home actually.

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%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;Regarding Paris, and the city center arrondisements, how safe is the city? I%26#39;ve gotten a general sense that as long as you%26#39;re on the normal defensive (keep an eye on belongings, wear wallets and purses close, etc) it is a pretty safe to be.%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

Follow that plan (adding only: don%26#39;t get drunk and wander down any dark alleys, singing bawdy sae chanties in the wee small hours of the morning) and you%26#39;ll be safe as houses. The rule is: %26#39;..Don%26#39;t do anything STUPID..%26quot; What%26#39;s %26#39;..stupid..%26#39;? You%26#39;ll know...so, just don%26#39;t do it.

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I think your approach is very sensible no matter what city in the world you go.

Particularly at night in known problem areas should be avoided, and I%26#39;m sure the locals can advise you about these as well as some of the travel guide books.

It seems from the news reports most of the recent riots were on the outer areas of Paris which I doubt you would vist anyway.The police seem to have a very obvious presence in central Paris which is comforting!

Yes, Paris is a wonderful and beautiful city, but one still needs to exercise some reasonable care.

Bon voyage!

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Hello Schmitty,

My experience with Paris is that it is really quite safe almost anywhere........very dark, empty streets at night excluded....not usually many in the %26quot;city center arrondisments%26quot;.

We often see women walking alone on rather quiet streets. They apparently dont think it is a problem. We often walk on the same streets, but there are always two of us and most are streets fairly well lighted.

I think you can %26quot;feel%26quot; if you are in a safe place or not.........Try to take a taxi or get a metro if you should find yourself feeling uncomfortable.....better safe than sorry.

The %26quot;normal defensive measures%26quot; you mentioned are really for %26quot;safe%26quot; areas where pick pockets sometimes do their nasty work....usually the more crowded areas and often in daytime. Sounds as if you are prepared for them!

Bonne chance........

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I feel very safe in Paris, being a woman and having traveled there before with my Mom and no Men along. I do feel that you will feel more safe in some areas of the city than others. I have always felt very safe in the Latin quarter even very late at night on back streets. But, in the Les Halles area, I have been nervous. Also, in the Eiffel tower area I have felt a little nervous about my purse, etc.

Of course it is a no brainer to take precautions, but I do wonder what it is we need to be afraid of. I never hear of serious crimes in Paris, it is always seems to be petty crimes such as robbery. So, that alone being said I would consider it very safe my list.

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I have almost always felt very safe in Paris.......safer than when we used to wander around NYC or New Orleans a few years ago. However, my son went to school in Paris and from what he said, it is NOT just petty crimes being committed. Tis a big city! Seems to me it is simply wise to always be aware of your surroundings........

..........especially at night.....as in any city.

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I have spent 5 Septembers in Paris

without any safety concerns. I take

common sense measures to protect my

money, credit cards and camera equipment.

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It feels safe, and there is always a police presence which is stark contrast to where we live (small coastal town in East Anglia).

Last year we took our grandson, 11, who wanted to see the Eiffel Tower at night. This involved two bus journeys from our hotel, and at no time did if feel unsafe or did we feel threatened by anyone in anyway - a great night out.

Such a trip I would undertake very reluctantly in London if at all (it%26#39;s somewhere we don%26#39;t often visit even though it is only a 90 min train ride away), and in some central city areas in the UK I would just never go there. Not because of a crime risk but the behaviour of other people - drunkenness in the street ending up late at night with vomiting, urinating, fights etc.

Of course in Paris there are areas as there are in all towns and cities that you avoid, any good guide book will tell you where and why. And don’t advertise that you are a tourist – you’ll know what I mean (well, I hope so!)

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I live city center. I often go to the movies alone and come home after midnight. I have never felt the slightest risk.

My 11 year old daughter and most of her peers are now expected to go to school and all of their extra-curricular activites on their own. This involves long walks, short bus rides and/or metro trips.

This should give you some indication of how safe we feel over here.