Traveling to Paris is supposed to be an enchanting experience. However, my first five minutes in the city, inside the train station , a lady kept pushing me in the train to move forward but at that time the train was so crowded that I could not move. (or so I thoought) I was actually getting sandwiched in between people so I could not move forward. After the rude lady yelled at me, i realized that my purse felt lighter and the next thing i knew was that my wallet with 800 euros and my credit cards were stolen, and the lady who kept distracting me jumped off the train as soon as i realized that i had been robbed. These thiefs are pros, they are looking for targets, especially tourists carrying luggages, and traveling with children. If that was not horrifying enough, when leaving Paris we took a famous train company called Thelly%26#39;s, and reserved first class seating. We had tried to bring our luggage inside our cabin but unfortunately it did not fit. We left our luggage outside the cabin, where the rails for luggage were, and as soon as the train made its first stop they announced for no one to leave their luggage unattended. At that point, I ran to my luggage at noticed it was gone! For anyone traveling to Paris, try to keep your money and passports around your neck, pack lightly and try not to look like a tourist. The taxi drivers were also thieves so try taking a bus or maybe renting a car. All in all I will never be visiting Paris again. The people were rude and cold.
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You can%26#39;t really blame the people in Paris for your two thefts. But it is very true that the metro and train/train stations are big for pickpockets. You have to be responsible for your belongings. I follow the same rule in my own country.
And the taxi drivers are not all thieves. There are good and bad, like everything.
Les
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Whoa! Tell us how you feel. Living in LA you can%26#39;t honestly tell us that you%26#39;re not aware of what goes on around train stations or heavily congesting people areas.
I noticed this was your first post. While I%26#39;m sorry that you had an unfortunate experience it seems you came on to the Paris forum just to vent and it is certainly not the fault of Parisians. Do you normally have such easy access to your purse?
It shocks me that you live in a fairly large city yourself and you don%26#39;t know how to take precautions. I%26#39;m not trying to be rude, but I think your generalizations toward Paris are a bit much.
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I%26#39;m just curious how you go from two unfortunate incidents on trains to %26quot;the taxi drivers were also thieves%26quot;?
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Grace ~%26gt; Possibly the taxi driver in question was the l%26#39; époux to the woman on the train. They were out to get prin.
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Hi
Sorry to hear about your misfortune in Paris. Being robbed twice in 72 hours...whew...I hope that your travel insurance company believes you :-) I was a witness to pickpockets on the metro in Paris...it happened so fast and the thives were ut of the doors and the train left before we knew what happened.
Regards
Gard
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Honestly Prin, with your attitude, I%26#39;m sure Paris is quite happy you won%26#39;t be returning.
This is a word of caution for everyone. Public transit in a city that size and that populated is an easy target for pickpocketers. (I%26#39;ve noticed specifically in Europe, but I%26#39;m not sure why.)
Keep your purse slung over your shoulder and close to your body. DON%26#39;T carry 800 Euros in your wallet at one time! Keep cameras etc in deep pockets... the list goes on and on. Simple tips will keep you happy all through your trip.
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Simple solutions for both situations.
Eagle Creek undershirt Deluxe Security Belt and a retractable cable lock.
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Whether or not this post is for real, there are learnings to be had:
$800 and credit cards do not belong in your wallet in your pocket - they belong in a moneybelt underneath your clothes
Bags should never be left unattended in/around trains or stations. If you must leave your large bag in the storage area, you can secure it with a retractable padlock (for around $8-12).
Even better, don%26#39;t pack LARGE luggage, espec. for train travel. Pack 2 smaller bags (ie. 21%26quot; rollie + tote) that you can store overhead, within eyesight. And don%26#39;t leave it unattended there either - take turns with your travel partner to watch things.
Visitors to Paris may not realize a few things about taxi fares.
- the charge goes on the meter from the time they leave to come get you
- there are %26#39;per bag%26#39; charges
- different rates for day /night
etc. If you present your driver with a printed-out hotel name/address, and get out your city map, he will know that you know what the approximate route should be. Ask your hotel in advance what they think the average fare to their hotel from (cdg)/(gare) should be.
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I am so sorry that you were a victim not once, but TWICE! But, please be aware that by your posting here on this board among many Paris fanatics, local Parisians and others planning their trips, you will probably be used as a good example of what NOT to do in Paris to prevent theft. For this you are due a great deal of gratitude.
But, for your last statement, in which I won%26#39;t even repeat, you are really taking even a greater risk here on this board. I can imagine you are very bitter over your experiences, but the statement is not relative to your warning others about pick-pockets and will only keep your point from getting across. I hope everyone takes it easy on you based out of sympathy for what you went through, but I wouldn%26#39;t count on it.
Paris is lovely and full of lovely people and I am truly sorry that your encounters with a couple criminals kept you from seeing that!
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I doubt this is a genuine post and is just a troll. The story is just too exaggerated and full of negative stereotypical descriptions. Btw, there is no train company by the name of %26quot;Thelly%26#39;s%26quot;. Maybe this poster meant %26#39;Thalys%26#39;.
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