Places in Paris to Avoid?

The Olympics are long over and Parisian life has mostly continued like before. Now, my complaint for the Marais is that it's turning into Saint-Germain-des-Pres with the trendy shops. But this has been happening for awhile now.

I would say check out the Rue de Montorgueuil before it suffers the same fate.

We stayed here on our last visit, admittedly 8 years ago. Beautifully renovated small hotel on quiet Left Bank street near river, St Germain, bus, metro etc etc.
Small rooms, like most other French hotels.
I always avoid areas near train stations, anywhere.

https://en.hotel-verneuil-saint-germain.com/

If you’re looking for a more “authentic neighborhood” experience, the Charonne neighborhood near Pete Lachaise was kind of being touted as the next neighborhood to be discovered by tourists. You’d have to use the Metro for any sightseeing, but it does look nice over there. Also, nothing at all wrong with staying in the LQ.

Places to avoid? Montmartre, specifically the metro stops and up to Sacre-Coeur. I feel like no matter what year, time of year, time of day it’s always sketchy. Crank that vibe up to 11 as you approach sunset. It’s jammed and pickpocket central. It starts at the metro stations outside Montemarte too, because that line isn’t much used by tourists for any other reason. They already know where you’re going. And I don’t even get the attraction, there’s not really any views to speak of. The general area has gentrified a good deal, but as a tourist I think it’s way overblown. It’s a lot of work to take a photo of Lapin Agile. Last time, it just stressed me out hard and I couldn’t get back on the train fast enough. I think it’s time to break the spell this place seemingly has on us tourists. Pardon my mini-rant.

I stayed in Montmartre in May for 13 days, in an Airbnb at the junction of Rue Dunkerque and Rue Marguerite de Rochechouart. Liked the area for its closeness to Gare du Nord, bus, and metro stops. Lots of cafes and ethnic restaurants. Yes, the Metro stops had guys hanging around selling 'cigarettes', but they didn't seem to bother anyone in particular. Did go up part of the way to the Sacre Coeur, but it is not a church I was interested in anyway. The view is nothing spectacular. The road leading up is lined with junk souvenir shops that I don't care for either. I felt safer in Montmartre than in the Airbnb near St. Pancras station in London.

I can't think of anywhere in Paris a typical tourist would venture that is not safe. Absolutely fine to stay in the Latin Quarter.

I think you should start worrying about prices and availability of rooms in Paris for September/October of this year. Recent posts indicate prices are high and availability is short.

Ah good catch. A room for Sept is going to be a challenge, I think.

Before I read the post associated with the headline and only had , "Places in Paris to avoid" to go on, the Louvre instantly came to mind...........

"The recent music festival, however, seemed to shatter the idea that Paris is safe everywhere."
As to safety, no city is safe everywhere.
I love Paris and travel there often, including twice since the 2024 Olympics and the only things I have noticed are that it is more crowded and there are more cyclists every time I go.
I'm a Right Bank person but stay in the Latin Quarter if you wish. I still love the Le Marais and the area where the 4th, 11th, and 12th arrondissements meet but I found that out after staying in many hotels and many other areas of the city. There is no reason to avoid the Latin Quarter and it is a good idea to stay in different quartiers until you find the one you love the most, kind of like dating until you meet the one.

I love Paris and travel there often, including twice since the 2024 Olympics and the only things I have noticed are that it is more crowded and there are more cyclists every time I go.

Same here on all points, and no kidding about the crowding, and especially the rise in cyclists (and motorbike food delivery) in the last couple of years - much less safe for pedestrians now than before the pandemic.

And I haven't noticed that anything has changed since the Olympics. I am curious what I am missing.

(I will admit I have not been out to St Denis where they built all the athletes' village that is now being converted into regular apartments, or the transformations they made on the island there. But nor do I think most tourists would have gone there either.)

I go all over in Paris, the single digit and double digit by bus and Metro districts (the 19th and 20th with station Hoche were interesting ), on foot, by bus and the Metro , day and night, but usually not later than 22:00 , and solo.

Relative to other visitors Americans usually tend to stay away from staying in the 10th around Paris Nord and Est. I only stay there and have 4 two star hotels to choose from.

A couple of Metro stations I would suggest staying away from based on my observations daytime (fine then) ...Stalingrad and Barbès at night...but just depends.

Bottom line: It depends on what you're used to , comfortable with, etc. I have no problems, not with safety or getting picked

As pointed out above, the guys selling cigarettes have never even panhandled me for money, they won't bother you at all.

Le festival de musique that was on the news a few days ago is at Aurillac. That's 550 km from Paris. I don't think it will be a problem for you.

What recent music festival in Paris? Or wherever. What supposedly occurred?

The music festival that was in the news a few days ago is in Aurillac.

It wasn't a music festival, but a street theater festival.
There was a brief riot following the police intervention to arrest a man who had damaged some walls.

Anyway, If you pay attention to the news in France (not just the ones covered in the international scandal sheets), you'll discover that this is one of those non-events that happens every week and that no one talks about 48 hours later.

A man interviewed on the France2 news said he heard a commotion and looked over to see this “ riot” about a hundred feet from him, so he moved a few feet further away. Glad this made worldwide headlines. Sure helps to distract from all the other news. LOL

For some background. I've stayed in Paris now ten times. Probably six of those have been in the Marais. I stayed one time in Sacre Couer area, but I felt isolated; I had to take a Metro to do any sightseeing. I stayed once near Moulin Rouge in Pigale and wasn't disappointed, still too far from center (because I like to walk to sights). I stayed once near the Muslim Center (upriver on the left bank from the center), didn't love the area. I didn't find anything to recommend it. My first visit I stayed in Republic. I didn't hate it but decided I much preferred being closer to the center, walking distance to Notre Dame is my rule of thumb.

Questions about the music festival: I'm not sure if it was late July or early August this year? There were two or three murders, but I attribute those to being in the wrong parts of town. More troublesome were the syringe attacks on young women. I believe nearly 50 young women were randomly stabbed with syringes and injected with an unknown substance that sent them to the hospital. I don't know the areas where they occurred?

Scammers don't really bother me much. They're a fact of life in big European cities. Just a sharp no and stern look has worked for me so far. I have my techniques to avoid pickpockets, as long as I stick to those, I haven't had any issues.

Brad

“ Questions about the music festival: I'm not sure if it was late July or early August this year? There were two or three murders, but I attribute those to being in the wrong parts of town. More troublesome were the syringe attacks on young women. I believe nearly 50 young women were randomly stabbed with syringes and injected with an unknown substance that sent them to the hospital. I don't know the areas where they occurred?”

Can you please state your source for both these events?

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/pixels/article/2025/06/27/syringe-attacks-at-france-wide-music-event-how-panic-spread-on-social-media_6742787_13.html

Syringe attacks at France-wide music event: How panic spread on social
media By Florian Reynaud and Damien Leloup Published on June 27, 2025,
at 8:00 pm (Paris), updated on June 27, 2025, at 9:27 pm 6 min read
Lire en français Subscribers only

INVESTIGATION After the evening of Fête de la Musique, nearly 145
suspected cases of 'random syringe attacks' were reported. Yet, to
date, not a single case of drug injection has been confirmed.

As luck would have it, I'm ending up back in the Marais. I couldn't find anything I wanted in the Latin Quarter.
Thanks for your comments,
Brad

I remember reading about the syringe prickings. I don't recall seeing any news reports about actual harm from an injection, if any. I thought at the time it was something staged by young men for some reason.

I read French news daily and don't recall seeing anything about a riot at a concert. It's interesting what gets amplified on news sources outside France.

No mention on these pages of the upcoming Bloquons tout demonstration scheduled for 10 September. That should be interesting.

David,
It was on either Reuters or BBC initially, where they reported deaths and syringe attacks. Then I looked for more information elsewhere, including YouTube.
I'm finding social media, first person accounts from local sources, is more reliable than government sources these days.

I'm not David, but I think you're misinterpreting things and probably are misinformed.

Avoid things you don't like, if you must. But I would encourage you to extend yourself and sample things (neighborhoods, people, music, food) that may, at first, seem uncomfortable.

That's how you grow as a person.

Alternatively, you could retreat into an increasingly small space that seems familiar, and dwindle.

I live in France and think that you have some untruthful reading material. We have no free speech problems here in France.

It's certainly possible that I'm misinformed. I consider Reuters to be marginally reliable, BBC less so. I don't consider any media source to be completely reliable ever. I worked in DC for a decade and a half. The recent media narrative that crime isn't very bad in DC is ridiculous. It makes me trust media reports less rather than more.

I find myself looking for first person accounts now. They could easily be a hoax, but I lean more toward believing those (especially when accompanied by real time video) than reports from media who have a reputation for false narratives. Especially when the media is telling me not to listen to people who are there.

I'm tapping out of this thread.

Ditto, a little sorry I ever "tapped in"...

No idea what murders you are talking about unless referring to territorial fights over the inflow of drugs to Europe since the US market has turned to US lab stuff.

Questions about the music festival: I'm not sure if it was late July or early August this year? There were two or three murders,

What ???

Regarding the UK (quite apart from France) this thread is in a somewhat surreal parallel universe.
People putting things out on social media are not subjects to any requirements of balance, and will very often be one sided to promote their own particular point of view/agenda.
The whole riot situation of last year originated from totally untrue rumours (malicious or otherwise) on social media. The criminal courts have dealt very robustly with those involved in the resultant thuggery.

I have a feeling this thread will be looked down as soon as the webmaster is available on Monday.

Geeez, I hope this site doesn't become the equivalent of the Le Frenchies Facebook site. After following that for a year I have no desire to ever visit Paris.

I have a feeling this thread will be looked down as soon as the webmaster is available on Monday.

At least there is no concern that regular posters here have been unwelcoming to a new poster...the OP has over 12k posts...still scratching my head over the turn this thread took, from a "Marais or Left Bank hotel?" recommendation to, well, where the thread ended up in a maze of disinformation.

The syringe attacks are scary because that is a great way to get AIDS or HepC. The question is how much of this happened and how much is urban legend? Like the 'gassings in rentals or trains' which are mostly if not entirely myth. I'd love to know if such attacks are documented and not mass hysteria. But a terrifying idea.

Hello,
Brad you are much safer anywhere in Paris than anywhere in the USA and that is just a fact!!! I prefer the 17th arrondissement to stay in as I find it cleaner and more upscale in general than the more "touristy" arrondissements like the 3rd,4th,5th, and 6th. Paris like any big city in Europe has suffered by over tourism especially since the pandemic. It has also caused a housing shortage in many cities which understandably is frustrating to the people who live and work there. Maybe that is the "vibe" you are picking up on

Seems like my original post was "edited"- perhaps the OP's post should be too :).

Glad for some good vibes on Latin Quarter. Its where I have now begun looking on booking.com for my family of walkers nxt summer. I realize how one needs to be street smart whenever you travel in large cities everywhere! Concerned this thread may be closed down soon….

Stay in the 2 digit districts and explore them. I would never stay in the Marais for a host of reasons.