Protests/Riots in France

I am not planning a trip until next April and I am still planning to go and in my extended family 2 others had trips planned for November and neither canceled. One arrived today and the other is schedule to arrive next week. Another relative was there in October and stayed near Place de la Bastille where there were violent protests and LOL did not notice anything until the next day when he saw graffiti and received a text from me of a news story showing rioting around the corner from where he stayed. It turns out that he left in the morning for a tour and returned “home” after all the excitement was over for that day.

I have no plans to go there until next September. But if I had a trip planned for tomorrow, I would go. Don't get me wrong, I think what is happening at those protests and riots is abhorrent. But Paris is a big city and France is an even larger country.

I'm full-speed ahead to arriving in Paris in three weeks for my usual Thanksgiving trip! I have absolutely no hesitation. I feel far safer there than I do here in my home in downtown Atlanta.

I'm leaving for Germany around the end of the month and will be in Paris by the second week of December. Unless something drastic happens, I have no plans to cancel my trip. I'm very much looking forward to it and I'm sure that for the six nights that I'm in Paris, I can hopefully avoid most, if not all of it.

Because I have used up my allowable Schengen days, 87 on 16 Sept, not until march 2027 am I permitted to re-enter Schengen.

Were that not the case of having already exhausted my days, I would be over in France right now, even though I am loathe to traveling off-season , due to numerous reasons.

RE these protests and riots in France : Not concerned about that at all.

I'm starting the next trip shortly before June rolls around.

I was in Paris last weekend, and I'm going to be honest: it depends on which part of the city you stay and if you can walk when it's not expected.

First, the official Saturday demonstrations have been pushed to the eastern edge of the city away from touristic and commercial areas. However, some rioters still show up at the end of every march in the eastern part of the city. So, you could choose to stay in the western part of the city.

Last Saturday; the museums and other sites were open. Some metro stations were closed, but people could find alternative routes using the Citymapper app.

I did have a bus stop and discharge all passengers as we approached Bastille where police were active, a mile from the last stop on the bus route. Everyone got off and walked. This is where the question of a tourist's physical ability comes in. I've had other bus routes stop for one reason or another, so no surprise for me.

The protests didn't stop me from going to Paris last weekend; just have your hotel keep you informed of any changes in hours or schedules that occur the Saturday you are there.

Once again, I live here in Paris Granted, in a corner of the 16th where it's pretty quiet and even some shop keepers have decided to board up their windows - but I don't stay locked in my neighborhood and get out quite often to see the sites. As long as you keep your head in a swivel (as you should in any city), and listen to your internal voice that says when things aren't going right, you're going to be just fine and risk only having a good time.

Many of the responses seem to center around Paris, but it's important to understand that demonstrations are scheduled only on specific days and take place mainly in a few major cities, usually in designated neighborhoods.

Based on your previous messages, it looks like you're more interested in exploring different regions of France like the Basque Country, Normandy, the Loire Valley, Provence, etc

If that's still your plan, you’re unlikely to come across any demonstrations or riots, aside from what you might see in the news.

As long as you keep your head in a swivel (as you should in any
city),...

Amen. That thing between your ears is your most important safety tool.

Thanks everyone for your comments. Safety was one factor I was thinking about, but not the main factor. I was thinking more of sadness at seeing landmarks like the Limoges town hall burned, beautiful flagship stores looted or boarded up, or angry crowds in front of places like the Louvre and Eiffel Tower.

The large stores, if touched, are repaired and restocked. It’s the small independent stores that are having a hard time. You’d have to drive to Limoge to see that damage and a couple other government buildings scattered around the country.

What you see on TV is condensed. Chances are you’ll see very little. There are no angry crowds in any place mentioned. The only angry people are the ones who didn’t reserve time slots to visit the Louvre or ET. No problem.

We were in Marseille 2 weeks ago and we're in the middle of the protests. At one point we had no choice but to cross in the middle of a student march to get to our bus. About an hour earlier we were sitting having Gelato and we heard some pop, pop, pops. We found out later it was probably the police firing off tear gas nearby but there was no panic by anyone; locals or tourists. It was like, "oh, tear gas? It must be Saturday."

We were in France in 2019 when the Yellow Jacket protests were going on and prior to the trip we read of the same concerns on this Forum and other sites but it was way overblown compared to what we experienced. While the hooligans seem to be out in full force this time the chance are small that it will affect you.

I'd be very cautious at night. That's when the bad things happen.

"...way overblown..." How true !

Interesting to talk to French about that occurrence . I believe the movement enjoyed 62 % public support , whether or not these individuals were in the streets protesting or not.

In 2024 in Alsace-Lorraine the receptionist of my 3 star hotel was all in favour of the " yellow jacket " movement when our political discussions (in English) got to that topic. ...bravo !

We've just got back from over three weeks in France, including Normandy, Paris, Dijon and Nice and the protests were unnoticeable.

We had our Australian family calling daily telling us about the news reports on television there, which appeared to bear no resemblance to reality.

I wouldn't consider cancelling, just have your wits about you.

Our French friends worry about us. We have an established home in France and have no consideration of changing that.

Do what you consider best for you.

We were in Bordeaux last weekend and saw the protest Saturday afternoon. It appeared peaceful although a bit later we heard 8-9 loud pops and a cloud near the end of one of the Gironde River bridges.
Some shops had ground-level windows & doors boarded over but were open. People seemed to be going on about their usual weekend shopping.
The police were quite present in full riot kit; at one location they asked to inspect our backpacks. They had large armored vehicles staged several blocks off the parade route but I don't think they were deployed.
We also saw student protest camps in squares in Lisboa, Porto, Sevilla & Barcelona but again, no violence or "riots."
We've been told by locals that the protests are over high costs in general & housing in particular. In Spain & Portugal they are mostly students.
None of it has disrupted a great 26-day trip.