Hi,
I will be in Paris for 6 days in June, and were planning to include Sacre coeur in our itinerary. However, the reviews alerted us of the rowdy scamsters in the surrounding area of Sacre coeur, and now we are thinking whether should we exclude it from our list, as we dont want to spoil our experience. Am I over reacting or anyone agrees with my point ?
just keep walking, all your stuff is in your money belt anyway and secure, and ignore them. Don't miss beauty because of fear.
I don't agree with your point. Do like Nigel said and have your important stuff in your money belt or neck wallet so you don't have to worry. If someone approaches you shake your head and keep moving. I will be in Paris in fall and intend to visit Sacre Coeur. My thought on this is that my experience may be spoiled if I cut out parts of Paris (or any other city) I want to explore due to the possibility of scam. You've read the reviews so you know to be aware and watch your belongings. That goes for anywhere while you are traveling. Have fun on your trip!
Wise words from Nigel. If you'd avoid the Sacré-Cœur because of scammers, thieves and aggressive hucksters, you might as well avoid Paris and other great cities in Europe altogether and stay home.
As he said, the trick is to keep your valuables where fingers other than your own can't get to them, and to simply ignore the hucksters and anyone else who tries to distract with "petitions", "friendship bracelets", etc. They look for easy targets: it's not difficult to avoid being one of those.
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/theft-scams/tourist-scams
The problem is on the steps going up from behind the carousel, bracelet guys who have become very, very aggressive. So go up one of the charming side streets or take the Funicular.
Contrary to how some are blowing this off as easy to protect yourself and avoid problems, it's not in this case because one person accosts you from the upper-side of the hill, while you're huffing and puffing your way up, but you are quickly surrounded by four demanding money. They have a height, numbers, and energy advantage. Go to metro Blanche and wind your way up via rue Lepic or take the Funicular.
Agree with Bets that to get off the Metro one stop ahead of the one you would normally take wouldn't kill you and would save you the problems you're worrying about.
Also good idea for everyone in your party to just keep their hands in their pockets in case you cross any scammers.
I would avoid Sacre Coeur because the Montmartre neighborhood is far more interesting than the church.
The Anvers stop at the base of Montmartre is the worst way to approach Sacre Coeur; it is an approach through an ugly street filled with souvenir shops and scammers playing 3 card monte variations as well as pickpockets. Then when you go up the steps, you have the bracelet creeps.
IMHO the most beautiful way to be introduced to this lovely area of Paris is to take the metro to Lamarck Caulaincourt and stroll through the prettiest parts of Montmartre to Sacre Coeur from the back or side and then walk to the front for the views. There are often quite creative acrobatic buskers out front who are quite skilled and entertaining.
To do this go to Lamarck Caulaincourt; take the elevator up to the surface (very deep station) and turn right when you exit the station and walk up the gradual sloping street till you reach Caulaincourt at the top of the street. Turn right and walk up to Avenue Junot which winds up the hill to the left through some very interesting architecture (including passing one of the interesting villas (i.e. small cluster of individual homes) in Paris) As you near the top of this sloping street you come to the square with the statue of the man walking through a wall -- great photo op. Here you can continue ahead and arrive at Place du Tertre (I hate this place, crowded, fake artists, souvenir shops) and then go through there and arrive at Sacre Coeur on the side. Or turn left at the man walking through the wall and down hill where you come to the vineyard, turn right there and walk up to the back of the Basilica. This is a very pretty set of streets.
Nigel said it about as well as can be said. But as other have pointed out, they can be persistent and may try to gather around you. But if you are just as persistent and adamant in your refusal to "participate" they'll move on to someone else. Only once (and that was in Rome) did we ever have to come close to being loud and "making a scene" before they scurried off. Just say NON!!!!
If you haven't included one in your itinerary already I would heartily recommend the Paris Walks guided walking tour of Montmartre. I enjoyed this tour the most of any walking tour I took when in Europe. You get a walk through the streets of Montmartre with excellent commentary from an interesting guide and I think they always end by approaching Sacre Coeur from the side or back, through Place du Tertre. One of the benefits of a tour is that the scammers don't approach you when you're with a tour group. If you do it yourself, follow Janet's directions, they are excellent. And follow the others' advice to keep your important stuff out of reach of stray hands and just ignore them and walk ahead if they approach you. Don't give in to your natural instincts to be polite and hear them out.
Thanks all for your kind suggestions. We will consider your ideas.
Keep moving and don't make eye contact, and certainly do not engage with these fools--works for me wherever I have gone, including Montmartre. I briefly took a couple of photos of the church and view of Paris below then swiftly moved on to the less crowded areas behind the church, also visited the Dali museum. Once away from the madness I found it to be a wonderful experience, took the funicular up and walked back down via side streets.
The last time I was there the police and security guards were all over the stairs leading up to Sacre Coeur. They were blowing whistles and pointing at people doing things that (I assumed) we're inappropriate. That was fairly overwhelming, but once we had climbed the stairs the view was worth it. I highly recommend doing the self guided Montmartre walk in the RS Paris book.
We rode the bus (I think it was #67, there is also a Metro stop) to Pigalle, then caught the Montmartrobus, which meanders throughout Montmartre. We got off at Place du Tertre, walked to Sacre Coeur and across the front before getting back on the Montmartrobus, heading down the hill behind Sacre Coeur. At some point we got off to have some lunch before finishing the circuit on the bus. We did not see a single scammer while we were around Sacre Coeur. As mentioned previously, they tend to hang out around the steps leading up to the church. For someone with bad knees or hips, the Montmartrobus is a good way of avoiding having to walk up all those hills and stairways.
Been to the Sacre Coeur only once but Paris many times. I'd love to go back to the SC, but honestly - I just don't have the patience of dealing with those street urchins! They're a highly publicized problem and why the police don't but a stop to it is yet another of those magical "French" mysteries.
why the police don't but a stop to it is yet another of those magical "French" mysteries.
I hope this helps solve the mystery.
Il vous les faut dire "va te faire foutre fiche moi le camp avant qu j'appelle la police!"
they will leave you the hell alone
When you get up to Sacre Coeur, the view is fantastic. I went there last in 2012, the large staircase area and marveled at the view.
What about the scammers? Forget the reviews, not worth reading. The main question is should the presence of scammers and pickpockets serve as a deterrent for my visiting a site as famous as Sacre Coeur? They would have to do better than that.
Yes, the scammers are there, sometimes more, sometimes fewer, depends on your luck in encountering them, but if you do, so what? I was approached, caught me off guard that split second. The ones who approached me , solo, tried the "string" scammer, two guys, they didn't stick around for long.
See the Sacre Coeur.
Don't avoid . I've been alone , and alone with a child . Just keep your arms folded across your chest . It's Not that bad .
I don't agree with Bets, these types of scams are rare in England and Germany for a reason.
These scams & scammers are not new. Great advice for avoiding the Anvers station...come up the back way instead. If you do encounter scammers, keep walking like you never even saw them. They want easy marks & they'll leave you alone if you don't respond to them (although they will try repeatedly so just practice your best "I'm ignoring you" face).
Sacre Coeur & Montmartre are worth seeing so just have a plan for getting through the weeds on your way :)
I have been accosted once with the string bracelet scam in Paris at Sacre Coeur, two guys at once that one time, I was alone. They didn't have the height and I was without luggage (a big difference) except the fanny/waist belt. True, at the initial moment I was caught off guard but they left frustrated.
One could very well run into the "thimble" game or shuffling three cups around, whatever you call it. I stood and watched it the last time in Paris, same area. Anyone with an ounce of brain can figure out it's rigged. I did see guys playing and lost. A 50 Euro bill (that would not pay a parking ticket in SF) was taken from them. Women I saw pointed out the correct cup and won. These women were plants, ie, part of the rigged game. The guys losing 50 Euro I thought were plants too. Difficult not to notice that these "winning" women were always of the same ethnic group as the guys carrying on the game, trying to entice hapless tourists.
True, these sort scams don't take place in Germany. In the past , yes, the thimble scam game on Kurfürstendamm in 1989 and '92 when I was there, right on the broad sidewalk. I also saw signs on Kurfüstendamm written in German and English warning people not to participate in this organised crime activity from Romania. When I went back in 1995 to Berlin, it was gone.
Try approaching from the 'back' side to avoid the worst of it - metro line 12 at Jules Joffrin.
What we saw there last summer were not "urchins." These were fully grown, tall, intimidating-looking men. This was the only time in a couple of trips to Paris that my husband and I were a little unsettled. My husband is 6'3" and not a waif. These guys made him look small. There were a number of other tourists around but I didn't see any police or security presence in this area.
Still, I'd go back - it is a wonderful site. Just be cautious and don't let your guard down.
We encountered a few scams in Paris at several sites in February, but we simply ignored them and it NEVER stopped us from enjoying our trip. We encountered the found ring scam near the pont de nuf, the petitions at Notre Dame, and the bracelet scam near the Louvre.
There's no need for profanity - especially if you don't speak fluent French.
There's no need for profanity in English, either.
Thé scammers don't care what you're saying - all you need to do is keep walking and avoid eye contact.
Hi Prav, I wouldn't miss a chance to see Sacre Cour. The basilica is beautiful and the view from the steps is amazing. Be smart, keep moving, and just say 'no'. Hope you enjoy your trip to Paris!
In front of the Berliner Dom? That must be very new. I'll have to check that out in June.
...only in Paris have we been accosted
I'm guessing that you haven't been to Italy yet, Brad. :O)
I think wherever you go in any big city in Europe you should button up tight (secure all zippers, no wallet or purse, money belt) and be aware of what types of scams are common, and then just go and have a great time. Anyone approaches just keep on walking not giving eye contact, not stopping, just bypass them. If you are not a target, don't give anyone the time of day, I don't think you'll have problems. At least we never have. But, we didn't go to Sacre Coeur on our last Paris visit so I don't know how that is now. Plenty of scammers and pick pockets in all big cities, but just button up super tight so others will be the victims, not you! Sad to say, but lots of other people won't talk the same precautions and look like an easy target, and they will be!
Thanks, Brad, on the Berlin info. I usually walk by the Berliner Dom area on Unter den Linden. Where I did see the the gypsies making the rounds in Germany (usually very unusual) last June was in the Frankfurt Hbf. There you'll hear warnings over the PA system given in English and German that "they" are present and to be attentive to your stuff. Never saw that in Germany before.
I hear Rome is pretty bad.
Nah, just different if you haven't encountered aggressive street hawkers before. Definitely not a reason to avoid my favorite country (so far), just something you learn to manage. :O)
As far as being pestered to death, the worst was Playa del Carmen. Had a resort stay on the Riviera Maya for a wedding a couple of years ago, and went into town for a lookabout? Endured the assault for a couple of hours and fled to the colectivo back to the resort....where we were pestered daily for time-share presentations and tours. The 'locals' resort staff was otherwise lovely - very, very nice people - so I certainly wouldn't want to cast a negative light on the entire experience but Italy is a picnic compared to that level of shake-off-your-leg persistence. Heck, the time-share/tour hawkers were all over us the minute we got off the plane in Cancun! Bleh.
Just went to Sacre Coeur yesterday and no problem with scammers. But I would agree with others that climbing up all the stairs to SC is best avoided, and the suggested alternate routes should be used. Peter Dodd
I was there Monday and, yes, there were a bunch of men trying to put a thread around people's hand/wrist. It was a nice day and I watched for at least an hour. I didn't see them pull off one successful scam, unless they are really good pickpockets, everyone just said no and kept walking. I did see the cops arresting one guy with a handful of threads. Probably a good idea not to let them get ahold of an appendage where they can tie something on you before you get past, or worse distract and pickpocket you. I think their scam is insisting that you give them some money after they tie something on you but I wouldn't be surprised if it's also pickpocketing.
There are also beggars on virtually every metro train now. I don't mind the musicians asking for tips, I'll tip if they're good enough to listen to, but now there are people who walk down the aisle passing out cards with their sob story, then come back with their hand out to get money (and recycle their cards for the next car). Very few people give them anything, just ignore them.
When it comes to scammers, the Notre Dame and banks of the Seine are much more inundated. I saw a lot of three-card montey around that area, people trying to give you a flower/sprig of something (then insist on a donation), people showing you cards that say they are deaf (or similar sob story) as well as people with something like a petition asking if you speak English. All are scams to be avoided. I also had one guy ask me if I dropped a ring, I laughed at him and he quickly walked away.
Sacre Coeur and Montemarte is my favorite place in Paris. I insist we go each time and will take my grandson there in August. To stand on the steps and watch Paris is a truly life changing experience. I have never had any problems there. Keep your eyes open and your wallet close by. ENJOY!!!!
