Safe to travel to Paris?

You are not alone; this is a common thread recently. I have pulled up all the other threads related to your topic
https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=6m&filter=Travel+Forum&query=yellow+vests&utf8=%E2%9C%93

The USA State Department posts travel alerts also that you can monitor
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/France.html

You will be OK as long as you don't stand in the middle of the riot. Paris covers hundred square miles. The riot, maybe a square block. Your greatest risk of injury will be the drive to your local airport. That you should worry about.

We had planned on staying in France for 10 days. I am wondering if we should plan on a different country. We have only booked one night in the Latin Quarter for the first night.

Paris is safer than most U.S. cities. There is no way to predict when something bad will be happening, including riots, so while there have been a number of posts about the yellow vests, I don't recall seeing any that described any injuries caused to tourists by those groups.

Las Vegas, Nevada, is a pretty safe city, for the most part, but it does have crime in some areas. The area near the Mandalay Bay hasn't been the source of any unreasonable crime statistics, but if you were attending the Route 91 Harvest music festival on October 1, 2017, you would have been at ground zero for one of the most horrific shootings in American history. Two days later, it was the safest place in the U.S. Likewise, I happened to be staying on Promenade Des Anglais in Nice, France, in the late summer of 2015. Who could have predicted that 8 months later, it would be a scene of incredible carnage when a truck driver killed 84 people? Before traveling to Nice, I stayed in the 10th Arrondissement in Paris with friends. It was perfectly safe, but two months later, 89 people were killed in the Paris nightclub shooting in that same general area.

My point is this. You should exercise normal caution when you travel. Make yourself aware of potential dangers and realize that you cannot live a danger free life. The U.S. State Department issues traveler warnings. Scan them and decide whether there are real risks attendant to travel in "iffy" areas. Paris is not such an iffy area. I would go back in a hot minute, just as I would go back to Las Vegas and the Mandalay without a moment's hesitation.

Exercise caution, but exorcise fear.

It is not safe anywhere, and you shouldn't go. This applies to anywhere you might want to vacation. In fact, do not take any trips or vacations anymore. Just stay home and watch National Geographic or re-runs of Rick Steves' shows. It will be just like being there only safer.

In fact, if you already have tickets, you should transfer them to my name so you aren't able to use them. I have nothing to live for anyway (other than to travel to France). So I would be happy to be doing my fellow (non) traveler a service.

I was looking for constructive advice!

Thank you the other Bob.

I am sorry Phil but that is not helpful. In fact a bit rude.

I assume kerriy that your international travel experience is limited or perhaps your first time. Remember news accounts do have a tendency to hype the situation and make it sound a lot worse than it is. We have traveled through Europe for the past 25 years with never a problem. There was a time my parents thought we were nuts to be in Great Britain while the IRA was blowing up trash cans and cars. We were in Spain shortly after they blow up a train. Did we think twice about it ??? -- sure - but the probability of being in the wrong place at the wrong time is so low that we really don't worry about. Now, I am an engineer by training, like numbers, and black and white situations. As I posted earlier when we leave on a trip, I drive to the airport very carefully since that is my greatest probability of injury. Your next greatest probability of injury is using buses and cars (taxis) in the country you are traveling in. The probability of being involved in a terrorists incident, riot, random shooting in about the same as a lightning striking you in the US. You go outside all the time without a second thought. But if you have an irrational fear about going to Paris, nothing I have written will be helpful. Only you can decide. We can say it is very safe to go but if it is constant worry for you that can be a drag on the trip and maybe waiting a year would help that fear.

This past weekend a friend and her grandson were in Paris on a Globus tour. As they checked into their hotel near the Eiffel tower, several blocks away the les gilets jaunes were protesting. From the video she posted on Facebook, it appears that a car was on fire and tear gas was in the air. That night they climbed to the first level of the Eiffel Tower (the elevator was not working.)

Speaking personally, if I had a trip planned to Paris, I would go as planned yet be vigilant and avoid any areas of unrest (especially on weekends, when the protests usually occur).

Hi Kerri_y

I'm living in Paris for 20 years now, and I work with lot of foreign tourists.

Regarding the 'Gilet Jaunes' riots, they only occur on saturdays. So any other day of the week, it is totally ok. And when it comes to saturdays, protestors usually protest in one, maximum 2 areas of the city. So all other areas are totally ok.

And if you (or any other tourist) are unlucky and happen to find yourself on a saturday in the area where are the protestors, just walk in the opposite direction. Protestors have nothing against foreigners, their claims are against the governement or the journalists, so they really do not care about foreign people.

V.

kerri,

There are never any absolute guarantees of safety when travelling anywhere. However, the "yellow vest" protestors should not cause you any problems. If you see a crowd gathering, simply leave the area and continue sightseeing in another part of the city (there's LOTS to see in Paris).

No need to change countries. If you want to see France, carry on as planned. It's a beautiful country!

I suppose one way to look at it is from the other direction. When there has been a shooting in the States, would you advise people not to travel to that particular State or even America?

I would not even think about not going to Paris. My trip is still on in May/June. I was there in Paris last summer on days the "rolling strikes" took place...bad timing.

When you watch the nightly news, every day (or just about) a shooting or more takes place in the greater Bay Area, be it in San Jose, Richmond, Antioch, etc done by the police or "civilians." Watch it for a week and tally up the number of shootings you heard reported by the end of the week.

Statistically, Paris is safer than any comparable size U.S. city, yet people interpret a given risk differently. Suppose there is 1 chance in 100,000 you will be a victim of a crime while in Paris. That risk is objective and essentially the same for everyone, but some people will see it and be undeterred and others will find it frightening. If it frightens you, then don't go. You should not vacation in a place where you are fightened because you won't enjoy yourself.

I note the OP is in Nevada. Is it safe to travel there? I seem to remember something about a shooting there recently.

Our grandson just arrived in Paris for his second semester of study there. Things are fine. Don't change your plans. Go and have a great time!

I'm with Fred, still heading to Paris in May/June myself. Living in California with drive by shootings, school shootings, work shootings, murders and other crimes unfortuneatly has become the norm, but I still live and work here.
Enjoy your trip

I will be in Paris for the last week of April and always Finish up with seven Days in Paris,it is a special place.
Mike