spending the month of March in Paris (first time, solo traveler) - safety concerns??

I’ve had two solo trips to Paris; one in Feb/March 2016, and the following year in March.
I didn’t take the Metro at night, but I did take buses , not at night, but at dusk and in the early morning before fully light, as on the first trip I was going to language classes first thing in the morning.
I did take one bus one night, to go to a concert in Notre Dame Cathedral.
I’m female, and never felt unsafe.
In winter, your coat will cover your crossbody bag under it, so your valuables will be hidden.
Lucky you…Paris is wonderful in winter!

Thanks for your response. I'm glad to hear you felt safe. I don't anticipate being out late but if an occasion did arise, like your Notre Dame concert, I want to be able to attend and feel safe as well. Would be a shame to miss it unnecessarily. Thanks again.

I'm a female and I've traveled solo to Paris several times. I've never felt the least unsafe riding the Métro at night. The system is busy until at least 11pm and often later. Mind your belongings as you would on the Métro any time and you'll be in lots of company.

I feel as safe later at night as I do in any large city. Be thoughtful and aware, stay in well lit, populated areas. If others like me (single females) are out and about, I feel fine. However, I make sure I've planned well, memorize my route, and act confidently like I know exactly what I'm doing. That said, trust your instincts and never trade safety for $$ - in other words, if it doesn't feel right, duck into a public place and pay for a taxi/Uber.

SJ, if you see this post, may I ask what language school you attended and did you find it to be a good experience?

the metro is full of people till it closes. I have crossed Paris at midnight many times alone without any issues. (I realize young women have the additional issue of aggressive men -- but I have not observed women being hassled in Paris either on the metro although all women and particularly young women have to be alert and careful at any time.). Safety is just not an issue to worry about in Paris -- and particularly not before midnight. Dinner time in Paris is about 8 pm -- not earlier than 7 -- and people are just coming home from dinner at 10 or 11 and from the opera or concerts at midnight.

Hi Claire,
It was back in 2016, and I believe it was called “Accord School”.
It was near the Grand Boulevard, but when I looked it up just now it looks like it’s now moved to near the Eiffel Tower, if it’s the same school.
I did one week of morning only classes, and there was no English used at all!
I really enjoyed it though the others in my class were much younger than me.
Being mainly other Europeans, they had a much deeper understanding of complicated grammar terms than I had received being educated in Canada!
I was a bit lost at times, but it was a great experience.

https://www.accord-langues.com/

There are places not to go late at night, but they aren't places a tourist would be going anyway. Avoid the area around Stalingrad (in the north of the city).

The 6th arrondissement is safe at any hour of the night, for men and women alike. Metro line 10 is not very busy on weeknight evenings but it is extremely safe. Line 4 can have the odd shady character, but it is much busier, so I would not worry either. Mind your belongings - theft is the main risk in Paris. Still manageable though, I never got pickpocketed in 35 years here.

Thanks SJ! I hope to do something similar in the next few years and have started some preliminary research.

The added fun, Claire, was going off to school every morning and pretending I lived there!
I’ve also done two classes in Italy in other years.

Now I’m thinking about going back to Paris…..in winter again, of course.

Another solo female traveler checking in...!! I am not one to be out much at night anyway but I've met friends for dinner or have gone to a concert which involved me taking the metro back "home". I am not much of a city gal, not a lot of city smarts either although I try, lol but even I am OK being on the Metro in the single digit arrondissements in the evening. I do stay in a neighborhood where there are a lot of restaurants so feel very comfortable walking back to my hotel after having had a couple of glasses of wine with dinner, lol.

If you are a little overwhelmed with the idea of solo travel I suggest for the first week or so you book timed entries to various museums (don't need to see ALL of them in a week, hahahaha!!) to get you out and moving around until you feel comfortable.

Sunset-wise - by March days are lengthening as the Spring Equinox is March 20 when theoretically days and nights are even. You'll see a lot of change from the 1st of March to the 31st.

March 1:
Twi: 7:01am
Sunrise: 7:32am
Sunset: 6:33pm
Twi: 7:05pm

March 30:
Twi: 6:00am
Sunrise: 6:32am
Sunset: 7:18pm
Twi: 7:50pm

-->Daylight Savings Time begins this night<--

March 31:
Twi: 6:58am
Sunrise: 7:30am
Sunset: 8:19pm
Twi: 8:51pm

I am not sure if you want to take a few days out of Paris but I went to Colmar a couple of years ago in April and found a Spring Market there. They were using the Christmas Market stalls but decorated with eggs, bunnies and chicks. Very cute. I looked and it does not start until March 28 of this year which might be when you are getting ready to leave.

What a fun time you will have!

This group is so helpful! Thanks everyone for your thoughtful responses. I feel much better about my upcoming solo travel.

You know you owe us a trip report now, right?? 😉😆. It doesn’t have to be detailed, just tell us how the month went, what you enjoyed, what you’d do differently, etc!

Pam, absolutely will! Flying home April 1st and will update shortly afterwards :)

DD, i’m in Paris now (since 1/4), on my own until 1/19 when family is coming to join me. I’ve stayed in Paris for weeks on my own more times than i can count and i never feel unsafe. I stay out late often, use the métro and busses, and never feel even slightly uncomfortable in any area of Paris (i take Kim’s advice though). The city is very well lit up at night, lots of people out on the street, at cafés and restaurants. Now, in January, it’s dark out until about 8:30 am and again by about 5:00 pm. But it makes no difference, lots of outdoor life going on every where.

Susan,
Thanks for your response, what I was hoping for!

Long time, many time solo female traveler to Paris. I always feel safer in Paris than in most US cities, including my own.

I find the sunrise and sunset times as noted above are often helpful for planning purposes. Sometimes you want to see things in the daylight! I use websites like this one frequently when planning trips: https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/france/paris

Enjoy!!!!

ORDtraveler, thanks for the link to the sunrise/sunset times. Very cool and helpful.

Several trips to Paris, and the only place I've ever encountered a problem was the Montmartre area. Many years ago when I was in my twenties, during the day, when I was alone, a male artist in Place du Tertre got VERY aggressive demanding money for sketches I had not wanted and followed me. And then just a few years ago, the teen girls got out ahead of the group of us walking back down from gelato and the funicular at Montmartre, and got a little bit of "want a taxi, want a taxi, want to buy this thing, etc?" from some aggressive sales guys. Moms sped up, guys faded back. Absolutely the rest of the city has never been a problem, and my young teen son and another mom did a night-time photography class that had them riding the metro at 10 pm and all was well. So I would perhaps not go to the Montmartre area alone in the evening or dark, but everywhere else should be fine. (Oh and my backpack was pickpocketed at a flea market in 1995 but they only took my tampons b/c everything of value was in a cross-body bag, so good for them -- I don't even count that as a "problem" but more as a story).

@ Susan.....I was at the Stalingrad Metro daytime this summer. It was a bit of a shocker, stood waiting for the bus along with others.

I'm used to seeing " urban blight", grime, dirt, filth , squalor, (you name it) , etc, etc in SF but was taken aback at seeing that encampment at Stalingrad .

Thank you Fred. Between you and Kim, that’s the one area i’ll be sure to avoid.

I am a 63-year-old single female, who went to Paris twice last year solo and once with a friend.

I don’t invest in the safe to carry my belongings I don’t live in fear. I use common sense. I do take certain precautions. My passport, most of my credit cards, etc. are left in a hotel safe or in the apartment, I pay attention to my surroundings etc. I’ve never been pickpocketed but if I am they get 20 €30 in one credit card recovery will be easy call the credit card company go back to the hotel get the other credit card and proceed with life.. I’ve never had a problem

Unlike others, I do not avoid Montemart at night. I’ve had a very magical evening sitting on the Square having a drink, watching the world go by. Once again, we’re back to common sense. Now granted when I was 20 and attracted more attractive than a 63-year-old I might’ve gotten a little more attention and maybe that would make a difference but at this point in my life😂

I have had the opportunity to buy a gold ring from a woman at an incredible discount to which I burst out laughing hysterically (if you could’ve seen this woman’s acting skills you would have too) And I have I’m very good at telling the petition women and the bracelet salesman get the heck out of my face. But I love Paris and I’m already planning another trip.

As a citizen of the United States, I feel like I’m safer in Paris. Which is sad, but that’s the way I feel.

Totally agree with you Carol. I avoid Montmartre but only because i’m not a fan.

Lucky me thanks to a dear friend… 😉

Is safety. No concerns.
In the city centre you can walk even during the night.
In March the weather is a bit cold, it can rain often. Always have an umbrella with you. Book a food tour for the first day. It usually lasts 3/4 hours, it is light tour and you have an introduction and orientation in Paris.

Ramona,
Thanks for the advice. I’m actually planning on doing a food tour and have been researching options. Do you have a tour operator you prefer? I’ve seen Secret Food Tours, Paris by Mouth and several others mentioned frequently. Also curious if you’ve done the La Marais or Montmartre food tours or have a neighborhood preference.

@ Susan....You're welcome.

True, avoid it to be sure unless you want to compare Stalingrad with the SF's Tenderloin. Although the Stalingrad Metro was a real shocker relative to what I've seen in Germany and Paris, the Tenderloin is still far worse for numerous reasons , however one uses some euphemistic term to disguise the actuality.

DD, I did a Paris by Mouth food tour some years ago and it was great. It was a right bank tour because I was staying in the 4th that trip. I know they had a left bank tour as well. I envy you to take that much time in Paris. I’ve always done at least 1 to 2 1/2 weeks at a time and Paris deserves every minute of time you can give her. ❤️

Fred, Good to know. I will avoid both!

Devour Tours get very good reviews. I have not taken one personally.

Longtime solo traveler….agree with all of the above. I’ve stepped off a NYC subway car realizing I was considerably outnumbered by men and it just didn’t ‘feel right.’ Go with your gut. I’ve read of many women wearing a loud whistle. I’m considering a cool looking one for myself with an upcoming trip. Cheap, simple, and an effective attention getter in a pinch. I’ll leave a necklace at home!😘

Just home from my first trip back to Paris in 20something years and came across your comment while planning my next. I was surprised at how safe I felt in Paris, after all of the negative press it gets. I think being aware of your surroundings and all of the advice that applies in any city is just as true for this city. I found that people were nicer than I expected and as nice as I remembered. I was pleased, since I remembered less French than I had hoped/expected that I would. I came home and downloaded an app to get started on remedying that. But as for safety, I felt as safe as I have in London, with which I'm much more familiar, and safer than in any large US city lately, sadly. I will say that I feel safer in other parts of Europe, but they aren't Paris, are they?

"...after all of the negative press it gets." Exactly my impressions and observations (totally overrated ) this past trip dealing the possibility of being picked...not going to happen, or better still, getting jacked in the streets American style.