champs-elysees

We ran into FIVE gold-ring-scam occurrences at both ends of the Champs Elysees -- and it made our day! Just keep your valuables tucked safely in your money belts and enjoy the sights. Personally, not that impressed -- but not impressed by Rodeo Drive either. My favorite store on the Champs was Monoprix because I could imagine affording purchases there.

Hi PW, honestly, there is nothing to be afraid of when visiting Paris. The Champs-Elysees is a beautiful boulevard flanked by the Arc de Triomphe and Place de la Concorde. Window shop (the French call it "window licking") at some of the most expensive stores in the world. There are also "regular" stores like Disney, Gap, and Zara. Enjoy a stroll and stop at Laduree for some macaroons and coffee. Please tell your wife to wear a money belt and enjoy her vacation!

I think Donna meant macarons... And I agree, the macarons at Laduree are delicious.

Pwell.. you and your wife are going to have a very hard time going anywhere in Paris if you live with this fear.
Pickpockets are all over the place .. they love ALL the touristy crowded areas.. so.. you planning on staying in hotel room entire trip?

And sorry,, if your wife is into small shops why would you take her to the Champs which is a soulless wide busy street lined with CHAIN shops and car dealerships.

Take her to the Marais for goodness sake.. many cute little shops with all sorts of things.. narrow old streets.. way better choice.

You will not "see" a good pick pocket. You may on occasion see a scam, but its no big deal for goodness sake.. walk by them .. they don't chase you down ! Ignore people.

I have no idea where your wifes fear is from.. seriously.. I let my 13 yr old go down the street from our hotel every day to get his McDonald fix.. and one day even had to let my 11 yr old dd run out to sandwich shop to get her own lunch ( I was so ill couldn't leave bed).. Paris is nothing to be afraid of.. pickpockets do not attack you ..

Keep money in a well zipped up purse , in an inner zippered part. Do not wear you wallet in your back pocket. Do not carry all your money at once.. I just take about 100 or so out for the day myself.

Relax.. and really.. take your wife shopping somewhere nicer then the Champs.

The Champs is NOT dangerous.. at least not during the day and early evening.. its just boring and busy.

In my experience, the Laduree on the Champs-Elysees is overcrowded, slow and foul-smelling. Go to the original one by the Madeleine. Or go to Pierre Herme instead.

European pickpockets are much ado about a little something. Frankly they are lazy and will go after the easy marks! Stay aware of your surroundings and be smart.

Here is the most recent thread here on Pick pockets. Read for some good ideas on how to be smart.

In about 8 trips to Paris we have not had any problems. Besides you do not want to miss the photo op of the Arc de Triomphe from standing in the middle of the Champs Elysees!

I agree with Christi on this.. get to the top of the Arc for a great view of Paris.. to one side you will see the Eiffel Tower, to the other side( far off) Sacre Couer and behind you La Defence.. its a nice perspective.. plus its fun to look down on the roof top gardens of the very expensive real estate in the surrounding area and image how rich one would have to be to afford to have full grown trees on your penthouse patio!

Paris is definitely not to be feared, and pickpockets are a fact of life in ANY city. They are only a problem if you allow yourself to be a victim; take the usual, recommended, precautions with your valuables, and you will not have a problem.

That aside, we found the Champs-Elysees to be one of the least interesting parts of Paris. Great city, though, and so much to see! We walked around in the pre-dawn hours, and long after dark as well, and never felt unsafe. You will find the street hawkers and panhandlers to be more aggressive in some spots than others - like the train stations, around the Sacré-Cœur, and some other places - but pay them no attention or brush them off with a firm "no" and keep walking.

pwell13,

i was there a couple years ago and the only person that tried to do any scam was the ring one and that was after i pulled my camera from my pocket. Up until that point, i wasnt a target.

But nothing else from that point on. as mentioned by others not much to worry about unless you do something stupid.

As far as the shops go, way out of my price range. Fun to look at, but thats all. I just walked the Champs-Elysees because i was going from the Louve to the Arc de triomphe and it was a nice sunny day out.

as far as eats go , i had something at one of the food carts just outside of the Louve.

happy trails.

Where do you live? A sheltered life? With sons in New York City and Chicago, I am far more cautious in those cities than I am in Paris especially on Champs-Elysees. Part of the problem is that when people report problems they tend to "enhance" it a bit and assume or project that their situation is common place. I am happy to report that in nearly a years travel in some of the great pickpocket capitols of the world over the past 18+ years, we have never had a problem. I have never seen a pickpocket in action - aaa ! maybe once --- and have never had a serious attempt on us. Is that common place?? Probably not but most tourists don't have problems. And if you take a few precautions with a little street smarts, you will have no problems.

Pat is correct, if she will not go to that part of Paris, she is going to get tired of the hotel room in a hurry. Many parts of Paris would be worse than the Champs-elysees, relatively speaking.

Aside from the Arc de Triomphe and Place de la Concorde landmarks, I also found the shopping part of the street to be pretty boring on my last visit, with a focus on international chains. It was crowded, but didn't feel any different from other tourist crowds. We recommend keeping most valuables hidden and secured in a money belt specifically so you can worry less about pickpockets. Agreed that the Marais neighborhood is more fun for exploring small shops.

My wife was so disappointed by the Champs-Elysees. It's an iconic name, of course, and we build pictures of what it will be like...we got the heck out of there, although I did get a nice photo of a polished chrome T-rex holding a really nice handbag in the window of Louis Vuitton. Go to the Marais or Montmartre, you'll like it there, and with a few reasonable measures you are safer there than in any of America's big cities. Have a great trip.

It used to be one of the great avenues of Europe. There only two things to take me there now: The nice big Monoprix and Leon de Bruxelles for mussels & fries.

For us the best thing about the Champs Elysees was seeing the rekindling of the flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (WWI) beneath the Arc de Triomphe. It is done every evening at 18:30. The traffic whirling around the Arc is stopped as veterans and special groups march across the very wide street bearing flags and flowers for the ceremony. After they are across you can get to the Arc in the usual way, via the tunnel under the street, for a closer look at the ceremony. We found it fascinating and very moving.

Go to arcdetriompheparis.com/history/the-unknown... -- for more info.

Thank you for that, Lo. I never went back to figure out what the ceremony was about, we just happened upon it, and now I know.

The best way, IMHO, to "see" the Champs-Elysees is from the top of the Arc de Triomphe. One of a couple of great vantage points in Paris!

Go into Guerlain. It is truly a sight to behold, and you can try the fragrances, even if you can't afford to buy.

Thank you all for your input. It pretty much told us that we would not be spending quality time in Paris at the Champs-Elysees. We chose a Seine dinner cruise and we thank all of you for your input. On a personal note, I am sorry that with all of our travels that some respondents over emphasized our fear, as that was a minor issue.

On the Champs-Elysees I had a young lady run up behind me and then she started pulling open all the zippers on my back pack and tried to pull out the contents. Right on the sidewalk with others walking by, simply amazing.

I am sorry that with all of our travels that some respondents over emphasized our fear, as that was a minor issue.

But fear didn't appear to be a minor issue for your wife? The question was how to "set her mind at ease" as she "is afraid to go to that part of Paris." That appeared to be a request for respondents to address her anxiety over pickpockets and scammers she evidently believes to run rampant on this street?

If it wasn't a concern, then just requesting some suggestions for recommended shops might have avoided what didn't need to be addressed?