Areas to avoid in Paris

What did you see that was scary?

I think about a mile or so north of your apartment is "Pigalle". It's pretty seedy, and the first time I wandered into that area, I found it a little scary. Many people on this helpline seem to not have a problem with it, but I try to avoid that area if I am able. Otherwise, I haven't had a problem with any other area.

I guess seedy is a better word than scary. It didn't help we had our luggage with us and looked obviously lost. Anyway, thanks! We went back out and explored our neighborhood a little and are very excited.

I can't imagine they were dropped off in the Pigalle area if their apartment is off rue Montorgueil. We were just in Paris for a month and explored the Montorgueil area and liked it a lot. I didn't see anything seedy or scary.

I hate the Pigalle area...it's not scary to me but very seedy - I agree to avoid that area.

I know a lot of people like Montmartre but I thought it was very seedy too, and more packed with tourists than anywhere else. What charm it may have is completely wiped out for me by the seediness and people packed in like sardines. But we were there on a Sunday, and that's probably the worst day to go.

I haven't been to the Canal St. Martin area, but have read here on the Helpline that some people think it's seedy.

Other than that, I can't think of any area in Paris I would avoid.

Some of the areas around there can be a bit dirty, or have ladies working in the doorways-rue St. Denis, mostly in the 10th. There are also a lot of clothing wholesalers (Sentier) and crowded immigrant areas (either side of Blvd. Sebastopol around rue du Chateau d'Eau. Your taxi didn't do its job.

ARe you staying at 12 rue marie stuart? If so which VIP id number?

We stayed near Rue St. Denis and St. Saveur. I used the laundry on Marie Stuart. Initially the ladies in the doorways and the peep show across the street were a bit off putting (well, not to my 15 year old son). But I never felt unsafe. Even late at night. I did see that St. Denis closer to Rue Reaumur was seedier than down near Les Halles. Make sure you visit Boulangerie Julian on St. Honore. The best bread and dessert we had in France! It's a fun area, have fun.

The area on St. Denis that a few of you described is exactly where we got dropped off. Now that we've been here a few days, we are happy with the area.. but we still avoid that direction because of how uncomfortable it made us the first night.

We are in VIP 29 I believe.

Glad to hear you like the area. We are in VIP 79 next May.

We were in Paris in late May and stayed near the Montorgueil Market street(apt) but did not really love the market--much preferred Rue Mouffetard but the area did not seem seedy but definitely not upscale. The area along Canal St Martin definitely had a seedy feel( canal had debris in it, urban campers under bridges) to it but I guess others may like that area. The worst area we ever saw was on our first trip to Paris and the metro was undergoing work on the rails. We were transferred to a bus and it went through an area where the sidewalks were full of racks of cheap clothes, etc. It had a third world feel to it and was not a place to walk around.It possibly may have been Belleville--we got on the metro at Pere LaChaise.

Jesse, I am staying in that same apartment over New Years this year. Did you enjoy the area?

My father is an amateur photographer and naively took some photos of street scences in the St. Denis neighborhood. He had a pimp run up to him and try to confiscate his camera. I don't recommend trying to photograph general scenes in the St. Denis area of Paris. But there is really nowhere else in Paris I would avoid, and St. Denis and Pigalle are probably just ugly, rather than dangerous. And yes, walking down the street with luggage does set you up for unwanted attention, especially if you're female.