My wife and I are planning on driving into Paris from a eastern suburb of Paris. We would like to park just north of the Pere Lachaise cemetery in the lot, and then after touring the cemetery, take the metro into the heart of the city. Is the area around the cemetery okay for walking around, especially in the early evening when we plan on returning? Also, are there any other areas that we should somewhat avoid?
Earle & Mary
Posted by
Chicago
565 posts
Paris is a relatively safe city. The area around the cemetery isn't the slum it was when Edith Piaf sang for her supper in the '30s. The biggest risk is getting pickpocketed, which more often than not, happens in extremely crowded areas, like the Louvre or the Metro. It's all about being aware of your surroundings. Don't bury your head in a map. Don't snap photos of every building while you're walking along. Keep your head up, and if you need to look at a map, stop somewhere and sit down. I would not advise you to 'avoid' any areas of Paris for safety reasons. I would, however, tell you to avoid Rue Cler for boredom reasons.
You'll be fine if you pay attention to what's going on around you.
Posted by
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
8293 posts
Don't walk in the Goutte d'Or area at night. No reason why you would, actually, but in our innocence we rented an apartment one year close by and walking back to our apartment at night was heart-stoppingly scarey.
Posted by
OP
Inverness
11 posts
Thank you so much for the important info. It seems that the area around the cemetery is fine. But, we were also planning on heading up to Montmarte on a Sunday afternoon and spending the better part of the day and early evening enjoying the area. I see that The Goutte d'or area is only about a quarter mile north of this popular tourist spot. As long as we don't wander north of Sacre Cour, we should be okay, strolling through the many side streets???
Posted by
Niceville, FL, USA
154 posts
Paris is safe. Just beware that the metro stops around 1:30am and taxis can be hard to get then. Be aware around the perimeter areas - you'll be fine. When in doubt just take a taxi.
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
With few exceptions, the "bad" parts of Paris are areas you'll never even get close to as a tourist. Place Pigall is the red light district and can be a bit dodgy, especially at night.
Posted by
Stuttgart, Germany
3050 posts
the area around pere lachese is fine. i stayed close to the ring road near there in what was supposed to be a 'bad' neighborhood and while it was a big darker and more deserted than i like, it wasn't bad. just not touristy. we were walking about a half mile from the metro to our hostel at 12am repeatedly with no problems or indication of problems. to experience 'dangerous' paris you'd have to stay in a suburb, i think.