France : Safety by City
- Bordeaux
- Le Havre
- Lille
- Lyon
- Marseille
- Martinique
- Montpellier
- Nantes
- Nice
- Nimes
- Paris
- Reims
- Rennes
- Strasbourg
- Toulon
- Toulouse
Besides being the most visited tourist destination and the most beautiful city in world, Paris is cosmopolitan city located in the north of France on the river Seine and is home to the world’s finest and most luxurious fashion designers and cosmetics, such as Chanel, Dior, Yves Saint-Laurent, Guerlain, Lancôme, L’Oréal, Clarins.
Paris is visited by over 30 million tourists every year and many people consider it the most romantic of all cities.
It has a nickname “the city of light” and is the center of culture, art, fashion, food, and design.
Warnings & Dangers in Paris
OVERALL RISK: MEDIUM
The police are doing their best to make Paris a safe place to live and travel, but the number of tourists attracts a lot of pickpockets on the city’s streets. The overall risk is medium, but still, you need to remain cautious as in any other tourist destination in the world.
TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: MEDIUM
Pedestrians need to pay attention when crossing streets because drivers can be very aggressive in Paris. Cars can be even found in pedestrian-only areas. If you decide to come with your car, be aware that driving in Paris is dangerous and there are limited Parking spaces. When traveling by taxi, determine the price before getting in the taxi, since Paris taxi drivers to overcharge tourists. There might be some risk while taking public transport in Paris.
PICKPOCKETS RISK: HIGH
Pickpocketing is the most common crime in Paris targeting tourists, so take care of your possessions, especially in trains, metro stations, and any popular tourist areas. You can protect yourself by having less than $100 in cash with you at a time and using your hotel room safe. Never leave your bags or valuables unattended because they might be considered a security threat and can be destroyed by security officials.
NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: LOW
Except for a few avalanche risks and floods, there are not any more serious natural hazards in Paris.
MUGGING RISK: LOW
Paris is a very safe city when the serous crime acts are in question, so the mugging and kidnapping risk is low.
TERRORISM RISK: HIGH
The high terrorist threat exists in the whole of Europe and in Paris too, since it is the most visited capital and a very attractive one to the terrorists. Due to recent terrorist attacks, Authorities advise people to STAY ALERT and follow their advice. Terrorism is special threat to British travelers and open spaces or demonstrations should be avoided since that attracts the Islamist terrorist group.
SCAMS RISK: HIGH
A lot of scammers in Paris try to take advantage of tourists. The most famous tricks are “gold ring” tricks when somebody pretends to find a ring in front of you and demand money for it, fake petitions, groups of teenagers offering help with your luggage. Be especially aware around Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, and the Eiffel Tower.
WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW
Even though Paris is safe for women travelers, when traveling alone, they should avoid areas around metro Les Halles, Gare du Nord, Stalingrad, and Jaures particularly late at night and should stay in well-lit areas. Eye contact with a man is considered as an invitation to make advances.
So... How Safe Is Paris Really?
Paris is such a great city because it offers the tourist a chance to go to almost every part of the city without being afraid of mugging, kidnapping or any other type of serious crime.
Paris is one of the safer cities in Europe and the biggest problem one may face while in Paris is pickpockets and scammers.
Pickpockets are likely to be found in any area with large crowds, such as train stations and large department stores.
The police are professional and do its best to make Paris even safer, but you still need to practice common sense.
How Does Paris Compare?
| City | Safety Index |
|---|---|
| Paris | 68 |
| Marseille | 59 |
| Lyon | 70 |
| Nice | 75 |
| Toulouse | 57 |
| Nantes | 56 |
| Strasbourg | 74 |
| Sofia (Bulgaria) | 73 |
| Siem Reap (Cambodia) | 63 |
| Phnom Penh (Cambodia) | 61 |
| Niagara Falls (Canada) | 87 |
| Calgary (Canada) | 82 |
| Buenos Aires (Argentina) | 60 |
Useful Information
Visas
As in any other European country which belongs to the European Union, the visas are not required for stays under 90 days for the visitors that do not belong to the European Union, while the EU nationals are permitted to stay in the country as long as they want. A valid passport is a must.
Currency
The official currency in France is the Euro. The ATMs should be used with care and you need to pay attention to your surroundings when you withdraw money. Paris is one of the very expensive capital cities.
Weather
Paris has a maritime climate. The winters are cool and summers are warm. In January, the temperatures are 6°C without frequent snow. Summers in Paris are warm and pleasant and that is the best part of the year to visit it.
Airports
There are many airport options when coming to Paris since you can use any of the international airports such as Aéroport de Charles de Gaulle, Paris Orly, Aéroport de Bordeaux, Aéroport de Lille, Aéroport International Strasbourg, Aéroport Lyon-St Exupéry, Aéroport Marseille-Provence, Aéroport Nantes Atlantique, Aéroport Nice Côte d’Azur, and Aéroport Toulouse-Blagnac.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance which will cover medical problems, theft, and loss of personal items is essential in any country, as well as in France. Travelers usually purchase travel insurance along with their plane tickets.
Paris Weather Averages (Temperatures)
Average High/Low Temperature
| Temperature / Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | 7 | 8 | 12 | 15 | 19 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 16 | 11 | 8 |
| Low °C | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 6 | 3 |
| High °F | 45 | 46 | 54 | 59 | 66 | 73 | 77 | 77 | 70 | 61 | 52 | 46 |
| Low °F | 37 | 37 | 41 | 45 | 52 | 57 | 61 | 61 | 55 | 50 | 43 | 37 |
France - Safety by City
| City | Safety Index |
|---|---|
| Bordeaux | 63 |
| Le Havre | 63 |
| Lille | 56 |
| Lyon | 70 |
| Marseille | 59 |
| Martinique | 71 |
| Montpellier | 48 |
| Nantes | 56 |
| Nice | 75 |
| Nimes | 65 |
| Paris | 68 |
| Reims | 68 |
| Rennes | 65 |
| Strasbourg | 74 |
| Toulon | 64 |
| Toulouse | 57 |
SCARY
It is just awful , people are trying to mug you , you just cant walk and feel safe near the refuges , smell of piss is everywhere , Paris was the most beautiful city I have ever visited , but right now I would not recommend to anyone to go near it .
Probably governed by liberals
I love Paris and I go often. With like any city you just have to be aware of your surroundings. Paris is safer than any American City. The people of Paris are wonderful . The Food is like no other in the world. If you have taste you will love Paris
Don’t come to Paris
I agree and I m French.
Avoid
Paris is a ghetto nowadays. Be REALLY careful there, and don’t go if you can avoid it. Even the city centre is dangerous now. If what you are looking for is visiting a big European city, there are way better options like London which are way more safe (and beautiful too).
my daughter and her friends visited while in school in europe ,,they were robbed 2x in 2 hours by gangs in train station not non violent pickpockets gangs ……
Dangerous place
Gare du Nord is a horrific place. Swarms of gangs looking for innocent victims to rob. The metro is even worse. Most awful travel experience.
Paris is no longer Paris
Can you believe that Paris has a better safety-rating than Moscow or Ukraine?
I lived in Paristan. It’s 30% safe at best. Such an overly expensive ghetto.
Do NOT go to Gare du Nord.
Do NOT go out at night in town, especially if you are a lady on your own.
AVOID the metro and the RER after dark. Nothing much is open late but kebab shops and halal grocery stores, anyway.
Very sad, I know.
Dump City
True, Paris needs to clean up its act fast.
I went 5 yrs ago, never again.
Filthy 3rd world people everywhere.
Avoid.
Really Sketchy place
Mugging risk, unlike stated in this article is really high. Just don’t make the wrong turn.
Beware! Pickpockets! Human trafficking! Not safe for solo female travelers!
This rating is way off. Paris is not safe for solo female travelers! Especially young women, even those traveling in pairs. Pickpockets and men pulling at you. Be wary, you could be a victim of human trafficking.
Networks of pickpockets use distraction techniques. Do not take your eyes off your belongings when moving to and from your hotel or rental. You will have to be rude and ignore people who talk to you at times. Hoards of idle men loitering in the streets and especially near metro stations. I was surprised by how many men there were and very few women.
I had my backpack stolen with a computer, hard drives, and pro camera within minutes after arriving – my carry on. Was right at my feet for less than 30 seconds outside my AirBnB in the 18th, before some guy started talking to me – and as I instinctively looked at him for briefly, the other guy grabbed my backpack.
Police told me they can’t keep up with these networks. Found Paris to be a very scary city overall. This is coming from a Chicago native, and very vigilant about safety and belongings. Nothing I could’ve done differently but never take it off or use both belt and chest straps. Thankfully my passport and cards were in an RFID wallet tightly attached.
Lyft/Uber drivers will frequently cancel rides claiming you are a “no-show”, while you get charged the cancel fee – and they get paid.
France is a safe place everywhere except in Paris. You should avoid this city, or stay in rich area. You should discover the real France, not this pathetic third-world city who not belong to France anymore.
Two women felt quite safe
My daughter and I went to Paris recently in summer 2020 and felt quite safe. I would feel worried if my daughter was traveling alone in any large city because she doesn’t have experience with ignoring unwanted attention or requests, nor assessing the level of threat and best response/reaction one should take. However the 2 of us together, we never felt unsafe, with one exception. The exception was COVID-19 in crowded metros, especially with some men speaking loudly to each other with their masks pulled down. In some neighborhoods, there are languages spoken other than french, where the men speak extremely loudly to each other on the sidewalks, forming a sort of corridor that you’d have to walk through. To avoid the risk of contamination, we’d detour around such groups, crossing the street if needed. You have to use common sense and ignore people with weird requests, like asking you to read a postcard or weird stuff, but surprisingly on this visit, those people were non-existant. We visited all the usual tourist spots, traveled on the metro in the evening, and walked a lot, in perfect safety.
Naïve!
Biased review
After reading that page and the one for Shanghai I’m 100% sure the author never visited those cities but instead did little more than naively copy-paste biased reviews from other websites.
I am originally from Paris and I live since several years in Shanghai.
I find unbelievable a dangerous place like Paris gets higher rate than Shanghai (which is one of the safest city in the world along with Singapore and Tokyo).
You never got the right experience of Shanghai or Paris, sorry ma dude…
Agree with you
Completely agree with you, as another former parisian who moved to China almost 5 years ago. Paris is no longer what it was.
France no longer doing well....
I am french and left the country 20 years ago… for family reasons. The reason why the country drastically changed is due to European borders opening in 2000. The famous Europe! that was supposed to unify….
The rich left and the poor came, But mainly it is due to passive and stupid politicians. They decided to let anybody in and also to let incivility and violence take place. Bad choices, removed also mandatory one year military trainings … a good way to strengthen some minds!!
..Police and teachers are under paid and under respected… i can go on with so many reasons why the country turned bad…Plus Paris attracts more than other cities.
Haven’t been and after reading all of the ratings, I have decided not to go. Stupid politicians and opening the borders sounds familiar (US). Thanks for your input.
you should go,i have been there and it is decently safe,trust me
Beautiful in the centre of the city. But surrounds are some of the worst ghetto suburbs you’ll ever see.
It’s an amazing city to visit, issue is, scams at the Mona Lisa Museum are bound to happen.
Avoid
Don’t think of Paris as a romantic place for late night walks and everyone is smiling… be safe go elsewhere
It should be more realistic
France is not safe but not because of terrorism but because of France itself
I think thst Paris is super safe and fun
Not at all what we had hoped for
Pretty much in tandem with some of the other travelers! Awful at night, even for a couple traveling together. The whole Parisian vibe we were hoping to experience can pretty much be summed with just one word: overrated. Sure, the pandemic affected the traveling sector but this has happened worldwide. I am referring to the smell, the crowds upon crowds of people, those beady eyes constantly scanning us to look for potential exposed belongings. I don’t know when this became the norm but I know for sure I won’t be coming back anytime soon.
Paris should not be the capital of France anymore, its the terrorism capital of Western Europe.
The safety is much lower than 68. Paris has lot of gun crime even the metro also has lots of crime. In fact, Paris has little peace. The city has lots of ghetto places. Better stick to the place with fewer guns.
Dirty
Just returned from Paris. I would never visit again. Subways are not safe. Taxis are gross and food is very very expensive. There is absolutely no where to go after dark. I am a 55 year old Dad traveling with my daughters. I was with my 60 year olf brother and his girls. Absolutely run over w trash and filth.
Lived in Paris 22 years ….. i’m safe, thank you.
BUT
OK. You need to know where, when, whith who, how, you go … it’s not a dangerous place at ALL if you’ve traveled a little … it’s just a capital ….seriously, it’s not so bad, but yes you have to take care of yourself anytime. Like … everywhere ?
Have a Nice trip
Go and see
Well, I dont like Paris. Some places you don’t see any black people but when you far the Paris everywhere black and you find it white like there’s a needle in a haystack. and a lot bad stuff.
haha
Ok turk
Just so you know, you West asians and north africans overwhelmingly dominate the sector of “bad and problematic” minorities in France and Europe beyond far more than blacks do
What can you expect from a major city?
Remember, Paris is huge. When you have a city of this size, it’s going to have problems. But I’m not sure that the net ratio of problems per capita is any higher than Chicago. Overall, expect large crowds and bad traffic most times, regardless of which part of the city. I personally saw the aftermath of 2 crashes on the road even though I was only there a brief period. Paris is certainly nothing alone the lines of an open war zone, but there are safer cities of similar size elsewhere in the world. Treat it with the same respect you would any metropolis, and you are not likely to be a victim. If you are worried about being pick pocketed, get a chain wallet and Ykooe cell phone holster. If your clothes don’t support wearing a belt, you are putting yourself at a disadvantage. For anyone who is not aware… going out to a bar and getting drunk late at night, especially while alone, is an excellent way to make yourself vulnerable, regardless of whether in France or a much safer locale such as Scandinavia. Use common sense…
Only place in the world I have been robbed three times. The first two times I was living in Paris. Children and women are the typical culprits and they are professional. I have been all over Europe, Africa and Asia and only robbed in Paris. This misinformation is why so many traveling to Paris are unprepared, deemed safe because its Europe, not because its actually safe
never again.
We traveled in a large group. After eating in the Georgian restaurant in the Paris center, we where robbed by a black males who ripped off the watches and ran off. Police said don’t wear expensive watches.
Overall- durty delipidated city with unfriendly people and nothing interesting created in the 100 years. Go to Asia or Eastern European instead.
Paris is not good to travel
I do not recommend Paris for tourists because of police the Paris police not doing there job well they see there is pickpockets and robbers but they ignore them so why everyone is free to do anything if police do there job that will be the best city for ever i don’t know that police have link with them or what but police is nothing in Paris
Still a pretty safe country to visit. Forget your worries about crime and Emmanuel Macron
My info is probably biased, so it is fine if you get me wrong.
I went to Paris and did not sense any insecurity, aside from the strikes and the protests of course. However, you still should be on the lookout for any robbers or pickpockets, as this is common. This year, police efficiency increased, and crimes began to fall. Marseille is still pretty safe, but the number of murders went from somewhere like 32 to 36, so that’s also where police presence increased I think.
I semi-agree with what @David above says, but is not like the police don’t want to reduce crime rates (some police officers are like that), they are not told to enough, and political correctness made by “Mr Unnecessary,” aka Macron is to blame!
Visited this November, and had a great time.
Felt safe everywhere I went I just saw a few scams from gypsies’ girls. If you don’t talk to them you are fine.