Paris with a young teen - best neighbourhoods for atmosphere, safety and convenience

voteoften on 01/08/2018 - 20:55

I'm thinking about adding a segment onto my Europe trip and showing Paris to my teen. It's been 15 years since I've been.

I'm at a really early stage but my number one concern is safety. I'm not worried about terrorism but street crime from gangs or small groups of more recently arrived residents who may not yet have assimilated into their culture. I don't want to be hassled excessively and don't want to feel endangered when I leave the apartment to the metro. Second is convenience Followed closely by atmosphere.

I've started looking in Airbnb and think we can find an apartment for a reasonable (to me) price. I just want to quickly drill down on safe areas that still have a French feel about them.

Thank you friends. 💐

Travel

Comments

  • altomic on 01/08/2018 - 21:52

    i was there 4 years ago and stayed 5 minutes walk south west of Gare du Nord station (@ 63 Rue de Maubeuge). it was fine. had a very french feel to it. around Gare du Nord are the usually dodgy people that have been hanging around there for years. very "French" demographic for the neighbourhood.

    it was also handy being close to Gare Du Nord for the Eurostar. it's also a good reference point for when travelling around paris as it's a major station/metro hub.

  • TheBilly on 01/08/2018 - 21:55
    +3

    French colonialists who may not yet have assimilated into their culture

    • retiredfeline on 01/08/2018 - 22:00

      Hmm, didn't they get kicked out of Algeria and Vietnam long ago? If they haven't assimilated back in France they would be senile or dead now anyway. ;)

  • smuggler on 01/08/2018 - 22:00
    +1

    Is your teen some kind of night rider?

    Just stick to busy areas. Why are you being so dramatic? France is no more dangerous than Australia.

    • johndowy on 01/08/2018 - 23:01
      +8

      Taken (2008) - Liam Neeson

      • foxmulder on 02/08/2018 - 08:17
        +1

        Don't share taxi with someone named Peter :) even it's damn expensive

      • smuggler on 02/08/2018 - 20:49

        Dat bitch was asking for it

  • Diji1 on 01/08/2018 - 22:18

    Eurodisney.

  • benwaffle on 01/08/2018 - 23:54

    Staying around Odeon in the 6th arrondissement is very central and convenient. Lots of good food and easy to get to other places

  • GourmetFoodie on 02/08/2018 - 06:48
    +2

    Anywhere central is pretty safe. Like any big city you get scammers, beggars etc. Perfect opportunity to teach some street smarts! I've been to Paris about 5 times and never witnessed any violence or gangs. I always ask my Hotel on arrival if there are any areas I should be careful of in case things have changed since my last visit, and I don't typically walk the streets after midnight because in any city I find intoxicated people start causing trouble on the street after midnight. Stick to busy well lit areas and you are generally safe. Take ubers if desired as I've always found the Paris metro pretty grotty and seen plenty of weirdos on it but you get similar on Melbourne or Sydney public transport. As long as you keep your distance you are generally fine. Pick pocketing is the higher risk.

    In terms of location I would not stay near Gare Du Nord as the area directly around the station is pretty scummy (common with any major train station in a big city). I'd also avoid being near the Champs Elysees as very devoid of personality and again, attracts lots of the wrong sort due to the concentration of tourists/money.

    I would stay in the Le Marais area (4th), or Saint-Germain-des-Prés area (6th). Best shops, food, and atmosphere. Easy metro station access. Walking distance to plenty of attractions.

  • peterpeterpumpkin on 02/08/2018 - 11:21

    My experience is outdated. But I think the basics still hold true. During the day it's impossible to avoid the pick-pocketers and scam-artists since they congregate in the tourist areas, regardless of where you live. My friend was pick-pocketed 2 months ago.

    Like many big cities, I found Paris uncomfortable on a late Friday night since I hate super-drunk people and "youths in cars yelling random things". Sexual harassment on public transport is quite common there, but I don't know how it compares to here (I mostly ride a bike and take public transport during the day).

  • try2bhelpful on 02/08/2018 - 23:27

    https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/13241916?wl_source=list&wl_i…

    We stayed at this place when we were in Paris last year, it was walking distance from the Louvre and Les Halles. It has a main bedroom upstairs and a separate bed off the lounge room. It was a pretty quiet street and the next street had a good set of patissiere, boulanger, supermarket, fromagerie, restaurants, etc. We didn't feel unsafe, but we have been to Paris on a number of occassions. The only issue is it is on the 5th floor without a lift.

    If you don't want to be hassled you might want to avoid the Eiffle tower, but going up there at dusk and watching the lights come up over Paris is pretty magical. You can get good views of Paris from the top of Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur. There are a bunch of hasslers around Sacre Coeur but you can usually just walk past them. There are some dodgy areas around Moulin Rouge.

    We normally get a Carte De Musee as it means you can skip the ticket queues, but you will still need to line up for the metal detectors.

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