I thought France was a safe place...

[BaiHu]

Wait! Aren't grenades illegal?

Cannes hit by thieves a second time in the last week I believe. The other theft took place at the "To Catch A Thief" hotel.
http://feedly.com/k/132uTDj


Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[Nephrology]

My family is French and I have spent a lot of time over there. There has been a serious rise in arms trafficking into the country over the last ~10 years or so that has coincided with an increase in organized crime in general. A lot of the guns come from Eastern Europe and re-sold to gangs in the "banlieues" (loosely translates to ghetto) of major cities.

My good friend was once on a train (public transportation, think Metro North if you are familiar with the NYC area) and was sitting next to a moroccan/algerian guy with a big duffel bag who looked really nervous. The police in France have the right to demand ID and to search you for really any reason, and they often patrol the public transportation system. In her case officers walking through the train noticed the guy she was sitting near and asked for ID while one of them went for his bag. Apparently the guy freaked out and so one of the officers gave him a solid thwack with his nightstick. Officer finally goes through his bag once he's restrained and it's full to the brim with AKs.

Of all the places in Europe I've visited I think France is probably the least safe in terms of violent crime honestly. I've never visited Spain/Portugal/Italy, however...

[BaiHu]

Thanks for that anecdote Nephrology. I have a student going to Paris for a week. Any tips I can share with her??

[Nephrology]

Thanks for that anecdote Nephrology. I have a student going to Paris for a week. Any tips I can share with her??

Beyond general good tourist information (Be aware of your surroundings, keep your money secure and not in pickpocket-accessible location, etc) there are a few location specific pieces of advice I have to give.

Avoid the Champs Elysees at night. The Champs Elysees is actually the area of paris with the highest reported crime rate and it's not surprising given that it's rife with tourists. Definitely go once but make it during broad daylight. Generally speaking avoid the banks of the Seine at night, too. The Chatelet-les-Halles area is full of scummy teenagers but I didn't find it to be a particularly predator-rifle place to hang out during the day, anyway, just mostly annoying. Absolutely steer clear of Montmartre/La Pigalle at night as well. Montmartre is well worth a visit during the day but is totally awful at night. Avoid Barbes unless you want to buy counterfeit cigarettes or crack cocaine. Also, as a general rule - avoid Paris night life. It's retardo expensive and just scummy as hell. Go out late, have a few drinks at a cool bar (the beer sucks, tell her to stick to wine), but don't go to any clubs or anything like that. Trust me on this one. Been there/done that. Even at 21 I thought it was awful.

Generally speaking if ANYONE approaches you and asks you a question/for a favor in heavily accented english, don't even reply. Keep moving as if they weren't even there. If someone physically blocks your way do not hesitate to become more aggressive. The French have a VERY heavy police/Gendarmerie (including some really fearsome K9 units ) presence in Paris and they are never very far away if you are in a reasonably well populated area/famous area (Eiffel Tower, most of the big train stations, etc). As a woman, DEFINITELY avoid traveling alone. Paris has very aggressive young men (and you'd never guess which countries they immigrated from! Hint - it's not Belgium...) and they can be incredibly misogynist and aggressive, gropey, what have you. During the day it's not likely to be an issue but at night sticking to groups is the best. Also, Paris doesn't have a standardized taxi system (like how in NY they are all 'yellow cabs' , for example) and there have been (at least when I was there) reports of people posing as taxi drivers and kidnapping/raping young women or beating the kitten out of young men and taking their money. Avoid using taxis at night, especially in very well populated areas, or at least find the number of a reputable taxi service and use that instead of hailing one randomly. Also keep in mind the Metro closes very early (last train runs at 1AM on weekends, if I remember correctly) so tell her to keep an eye on the clock if she is far from her hotel. Just like most big cities, public transport gets sketchy late at night.

That said Paris is really lovely if you know the right places. I HIGHLY recommend the Musée d'Orsay and the Picasso Museum as well. The Centre Pompidou is super cool as well and located in a pretty neat part of the city. All 3 are really fun and were so great I went more than once. If she is a high school or college student her student ID will give her steep discounts to most tourist locations/museums/any state run venue, really. Also, the neighborhood that the Picasso Museum is in (the Marais) is a really really lovely place and was very safe in my experience. It's a strange mix between the historically jewish/historically gay neighborhood of paris and the architecture is really like nothing else in the city. Very friendly and very beautiful, and they are famous for having some of the best falafel in France. The Luxembourg gardens are also very lovely and in a really cool part of the city as well. The Louvre and the neighborhood its in is pretty cool too but it's mostly gov't buildings so there isn't much in the way of good food. My favorite places to eat were off Blvd. St Michel near the latin quarter. There are a lot of little holes in the wall. It's been a while so names escape me but tell her to do internet searches on good restaurants to eat at - there is hardly a shortage of them, but there are a lot of places to eat (especially near the touristy areas) that will charge you an arm and a leg for food that isn't that great. If she plans out the places she wants to have dinner at with a little Googling she is guaranteed to eat some of the best food she's ever had.

There are a lot of really great people in Paris and the city has a beautiful history and some really great stuff if you know how to look for it. Unfortunately it's also easily the most predator-filled European city I've ever visited. Being smart will keep you out of trouble. I got rolled more than once in Paris and so I learned my lesson the hard way. Do your homework on what you want to see and be generally cautious and you'll have the time of your life.

[BaiHu]

Thanks a ton Nephrology-I'll pass it along. She's a graduating senior and this is her trip with a bunch of friends before they go to college. I believe there will be 4 girls. Always makes my Liam Neeson hairs go up on the back of my neck....

[NEPAKevin]

...made off with a "significant" haul of luxury watches...

Kronometry (http://kronometry1999.com/fr/)

The French are pretty much screwed anyway. Syrian Rebels Issue Fatwa Against Croissants (http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/07/31/syrian-rebels-issue-fatwa-against-croissants-but-not-because-theyre-fattening/)

[Nephrology]

Thanks a ton Nephrology-I'll pass it along. She's a graduating senior and this is her trip with a bunch of friends before they go to college. I believe there will be 4 girls. Always makes my Liam Neeson hairs go up on the back of my neck....

Yeah, 4 girls in Paris can be a little weird. Tell them to sincerely avoid the nightlife in Paris, ESPECIALLY the Champs Elysees. If they want to go out and drink and have fun thats okay but make sure they pick the right neighborhoods and that they don't stay out past the metro closing unless it's within walking distance of their hotel. I lived their for 7 months as a 21 year old college student (living with friends and paying French tuition actually saved me money over paying domestic tuition) and have spent another ~5-6 months there between a few summers. I'll message you my email address - tell her she's welcome to contact me if she wants more tips. I really hope she has a good time - no need to terrify her into not going out at all, after all she is a 17/18 year old girl, I'm sure she's bound to have a few drinks and to do some things her parents probably wouldn't be very excited about. Part of growing up and all that. As long as she has some info beforehand on how to do that safely she'll have a great time.