Safety
France is a generally safe travel destination for tourists. The most common problems are petty crime — especially pickpocketing and scams in Paris and on the Côte d'Azur.
Pickpockets in Paris
Paris is Europe's number one hotspot for pickpockets — professionally organized, bold, and extremely skilled. The hotspots:
- Metro — especially lines 1, 4, and the RER B (towards the airport). Most dangerous: when boarding and alighting, as the doors close
- Eiffel Tower — the surroundings, not the tower itself. "Petition" trick (collecting signatures as a distraction), shell game, fake souvenirs
- Sacré-Cœur / Montmartre — bracelet trick (men tie a friendship bracelet around your wrist and then demand money)
- Champs-Élysées — scammers, overpriced restaurants
- Gare du Nord — the station and its surroundings are not the best area, especially at night
Protective Measures
- Keep your wallet in the front pocket or a waist bag under your clothing
- Wear your backpack in the Metro in front
- In cafés, never hang your bag on the chair back, but keep it on your lap
- Never leave your phone openly on the café table — "drive-by phone snatching" (Vol à l'arrachée) is a specialty
- Keep copies of your passport and tickets separate from the original (or digitally in the cloud)
Other Safety Topics
- Car Break-Ins — especially on the Côte d'Azur, at rest areas, and on beaches. Leave nothing visible in the car, not even an empty backpack
- Banlieues (suburbs) — tourists usually have no reason to be there. The areas are not generally dangerous, but better avoided at night
- Terror Alert — France has heightened security measures since 2015. Soldiers patrol at tourist hotspots, train stations, and in the Metro (Opération Sentinelle). This is normal and meant to convey security
Achtung
On Metro line 1 (Châtelet – La Défense) and the RER B (CDG Airport), pickpockets are particularly active. Keep your valuables close to your body, especially if groups of young people conspicuously position themselves around you.
