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Original poster

I can't undestand all the hatred for Paris on MN

235 replies

2026IsMyYear · 20/04/2026 21:34

Just that really - i just don't recognise the Paris that people post about on here!

I have been many many times & spent a month there not too long ago

I adore it & would happily consider living there.

So much to see & do, so much history & beauty

I am obsessed with modernism & early 20th century literary history. There are amazing museums, galleries & libraries. Love the flea markets & clothes & shoe shops.

Great food & wine!

I've never found it smelly (certainly no worse than major UK cities) & i have never felt intimidated or been followed etc

I am now in my 50s & a v seasoned savvy traveller & I've been visiting Paris since i was 20.

I adore it but often feel like an outlier here!

OP posts:
Sartre · 21/04/2026 05:56

Random321 · 21/04/2026 00:57

Some people just hate everything.

Btw, Dublin is expensive but it's not dirty or full of pickpockets. If that's your experience, you are doing it wrong. Also, the best of Ireland is outside of Dublin.

The best of France is outside Paris as well though, the best of Italy outside Rome, best of UK outside London. You could say it about most countries.

Sartre · 21/04/2026 05:54

I think you’re romanticising it, in the way many people do New York, London or Rome. It’s a grubby city like any other. They’re all a bit edgy, gritty, dirty, filled with pockets of poverty etc. Some feel nicer and safer to walk around than others imo.

My dad is French and hates Paris in the way lots of Brits hate London. I’ve been numerous times over the years but the last time I went I almost got mugged on the tube. Whilst not really scared, it put me a bit on edge and I haven’t really wanted to return.

I also find Parisians rude, probably in the same way Londoners can be but because most visit there it means people think all French people are like that and they’re not.

alwayscrashinginthesamecar1 · 21/04/2026 05:49

Random321 · 21/04/2026 00:57

Some people just hate everything.

Btw, Dublin is expensive but it's not dirty or full of pickpockets. If that's your experience, you are doing it wrong. Also, the best of Ireland is outside of Dublin.

Dublin is a bit grubby and grey looking though the weather doesn't help. And there are addicts everywhere, it can be a bit intimidating. I do agree that the best of Ireland is outside Dublin though West Cork is the best.

Random321 · 21/04/2026 00:57

Some people just hate everything.

Btw, Dublin is expensive but it's not dirty or full of pickpockets. If that's your experience, you are doing it wrong. Also, the best of Ireland is outside of Dublin.

PyongyangKipperbang · 21/04/2026 00:37

I loathe Paris, but I also dislike London and have no desire to visit NY.

I think a lot of it comes down to whether you are a city person or not and I am not.

I go to Paris for the culture but I really hate everything in between. Same with London, but London beats Paris on culture except the Louvre, that wins hands down. If I could helicopter and in and out to there I would be happy!

Crushed23 · 21/04/2026 00:34

I was bored senseless in Dublin.

Pleasant enough place, I just need more.

Crushed23 · 21/04/2026 00:33

I love cities that MN hates.
Paris
London
New York

And find the cities that MNetters rave about to be completely overrated:
Barcelona
Budapest
Copenhagen

Friendlygingercat · 21/04/2026 00:19

I love Paris. Wonderful museums, shops and fleamarkets. However I avoid the tourist places having visited them all in past trips. I love sitting in the cafes. People can be a bit grumpy even when like me you speak fluent French.

Delphiniumandlupins · 21/04/2026 00:11

I llike Paris. I like that it's French and it looks like I expect it to. I'm less keen on London but maybe because it's many years since I have visited as a tourist. Dublin I also like but it's surprisingly small.

Original poster
2026IsMyYear · 21/04/2026 00:01

mjf981 · 20/04/2026 23:51

I agree. I've only been once for a week but thought it was fantastic.

Dublin though...very parochial. I heard someone on here call it 'an Irish Leeds' which fits perfectly.

I just don't feel that about Dublin at all. I love it!

OP posts:
AlcoholicAntibiotic · 21/04/2026 00:00

ThisSunnyBee · 20/04/2026 23:30

It's on here ad naseum by people who would be better suited to a TUI AI in Turkey with waterslides tbh.

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What’s wrong with a TUI AI in Turkey? There’s plenty of space in the world for people to enjoy different things

UncannyFanny · 20/04/2026 23:55

Don’t forget the dog shit! You forgot all the dog shit everywhere in the streets!

alwayscrashinginthesamecar1 · 20/04/2026 23:53

Paris is great, as is London. But I do get why people hate Dublin. I'm Irish, and often recommend people skip Dublin when they visit, there are many better places to visit when in Ireland. Although I do like TCD.

mjf981 · 20/04/2026 23:51

I agree. I've only been once for a week but thought it was fantastic.

Dublin though...very parochial. I heard someone on here call it 'an Irish Leeds' which fits perfectly.

Morepositivemum · 20/04/2026 23:47

Was it the thread the other week on places that disappointed people? I can’t remember specifics but I was surprised at a few places on that list!!!

Redheadedstepchild · 20/04/2026 23:45

Wowzel · 20/04/2026 23:25

I used to live in les yvelines and i concur!

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Thankyou! See! I'm not making things up.
Glad you escaped.

BirdsongSunshine · 20/04/2026 23:40

I have never been to Paris but would LOVE to visit one day.

If anyone could advise if the best places to stay and sights to see, please do.

I’ve been to London multiple times and absolutely love it, but some of the hate spread about it beggars belief. It’s not something I’ve seen during my many visits with my family. We’ve loved every minute. So I welcome all of the positive posts about Paris, along with the places to avoid.

ThisSunnyBee · 20/04/2026 23:30

plims · 20/04/2026 21:38

I have never seen any hatred of Paris on here. Tbh, you sound like you’re trying to advertise it.

It's on here ad naseum by people who would be better suited to a TUI AI in Turkey with waterslides tbh.

TeenLifeMum · 20/04/2026 23:29

I loved it, then hated it after a trip with dc where people kept ticking my dc blonde hair and I have 3dds so not enough hands. It felt unsafe. There were lots of scam artist magicians and a really odd vibe. Dh took me back 10 years later to see lady gaga and we made a weekend of it. I wished it was a different city but that’s where she was playing on a date we could make… we absolutely fell back in love with it.

WhatAMarvelousTune · 20/04/2026 23:26

I think it’s just that it’s built up as amazing, magical, most romantic city in the world etc. Anywhere with that kind of expectation put upon it is going to fall short for a lot of people, and some will criticise it more harshly than they would a city they didn’t expect much of.

Wowzel · 20/04/2026 23:25

Redheadedstepchild · 20/04/2026 22:28

Paris is alright. I'll tell you what though - if ever you hear of a truly bizarre crime happening on the French news - the amount of times it seems to have occured in les Yvelines, the region just to the west of Paris is uncanny.

Things like, "Mushroom picker finds shoe by river. On inspection from the gendarmerie nationale the shoe contained a severed foot.

Mde Dupont : 'I didn't disturb it unless they came back for it later.'

The case continues."

That's a real thing I remember reading.

Another weird bunch of people from les Yvelines came on holiday on Corsica near me. Grandma, aged in her late eighties, got lost in a thunderstorm, (allegedly) so they left it for a few days in case she turned up, flew back to Paris, settled back in the 'burbs and then reported the poor woman missing!

Paris is fine. Just don't get lost in the Yvelines weeds.

I think all capital cities have their odd bits on the outskirts. Seemingly quite genteel but with a dark side.

I used to live in les yvelines and i concur!

EvelynBeatrice · 20/04/2026 23:25

Livelovebehappy · 20/04/2026 23:13

Love Paris, but dislike the French people. They’re so rude…

Have you tried Bordeaux? Politest people in France. Beautiful city.

Original poster
2026IsMyYear · 20/04/2026 23:22

Thanks for sharing that thread @ErrolTheDragon. Paris regularly crops up on threads as most hated place

@Livelovebehappy i have never found French people to be especially rude. Certainly no more so than the population of any large city

OP posts:
Happyjoe · 20/04/2026 23:21

AlcoholicAntibiotic · 20/04/2026 22:50

You’ve clearly never been to Brighton - weirdo central there.

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Lol, that's my old hometown, Brighton is utterly fab because it's weirdo central! I've not lived there for a few years now but it was a forgiving place, nobody gave a crap what you looked like or nowt.

Happyjoe · 20/04/2026 23:19

Was sent to work there on a couple of jobs, St.Germain. Flipping loved it, was even worth the long drive from the UK, ha.