To have found certain parts of Paris edgy

[Sheeled]

I stayed in Belleville, which was ok. Walked ina respectable area today, there was a guy possibly in his 30s, clearly.not right mentally verbally harassing and jostling people asking for money. Didn't see much police presence anywhere.

There were big groups of men, many of whom were shouting at each other and again many looked quite unwell, around the main train stations.

Large areas around the stations smelled I mean really smelled of urine.

A lot of people seemed really unhappy and afraid.

Don't know if this has always been the case or are we simply talking about some areas. I dont think Ill be visiting again in a hurry.

You can search for these things online. It's easy to find out.

I'm sorry, what the fuck have I just read? You search for "immigrant areas" so you know where to avoid on holiday?

Belleville is a multicultural area of Paris, it is know for great food and increasingly hipster places but it is not traditional tourist Paris. So a bit like, say, Whitechapel or Peckham.

I think this is the case around stations in most major cities. London has been cleaned up a lot, it was exactly like that in the 90s.

I've lived in London for 25 years and find Paris sketchier - that's partly because I just know London better, but also because Paris has lots of men hanging around the streets in a way London doesn't. Also the London tube feels very safe and clean, even when it's crowded, whereas the Paris metro is grubby and feels unsafe, even in central Paris.

Rome used to feel sketchy to me but I went there for the first time in years last autumn and it had been really cleaned up and felt much safer. Similarly, Berlin feels fine as does Vienna. So I don't agree with this whole "it's a major European city, of course it feels unsafe" line.

I wouldn't search for 'immigrant areas' in London but then how often do people seriously visit areas like Tower Hamlets and Brent? I don't think I've ever been to either location

It's full of immigrants and therefore unsafe?? Wow racist much. Reported

YANBU to have thought whatever you thought about a city, OP, but any thread where a poster says they found a large European city unpleasant/sketchy/unsafe is inevitably met by either accusations of the poster being a Reform bot, or 'Kindly, OP, are you quite well? Have you travelled outside the Home Counties before?', so I assume this one will go the same way.

@ProudAmberTurtle the Tower of London and Canary Wharf are in Tower Hamlets so huge amounts of tourists and business travellers visit Tower Hamlets every day.

Whitechapel doesn't feel unsafe, it's positively posh these days. I think travelling to other major cities makes you realise how well managed things are in London, despite what some people would have us believe.

Umm have you? Wembley Stadium is in Brent and Tower Hamlets is a very touristy part of London. Tower Bridge, Tower of London, Canary Wharf, St Katherine's Dock.

Belleville is a bit edgy. Like most cities, Paris has its less pleasant neighbourhoods.

Did you not expect that?

Tower Hamlets is a thriving area full of tourists.

London has its problems (I’m looking at you West Croydon) but Tower Hamlets isn’t one of them.

If I was giving a Parisian holiday recommendations I definitely wouldn't recommend they go to Whitechapel or Peckham.

Yes the food can be nice, but I went to order some a few weeks ago and the man at the restaurant was having a hard time understanding English.

There's a reason I prefer South Kensington and Belgravia over these places.

On a post about London crime a woman definitely said she felt unsafe in Whitechapel at night as a lone woman

Most women here don't seem to go out alone after dark anywhere.

For me, Whitechapel, which is ways busy, feels safer than my suburban town late at night.

The Gare du Nord is utterly grim anyway, and many French people will agree.

Gare du Nord has been horrible for ages that is true.

I fucking love Paris. It’s an incredible city, been probably 15 times. OP have you not been to many other big cities before? It’s no more or no less dodgy than any other massive city. I don’t know what people are expecting - people in Breton tops and berets cycling round with garlic on the back of the bike?

That description doesn't make Paris sound any worse than a number of cities/towns I've visited.

I've heard Paris is almost as bad as London. Although I find that hard to believe.

And there are others who say they find Whitechapel at night to be fine. Anecdotal evidence on MN means nowt.

This thread feels very reminiscent of all the "London is Scary" threads which are usually thinly disguised racism.

What a crock of shite, Nigel.

Whitechapel has been multicultural since before you were born. If you don’t like it, don’t go there!

I’ve been visiting Paris for decades and it has always been a bit dodgy. Nothing new there. Still a great city.