partyon

I have heard many horror stories about pick pockets in Paris. What do fodorites suggest I wear so that I do not stand out and look like a tourist. I usually travel in casual clothes, jeans, sneakers, etc. Thanks.

benjinho

No more pickpockets in Paris than any other place. Violence is very very very low in France/Paris. So don't worry about it. You can cross Paris walking at night with no issue.

I don't know if you're a man/woman and your age. French people (except teenagers) do not wear sneakers only "street" sneakers like fashionable Adidas. You'll notice that in Paris, people "dress up" more than in the rest of France. Don't worry anyhow, there are so many tourists and people in Paris. You don't need a tie (or a dress ?). People are casual.

surfmom

You will look like a tourist no matter how you dress... mannerisms, etc. will 'give you away'. Don't wear obnoxious colors that draw attention to yourself, but you are better off with sneakers and comfort than 'trendy' shoes and not walking and ruining a vacation...

annabelle2

If this makes you feel safer, my brother was at a Unesco conference in Paris last year and left his wallet in a taxi cab.

He reported everything through whatever were the appropriate channels and left to go home (he lives in Hong Kong), where he cancelled his credit cards etc. and assumed that was that.

Soon, however, he received mail from the Paris police, who had his wallet and were happy to send it to Hong Kong if he would send them the postage. Since he had cancelled everything and there was nothing of value remaining he respectfully declined their offer.

Point of the story is that we always hear about the "horror" stories (and I know they do exist) but seldom the positive ones. So, this is a positive one!

guy1202

I think it's safe to assume that Parisian pick-pockets will occassionally pick the pocket of another Parisian (say *that* three times fast!). I, too, like to try to blend in as a local when I travel (doesn't work in Asia, though)however, being mindful of my surroundings and not keeping all my valuables in one place is probably the best precaution.

lincasanova

standing on a corner with both hands holding and intensely looking at a map can be a giveaway.

when looking at maps, stand against a WALL and be aware of people around you.

best to do most of that inside before you get out into the crowds, when possible.

suze

Believe me, you will look like a tourist no matter what you wear. Dress however you like. Be careful with your possessions on the Metro is the only place I've heard specifically to watch out.

AnthonyGA

Very true. Tourists are easy to spot no matter how they dress; they give themselves away by their behavior, not their dress. And the only way to not behave like a tourist is to not be one, since the telltale behavior is all the behavior that sightseeing entails. You can't visit the sights and somehow not look like a tourist.

Pickpockets are interested in more than just tourists, though: they are interested in tourists who are completely unaware of what is happening around them, and have taken no precautions in making their valuables difficult to steal. There are more than enough tourists like that to keep the pickpockets in business.

At least people from the UK can take heart: now that credit cards with chips and PINs are becoming mandatory, pickpockets will be far less interested in UK tourists (a credit card with a chip and a PIN is virtually impossible to use without a PIN). Americans are still vulnerable, though, since you can still buy things with most American cards by forging a signature on a charge slip (which nobody ever checks).

Trudaine

To Partyon , from a Paris resident :

- in Paris, simply dress as you would in any large city of your home country. Do not try to dress as you imagine or have been told the locals do. Don't worry about the "black and scarf" stuff. When in doubt, ask yourself : would I wear that on NYC's Madison Avenue?

- you "will not stand out and look like a tourist" because you will be were all the tourists are. Do not worry about "blending in" , because there is not much to blend into in Saint-Germain, around Notre Dame or the Sacré Coeur.
- the local's "danger map" is not the tourist's. After 20 years of living in Paris, riding the subway every day, I have not been pickpocketted. HOwever, be caraful around the tourist sites, especially in the subway. It is on the way to the Eiffel tower, in the heart of the very wealthy and safe 7th arrondissement, that you can have your wallet stolen, regardless of the way you dress, simply because the thieves know it is the usual tourist route.

Doubletee

So much depends on how inattentive to your surroundings you appear, I'd imagine. Paris is my favorite city, and I've visited on ten different occasions, taking the Metro countless times. I dress in either jeans or slacks/khakis with black walking shoes (my shiny black pair of from Timberland have served me well); if I'm there in winter, I'll wear turtlenecks or collared long-sleeved shirts; in warmer weather, maybe polo shirts, etc. I place my wallet and passport in my front pocket and have simply trained myself over the years to enjoy my travels while still being completely aware of my wallet/passport at all times.

Basically, unless you are French yourself, the French will quickly peg you as a foreigner, no matter what steps you take to appear otherwise -- the challenge for them is simply to determine the exact foreign country you're from. Heh.

Intrepid1

Do you honestly think the only "tourists" in Paris are from one particular country?