smilinsnoboarder

So...yes, I am finally making my sought-after return to Paris in mid-March. This summer I spent 4 days there and loved every minute of it! However, I will be traveling alone this time. I met locals there last summer and spent the majority of my time with them. However, I had friends who knew I would be meeting them back at our hostel or knew what I was doing... Basically, I'm concerned about the safety of traveling completely alone, as a young female.

Also...I have 5 days there, and was considering a very short trip to Strasbourg (day or 2?)...Plane and train about the same price. Plane ~hour, train ~4hrs. The train might have a pretty view, though.

Any thoughts or suggestions?
Thanks!!

suze

I am more cautious when I travel solo. I do not take the same 'risks' I might when traveling with friend(s) i.e., drinking alot in clubs, staying out real late, being in parts of town i was not familiar with after dark, like that.

You can email home every day or two to check in with family and friends and let them know you are OK.

smilinsnoboarder

Thanks for the response!
I was considering staying at the same budget hotel/hostel I was in last summer, just for the sake of familiarity (and it was pretty cheap and close to metro). Good idea?

I just cannot expect to meet random people and have as great a time, as I did with them last summer. Does it get boring traveling alone for 5 days? How about lunch and that??

suze

I think it is an individual preference but I love traveling solo. I have never gotten bored on a trip to Europe, alone or otherwise!

As above, I do things a bit differently. For lunch I might be more apt to grab a sandwich from a bakery and eat it on a park bench somewhere. Or hit a crepe stand. And certainly I am *always* comfortable sitting in sidewalk cafes with a small pitcher of house wine and watching the city go by.

I can't explain the feeling but I find it incredibly exhilerating to be alone in a foreign city where I don't speak the language. It is thrilling to me.

richardab

Strasbourg is a wonderful little city but I don't know if its woth the time spending to and from the city. If you have only 5 days i think you will need that to explore Paris. If you have the wanderlust and must explore, why not try a simple trip to Versailles?

Anyway, if you go to Strasbourg you will meet wonderful people and eat delicious food.

While traveling solo all you need to do is take care of yopurself and watch out for you belongings and purse. Never look lost or vunerable. Act like you belong.

g33kgrl

I spent 5 days alone (well, not completely: I met up with 2 delightful Fodorites a couple of times--hi, tod and jazzyred!) in Paris last September and it was my first time traveling solo. Paris is a great for it! I spent the days wandering around different neighborhoods and shopping, and nobody acted like it was weird for me to be eating alone, even for dinner. I never felt unsafe, but I didn't stay out past 9 or 10 most nights.

I agree with calling or emailing home every couple of days--makes everyone feel better.

suze

Besides letting people know you are doing fine, use an account like hotmail so you can pick up messages as well. That's a fun way to ward off possible loneliness. Often that becomes part of my daily routine, become a regular at a nearby internet cafe, write back and forth with a couple people at home to tell about the trip. I only spend a few minutes but it helps you not feel so alone.

thatgirldina

Great thread! I'll be reading along, since I too will be travelling solo to Paris in March!

Madison

smilinsnoboarder - I've been to Paris 3 times and everytime solo and have to say I love it. I love the freedom of doing what I want when I want, not having to compromise.

As Suze has said you do have to be a little more careful traveling solo. Beware of the leeches. They are out there.

Have a wonderful trip, and yes I am very jealous.

richardab

make copies of everythings and.....

BEWARE OF THE GYPSIES!

smilinsnoboarder

I stayed in the area of Richard Lenoir metro stop last summer, if anybody knows the area. The hotel/hostel was quite cheap, but maybe there are better ones out there and still cheap? Any recommendations? I'm thinking less than 50 or so euros a night, at the most. BUDGET TRAVEL!

Also--been to Versailles and Fontainebleau already. For $105, I can fly or take train to Strasbourg for a day or 2. Just not sure if it's all that worth it. It looks gorgeous, but what all is there to do besides looking around, food, etc?

starrsville

Congrats on going back and solo. I'm considering doing the same in Italy this year.

richard, you aren't trying to get an old thread going again, are you? Let's not get on the gypsy topic again!

suze

I would be tempted to return to the hotel/hostel you stayed at before since you are comfortable with it, and it's a good price.

I often return to the same hotel, not that it is necessarly the most incredible or that there aren't others equally good, but I know it, like it, and feel comfortable. Each revisit takes less time to get to know the immediate neighborhood, stores, metro stop, conveniences.

I'd skip Strasbourg (partly since you don't seem to have a specific interest or know of anything special you want to see or do there)... and stay in Paris. 5 days will fly by!

Ag3046

I have been to Paris solo 5 times. I chosed an accomodation close to a nice space-my favorite being Le Jardin Luxembourg and the Latin Quarter. You have a safe public place that is also historic, gorgeous, and people-filled. I like to shop, so I search out boutiques that are interesting and map them out using pages-jaunes so I know where I'm going, and the closest Metro stops. I chose sidewald cafes and enjoy gazing at Paris going by, with a lovely meal and wine, as another poster has mentioned. When I go out at night, I know exactly where I am going, perhaps having scouted it out before. I choose only 1 or 2 "sights" to see each time I visit so I don't get too tired out, and then spend the rest of the time walking and enjoying the beauty of the city. As far as safety goes- I look confident, don't speak to strangers, and blend in. I don't think I've ever felt threatened- maybe lost and stupid, but not unsafe. I seek out the unusual museums- my favorite is the Musee de l'homme where there is an incredible ethnographic collection from every place France ever colonized. I think of Paris as a meal consumed best in small, well-considered bites. I have also studied French, so that I can order and ask directions without an apologetic discusion.
So- for your advice, yes I am cautious. I watch my surroundings and trust my gut. If this is your second visit, then staying in the same place is a good idea. You will have figured out who are good companions in a hostel situation by now. Chose something in Paris that really appeals to you and organize your time around it. I have not been to Strassbourg and cannot give you any information on it.

Ag3046

And ask your question on the Lonely Planet travel board for Western Europe. You are bound to get a different group responding.

cabovacation

Maybe you could meet up with some Fodorites at the same time! Just to know you're not alone in the big city! There are always some of us ....EVERYWHERE!

smilinsnoboarder

Ag3046, do you have any specific suggestions on budget hotels/hostels in that area? It sounds great! Since I spent very minimal time at the hostel I was at last summer (most of my time in Montmartre, walking down near the Seine & Paris Plage!!!, and in Fontainebleau), I barely caught a glimpse of what cafes, boutiques, etc. were available in that area. In fact, I don't think there were too many. There was a grocery store I went to, but that was about it by the hotel.