bascilla st denis
 

We are in Paris right now and my DH would like to visit St. Denis. Has anyone visited it lately? Wondering if it is worth the trip as it looks as if it is a ways out. Since we are from the US there are some areas that we know are not safe. Is this a safe area to travel in? Thank you very much.

Please tell us what areas you know are not safe.

I have lived in Paris for 35 years, and I am unaware of this situation.

Saint Denis is perfectly safe. The metro goes there in a few minutes.

It's not a ways out, just a short ride.

What do you mean by "Since we are from the US there are some areas we know are not safe?" Because you're Americans you know this stuff, or there are places that aren't safe for Americans?
Either way, I had no idea, though I'm not overly fond of the Chatelet métro station at midnight.

Saint Denis makes a lovely day trip (or half-day trip).

Thank you very much for your reply. What I meant was, there are areas in the United States that are not always safe to travel due to gang violence, etc. I myself have been mugged, (hit and purse stolen) so at times I become scared. Somebody told me that the St. Denis area was not the "best" neighborhood and I must have made a mistake in thinking that it was not safe. We will be happy to visit as my DH is a huge history scholar and I have read that the bascilla is a wonderful historical place to visit. I would love to see the the statue of the person holding his head! I have always read that there are beautiful stained glass windows. We will take the metro.

Well, to an expert in history, Saint Denis is a MUST because this is the first ever building in gothic style.

I spent the better part of a day in St Denis by myself last April. It's about 20 minutes on the metro, not a long ride at all. The basilica is gorgeous and fascinating.

The neighbourhood is fine, in fact I had a great time walking around. It's an ethnically diverse, working class area. I went on a Saturday and the main street and square were full of families with young children. Some men tended to stare a lot, especially in the side streets, but I think this was a cultural thing coupled with me being alone and obviously a tourist.

I would recommend going on a Saturday if you can, because that's market day. The Saturday I went there was an Arabic wedding going on inside and in front of the city hall. Another poster (I can't remember who now) said they went on a Saturday and saw a wedding as well.

I have some photos I took in St Denis (this is a Paris album, the St Denis pics are labeled as such)

http://apres.shutterfly.com/8

St-Denis is wonderful; the mixture of architectural styles, from one to another, is very interesting, and the tombs of Marie-Antoinette and Louis VI make for poignant viewing. When we were there someone had placed a single red rose on her grave.

There is a carving of Saint Denis holding his head on the facade of Cathedrale Notre Dame de Paris, if I'm not mistaken. Then there is a full-body statue of him in Montmartre, in Le square Suzanne Buisson...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/polluxe/2084053060/