SparksSocial

Thank you all for the responses which include valuable tips. My husband and I will be much more aware of our surroundings. It's way too essy to get lost in a bottle of good red French wine.

lowcountrycarol

If everyone thought of their electronic device or whatever as a large bill of currency , ie a 500 euro note, would you just put that down on a table in an outside cafe? Thefts have been going on for years....now there are more items to steal that are very expensive making them all the more attractive. Just use your brain.

socialworker

Thanks for the thoughtful input, Ack. In the (very long) line in the rain for the Louvre on a Sunday afternoon is one of the places that I saw young Parisians being very casual w/their iPhones, w/no thought of worry......then later at dinner at La Rotonde some mid-30s Parisian women had their phones out on the (indoor) tables. No marauding young toughs would be trolling inside of La Rotonde, but the outdoor line at the Louvre---open to anyone---would seem to be a place to be cautious, but no one seemed to be especially so. Maybe the miserable, intermittent, cold rain that day was a day off for the thieves.

We, too, only had one incident that was just the tiniest bit unsettling when we were there, and we *were* in tourist areas a good deal of the time. That one incident was in the Montparnasse train/metro station where we had ducked inside to get out of said cold, miserable rain, and as we were looking at a Paris map on one of the kiosks in the station, a "helpful" young man tried to offer us info on what we were looking for, and we told him "no thank you" and then we moved on from the map. No problem at all, but that was the closest we came to an unpleasant encounter in 3 full days in Paris.

Our time there was delightful and came at the end of a 2 week trip to Europe last fall. We stayed in a neighborhood that was less touristy than our usual locations (Hôtel Sainte-Beuve, recommended by a Fodorite!) and we liked it very much! On one day as we were walking near the hotel, we saw a large group of adults gathered on a sidewalk and quickly realized that they were parents outside the elementary school waiting for the children to come out. I only wish it would not have been *creepy* to take photos, as it was such a lovely scene as the little ones waved from an exterior corridor and then came tumbling out onto the sidewalk!

AlessandraZoe

Ack, I totally disagree with your assertion that
"Well, Parisians...aren't in areas where there are tourists."

Parisians do live and work in Zones 1-18; those zones are hardly just some sort of "Paris Urban Disneyland" for tourists only.

Furthermore, most of the shoppers in BHV, Galleries LaFayette, and Bon Marche are French--and those places have been hit hard by "swarm" gangs of thieves. The victims in the stores were primarily French.

lowcountrycarol's point that there are simply more things to steal more easily is excellent. Well said.

mskih

tonight, my Husband was waiting in line for taxi at the Eiffel tower looking at his iPhone and someone grabbed it from him. We chased the guy three or four blocks yelling our heads off, but no one tried to stop him, and there wasn't a cop in sight. Later we met some nice cops... No help then.

I was a Francophile and have spent many a franc and euro in Paris, but I will NEVER return to Paris in the summer, it's horrid hot and crowded.

We lost our photos from our travels... My 8 yro son never wants to return, and wants to
leave immediately.

Horrible experience. Was already hating Paris in the summer... Never again. My husband lived many years in the Tenderloin and survived several muggings, but this experience was his worst. I have travelled extensively, but Paris in the summer is now unbearable.

lincasanova

there are more things to steal that are QUITE valuable and easy to steal.. these phones cost a fortune over here if you can't get one through your provider with points ( which is quite difficult).

jamikins

Having your phone stolen sucks. I cant imagine never returning to a place over it though, it could happen in any major centre in the world.

I try to never take my phone out in touristy places, and if I do I stand with my back to a wall and keep it close to me. iPhones and iPads are very sought after so its best to keep them out of sight when in crowded areas.

schnauzer

Mskih, that is an awful thing to happen. I am very sorry for you. I have just got home from Paris and yes it was hot and crowded.

The young kids seem to all have iPhones or similar and I was surprised how casual they are with them, so why pick on you? Shame...

If you do return go at a quieter time, July is ghastly.

Schnauzer

WeisserTee

Photospread of Paris pickpockets:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...eading-UK.html

WeisserTee

Note that the pictures come from Paris Match, which has an eight-page photospread in a recent issue.

AussieFrance

Because of my stolen iphone experience, I systematically download all my photos onto a computer or iCloud every night so I never lose more than a day. When my iphone slipped out of my pocket in a taxi in Barcelona earlier this year (entirely my fault I have to confess) I only lost a few photos. I also copy the day's photos on my husband's camera card every night.

ejiles

My wife just had her iPhone 6+ stolen, a group of kids got between her and me . As I was yelling at her to watch out , they grabbed her phone and ran off. I followed for about 100 yards when two other Parisians jumped in to help which is where the pursuit fell apart. I knew they were part of the gang and it was almost amusing watching their antics as if I was really fooled. I remotely wiped the phone before they pulled the sim out. We also got ripped off at a restaurant last night. The wine was supposed to be something great and it was trash. I was not expecting to get a good Paso Robles Pino, but something drinkable would have been nice.I've seen Notredame and the tower thing and every old church looks like every other. If the food was all it's cracked up to be I could probably do a few more days. Paris is a place my wife has always wanted to visit but I'll take sunny SoCal any day.

janisj

>>I was not expecting to get a good Paso Robles Pino,<<

Snort

Welcome to Fodors -- enjoy Orange County.

kerouac

Jeez, the wife should have gone to Paris alone.

suze

Paris is not for everyone.

mlgb

Welcome to the usual snark on Fodors Europe, and the usual suspect leaders.

Whether they would like to believe it or not, iPhone theft IS a big problem, everywhere.

Personally, I would leave them at home and bring a cheapo sim card one.

socialworker

The last time we were in line at the Louvre, (Oct '13) everyone (locals) seemed to have one and were waving them around quite casually…..that being said, I would not have mine out while strolling down a crowded street….true, that was before the 6s came out, but the kids ahead of me in line were all sporting the 5s model which was very new at that time.

paris1953

Kudos to the two Parisians who jumped in to help. We have cellphone thefts in Dallas, too. We have places where you might get a crappy bottle of wine, too. And even though we have thousands of excellent restaurants in the Metroplex, it is completely possible to find a bad meal, if one looks hard enough. I had no idea SoCal had solved all of these issues. Paris is my favorite city ANYWHERE, but it is completely unrealistic to think that it (or any place) is perfect.

annhig

Kudos to the two Parisians who jumped in to help.>>

paris - these two were apparently part of the scam:

<<they grabbed her phone and ran off. I followed for about 100 yards when two other Parisians jumped in to help which is where the pursuit fell apart. I knew they were part of the gang and it was almost amusing watching their antics as if I was really fooled.>>

but as you say nowhere is perfect and though I had never previously heard of a Paso Robes Pino, to expect one in Paris is very funny:

http://www.windwardvineyard.com

<<I've seen Notredame and the tower thing and every old church looks like every other.>>

the tower thing? oh, the Eiffel Tower thing. of course.

perhaps we should put eijiles together with that chap who went to Rome and spent the entire time grumbling that it wasn't like some Disney set.

fuzzbucket

Was your trip ruined because of the phone theft, or were you just unhappy from the beginning? If my expensive phone had been stolen or something else bad happened, I know how I would feel.

Who chose the crummy wine?