Les Halles, Paris. Your thoughts
 

Hiya,
Anyone know the Les Halles area in Paris, could you tell me if it has a bad rep for being dangerous? Is safety a particular issue for any reason?
Thanks for your responses.

Les Halles, if you are referring to the old market area of Paris, was transformed and gentrified several years ago and the produce market moved to the suburban area known as Rungis.

Read a book recently about Paris that said the area is a 'hang-out' for criminals.

I certainly wouldn't hang around in or near the Chatelet station late at night, but apart from that, the area's not "dangerous." There are probably a good number of pickpockets and petty thieves around the Place Beaubourg when it's teeming with tourists, but so are plenty of other tourist-frequented areas in Paris.

Travel Buzzing,

We stayed fairly close to this area in the 3rd this past Feb. and May of last year. We never felt we were in danger and yet we didn't hang out there much at night. I would just exercise common sense.

Are you looking to stay in the area and are worried about the area for this?

In the 90's Les Halles certainly was not the best area. At that time, the main issues seemed to be drug use and homeless persons camping out at night.

There is a huge shopping mall there, built in the late 70's which was redone and they are redoing yet again.

Location wise it's good. It's right by Saint Eustache church and Les Halles gardens. Close to Pompidou Centre, the Seine, Rue de Rivoli, the Louvre and Notre Dame.

Hi TB,

Think of Les Halles as a giant shopping mall.

It is not unsafe during the day and evenings.

Late night - take the usual precautions.

((I))

The Forum des Halles is a major hangout for teenagers with nothing to do. The area immediately around it to the south toward Chatelet isn't very enjoyable, but from St-Eustache north it's quite appealing. Rue Montorgueil starts at that point and the shopping area around Etienne Marcel and toward Place des Victoires has interesting things.

I don't like the area between les Halles and the Centre Pompidou, but the Marais starts just past there. All in all, the le Halles area is not dangerous, but there's no reason to spend time there.

Thanks for your responses!

I've been known to enjoy a late night meal, say 2 am, at Au Pied du Cochon which is in Les Halles. Never had a problem being a solo female traveler.

As an aside, I can highly recommend this resto if you are starving in the middle of the night! The place is usually packed, and there is an interesting lively crowd.

Enjoy your trip!

If, in the early morning hours before the cleaning crews go to work, you go through the garden covering the underground Forum shopping mall at Les Halles, you may wonder "How can people be so dirty? There are trash receptacles everywhere but all of the wrappers from McDonald's and Quick and the other places are lying all over the ground! People here are pigs!" However, if you go through the garden at dawn, you will find hundreds of enormous crows, twice as big as the pigeons, diligently pulling all of the trash out of the bags and making the mess in their hunt for french fries and pieces of bread.

How interesting. Nice to know it isn't really "people" being so disrespectful.