I have been trying for many years to get my husband to go to Paris. He finally agreed, and we made reservations to go for Thanksgiving. With all that is going on in France at the moment, he is suggesting that we change our destination . . . at least postpone our trip to Paris for another time.

He says that, while he believes that there is little chance of our being injured, there is a good chance that we will be inconvenienced. (We had planned to take the train to Versailles, for example.) And, even though the deployment of 3,000 gendarmes managed to discourage any violence in the city itself, perhaps it is just a matter of time before a tempting target such as the Eiffel Tower is hit. Please advise me how to deal with all of this!

I would go and I doubt seriously that you will experience any inconvenience at all.

Well, if he doeesn't want to go, why force the issue. A vacation is supposed to be fun. I'm surprised you can just change your plans so easily, but if so and he insists, I would. Maybe you are willing to swallow a air ticket change fee, which might be the only cancellation cost.

However, I have not heard of any particular inconveniences related to the things you mention -- like taking a train to Versailles. I suppose anything is possible, but just don't know where that information is coming from. I think there are more security checks now, so you might have to wait in some lines a little. Well, I live in Wash DC and the same thing happened here right after 9/11 and continues to some extent to this day. Mainly, there are security checks at entrances to all the museums and that can hold you up a little bit. They already had some of that in Paris, anyway (eg, at the Louvre), so I wouldn't change plans just because of that. I haven't stopped going to museums in my own town because of that.

I suppose there is always a possibility that due to some violence or real or perceive threat of that, a rail line could be closed or something. There is no guarantee, I do agree things right now will be a little different in Paris than before all this trouble, but I wouldn't cancel plans myself just because of that. However, it's not my choice, it's his and as I said, I don't see any point in trying to force him to do something he doesn't want to do.

Just back from four days in Paris. Had an absolutely brilliant time. Did Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle, Conciergerie, boat trip on the Seine, Tour Eiffel, Arc de Triomphe, Louvre, Sacre Coeur, Bilboquet jazz club and Balanchine's Joyaux at the Opera Garnier. Paris is absolutely heaving with thousands of tourists, including a great many Americans. We were not inconvenienced in the slightest

Oops, meant to add: I think it would be an overraction of epic propotions to cancel your trip. We did not notice anything out of the ordinary while we were there, and in fact completely forgot that there was apparently all this stuff going on in the outer suburbs. The tourist destinations, cafes and restaurants are all packed as normal. I very much doubt you will have problems getting to Versailles. Go and have a great time. Seriously.

If you were concerned about public tranportation to Versailles, you could take a bus or van instead. There are several van services that make pick-ups at hotels. I doubt you'll have any difficulties related to the disturbances. We live in the 11th arrondissement, far from an upscale part of Paris, and wouldn't know of any unrest if it weren't for television and newspapers.

I know that had the situation as it is now were around last year at this time, my husband would want us to cancel our December trip (we were going for New Year's). If you really feel that uncomfortable going, I think you should postpone it for peace of mind. Personally I don't think next week will be different from last week, but things could change at any time for sure. I suppose you will have to readjust your airline tickets and pay extra. I'd hate to do that myself as it ends up being really costly. Yet that's not the issue here I guess.

Well, you all have certainly given me plenty of ammunition to use in support of my argument for going. Thank you very much!!

Just back from Paris.
Did not encounter any problems at all.
The riots were in the suburbs, away from the center of Paris.
However, we did see many fires on our way from the airport.
We arrived on the third day of rioting and spoke to many Frenchman who were very sympathetic to the rioters. By the time we left that sympathy had all but disappeared. The French became very angry with the distruction and believed that it was being done by a bunch of "thugs" as they called them.
It seems to be a problem that will go on for a long time.

We went to Paris in November 2001, after some soul-searching--but finally decided that the chances of anything bad happening were reasonably low. And there were no problems at all.

Unless you will be in Paris for at least a week or more, don't bother with Versailles.

If you want to go to Paris, but your husband can't handle the possibility of being inconvenienced, maybe you need separate vacations. I adore France and would not hesitate to go to Paris today, despite the unrest.

But I have never been to France without being inconvenienced in some way, usually by a strike of some kind. That's just France, and you need to go with the flow. Admittedly the predictable strikes are not as bad as the current situation, but I'm sure the media coverage is exaggerated.

Remember, you live in the US where every moron has access to a gun. Unless you never go out of your house (sadly, even then) you will surely be safer in Paris than staying at home.

Well, I think the only inconvenience will be the safety and expense of taking a cab from the airport instead of the RER, which goes through the northern suburbs.

Plus, every day it's getting more under control. By the end of next week it'll be a memory.

Try this line on your husband "Well you know, honey, if we don't go, the rioter's win."

Happy travels, and I hope you hang in there for Paris. I think you'll both laugh how much of a "non-issue" it is once you get there.



Jules

We will be arriving in Paris on the 18th. I've heard from several people who live there that everything is fine. I will admit that I have been obsessing a little about the situation there. We've been to Paris several times and so I'm well aware that the riots are not in Paris itself.
I always book with parishuttle.com for our trip from CDG and back. I think you should consider booking your trip to Versaille with Cityrama or Parisvison. they are worth the extra money. I heard from someone in Paris today who said we will have more to fear from the weather than the riots.
Coming from So. CA. that is scary. Have a great trip. If you want to contact us do so at [email protected]

I also am leaving this week for Paris, although I am not the least bit worried about any of the riots I am concerned about the proposed rail strike set for Monday the 21st. That could make travel somewhat difficult if you are to rely on rail transportation. We have decided to rent a car at the airport and drive to Normandy for a few days instead of being inconvenienced.

On any trip you take there is always a chance you will be inconvenienced due to strikes, weather, or just the unexpected things that happen when you travel. I was in Paris in January and a few things didn't go our way. For one, I was anxious to see the catacombs. We took the metro to the catacombs only to find they were closed for rennovations until May. How do you rennovate old bones? :-? Another thing that happened on that trip was a strike. We went out for our day of sightseeing in Paris, only to find that there was a strike going on and all of the major tourist sites in town were closed for the day. We wandered around trying to figure out what to do. We finally noticed that one of the boat tours was running so we did that. For the rest of the day we roamed around the neighborhoods of Paris and visited some non-touristy churches. It was still a great day because a bad day in Paris beats a good day at work.

So the moral of this story is that when you travel, stuff happpens. It doesn't matter where or when you go, there's always a chance that things won't go exactly as you planned. Whatever happens is unimportant. What really matters most is what you make of it. Go to Paris and enjoy this adventure.

I'm not going til Feb 3 but hoping I won't need transportation and can walk everywhere. Possible?

Well, it's a long walk from the airport...

Seriously though, the more often I visit Paris, the fewer metro tickets I use. Depending on where you stay, what you are most interested in doing and how much you like to walk, it is indeed very possible to do everything you want to on foot.

Lol, Flyboy. I intend to taxi to my hotel in th Marais-UNLESS- you'll fly me there I'm not in any plan motion. I'm going to know the city with no plans except to meet up with few people I know for lunch or drinks. I'll sleep late which I can't do at home and maybe stay out late. It's all what happens serindipity.

The best way to see Paris is on foot, and you can go everywhere in the city that way, provided that you are not too pressed for time. The city itself is only a few miles across. If you're not into walking or you have limited time, you can use the excellent Métro to get around.

There are no problems for tourists in Paris right now, or at any other time. Your biggest risk, as always, is pickpockets.