Paris - what would be the deal-breaker for you?
 

I have often thought about the cult of Paris, and how people seemingly forgive it pretty much anything. But when general strikes are announced, threatened complete closures, street scams, mass-produced frozen food in restaurants, overtourism protests, overtourism, riots in the banlieu (okay, admittedly this was a very long time ago now) ... what would be the deal-breaker for you? I see much of the grittiness of Paris is forgotten, but in other cities this is the main feature that people hate (Marseille). When would you say, no more Paris, I think I prefer (Lyon, Nice, Bordeaux, etc)?

Lavandula

I can't really answer because Paris holds zero appeal to me anyway, but what you describe applies to many major cities in Europe, not only Paris, yet people go back to them time after time.

Anyway I prefer smaller, quieter places and countryside, not only in Europe but on our trips to the US in the past.

Ah geeee, I'm afraid there is nothing that would be a deal-breaker for me for Paris. No matter what, there would be the architecture, the wide, tree-lined boulevards, the Seine, the restaurants, and having a coupe de champagne at a sidewalk cafe. In fact, I was just about in that worst-case scenario last November, when I'd marched off to Paris after spinal surgery. I found I could hardly walk two blocks. Still, I took a bus every day to a restaurant, ate, and came back to my lodging to gaze at the Seine. If no busses were running, I'd just find a closer restaurant.

Then again, Paris is a special case for me, full of nostalgia for when I lived there for a school year in 1977-78. I find my old self in several nooks and crannies of the city.

Any other much-loved destination? What would it take for me to stop returning? Crowds, I think. I fell in love with Sarlat, but my 2d visit was in May, and the town was shoulder-to-shoulder packed. I may not return because of that, or may return in March or early April. But, yeah, I hate crowds. Don't care if they're locals doing the weekly marketing or tourists gawking, I don't like crowds.

Fun question!

s

I tend to prefer smaller cities as they are walkable or more nearly so. Out of the UK I tend to go vegetarian anyway and while it is possible to freeze veggie food it can be very obvious. If I am eating fish or meat then I stick to simple dishes nothing complicated.

I find Lyon a bit big.

But hey for a cold week in winter Paris is still a great get-away.

If I worried about France having strikes and revolutions I'd have never have gone.

What they said. Large cities or cities in general no longer represent the individual culture or uniqueness of a nation and have lost or squandered their culture and traditions. Why bother? You have to get further and further down into the weeds and get into the areas where you can still witness and enjoy the culture and customs before they, too, are gone or diluted.

The only deal breaker for me is occupation of the city by a hostile military force, something which seems to be happening more and more around the world.

I’m with swandav2000, nothing can ever keep me away from Paris. This is where I went with DH as a newlywed 46 years ago, he a lowly third secretary at the Indian mission and I a student at the Sorbonne. We didn’t have much money, but did so many fun things and travelled all over Europe at every opportunity. Nostalgia most certainly plays a part, but where else do you find such a beautiful city, with some of the finest museums? The whole of France is gorgeous, and Paris the crown jewel 😍

No one had to fire a shot....

I agree. On my first trip (21 years ago) I booked a flight into Paris and out of Nice. I wasn't that excited about Paris. I feel in love. I still feel that way. I can't imagine that ever changing.

Last night I talked to an older woman (than I) who moved to Paris as a little girl. She asked me what was my favorite country and the conversation continued from there. She was born in Algiers, lived in India, Buenos Aires, Paris and Luxembourg. She married someone who doesn't like to travel but always asks about my trips. She shared her biggest surprise at her first experience in Paris - that people weren't dressed in long dresses and using carriages like the did in the movie Around the World in 80 Days! LOL

Her brother returned to study at the Sorbonne as well.

I love Paris more after every trip, not less.

After having been in Paris briefly a few times as a child (going to Lorraine to see my grandparents), I decided in 1971 that Paris was the city where I wanted to live. I moved to Paris in 1973 the moment I finished university and have lived here ever since. It might not be a perfect place, but it is perfect for me. One thing I like is how it keeps changing as the years go by -- but of course not the architecture.

I too am with Swandav2000 and Starrs: Every time we go to Paris, I come home with list of still unseen! I think reading non-fiction about the city helps fuel our interests. This last time (7th) read a great book by Diane Johnson who lived in the 6th, Rue Bonaparte actually. We ended up staying around the corner on Rue Jacob, and knowing what and where to see the gems of history -- original roman wall remnants for one. The Musee Delacroix, being another when we couldnt get into the D'Orsay (but seen once before) because it was Christmas week. Yes, this last trip with last week of Dec and first of January was a challenge in that I couldn't get through Place du Tertre for a painting due to the crowds. But it allowed us to explore Musee Montmartre for the first time! And on a previous trip exploring Passage Vivienne led us to the nearby Musee Carnavalet, a true gem. And so it goes! And it's a walkable city, flat except for the north. Our visits usually in Sept-Oct, with once in March (wet and chilly) and last one at Christmas. And every trip includes 5-7 nights in other areas of France after 5-7 nights in Paris. It works for us.

I can count the number of times I've been to Paris on more than one hand and would still go back. There is still much I haven't yet seen or gotten to. I think the only thing that would keep me away indefinitely would be the same as kerouac, hostile military force. I haven't been in sometime, but I do think about and when the stars align again, I would go back as each time for me, it's been different.

My first visit to Paris was 1972. I was 18 and I fell in love with the city.
I have been back 9 times since, as well as other parts of France.

I hope to visit a few more times before age finally catches up with me.

Aside from a volcano erupting in Iceland, I don't see what else would stop me.

Friends would ask, "You're going to Paris again?" Now they just say, "When are you going back to Paris?" So, it appears, nothing would stop me.

My first visit to Paris was one late November decades ago…The weather was miserable, but it didn’t matter.
Over the years I have returned more than twenty times .
I love big cities anyway, but Paris is like no other…

One of my favorite visits was a completely unexpected visit.
I was flying out of Athens, Greece on the last non-stop flight of the season with a Comfort+ seat. Delta wanted that seat. They were overbooked and kept making great offers. I was not interested. The voucher amount kept going up but I really wanted to go home. When they asked again, I told the Delta agent that I would give up my seat IF they found a way to route me through Paris...with enough time on the ground to make it worth my while. She smiled and said she was on it! I told them I didn't even need the overnight voucher (they had offered the Sofitel in Athens) IF my favorite hotel in Paris had an opening. She made it work! I was happy. Delta was happy. It was October so my clothes for Greece were not "enough" for Paris but I just layered up. The morning before my flight home was rainy but I got up early to walk around and enjoyed taking photos of quiet Paris as shops were opening and wait staff were straightening the chairs at my favorite bistro. Too short of a visit but a lovely surprise!

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6bcf810e9e.png
A rainy morning in Paris

starrs, I remember you posting about this some years back and thinking what a perfectly delightful surprise it must have been!

starrs, great story

I can't imagine anything that would be a deal breaker for me...

Seriously though, I was just in Paris last month after an absence of many years and thinking to myself-why haven't I been back here every year?!
Planning on returning next year for a longer stay.

On March 15, 1962, my then husband and I arrived at the Gare du Nord by train from Ghent. We were supposed to travel on by train to LeHavre but were told that all trains were canceled and that Paris was under military control. There was a total blackout. We walked a bit and found a nearby hotel where we checked in and learned that there were threats of violence by the OAS, a French para-military group opposed to the imminent signing of the Evian Accords that sought to end the war with Algeria. When we asked to make a phone call to LeHavre, we were told we would have to go to the PTT (phone company) office with an escort and we did. The call was connected and my husband spoke with his business contact while an official listened in. We then were taken back to the hotel where we spent the night. We were able to get a train the next afternoon to LeHavre. The accords were signed on March 18. A few days after that we returned to a beautiful city that seemed to have resumed normal life and I enjoyed my first of many visits there. Now I don't know if or when I will ever get back, but I can't imagine any kind of "deal-breaker" keeping me from wanting to.

Thanks geetika and bilboburglar.
I had no idea that the last seasonal flight out was a big deal. They were taking photos of the plane and there was a little celebration by several of the agents. I was given an escort back through security and passport control to make sure I made it through in time. All I know is, I was thrilled to be back in Paris so unexpectedly.

I can FEEL the weight of that tasseled key in my hand. If I found out I only had a short time to live (and could travel) I'd do this quick trip all over again. I truly love that hotel and that city. So to answer the question, I can't think of anything.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...cfc9eafd18.png

Paris was my first European city. I was supposed to be meeting a colleague flying in from Miami and we would continue to a meeting in Florence. She was delayed by catastrophic weather, and I wound up alone with my HS French and worry about losing my hotel reservation in Florence. Believing the AmEx hype about their global service I confidently went to an AmEx office where, despite all arrangements having been made via AmEx, the response was basically a dismissive "What do you want us to do?" (I cancelled my Amex account shortly thereafter and have never rejoined.) Roaming the rue I saw a mom and pop travel agency, went in to plead my case and with my rudimentary French and his less rudimentary English, everything was resolved - at no charge! This was way pre-internet; he gave me a copy of the hotel's acknowledgment of the telex message that my arrival would be delayed one day but not to cancel, told me to hang on to it because the hotel will probably say they never received it. That's exactly what happened! So I enjoyed an extra day in Paris and fell deeply in love with the place.

I actually cannot recall how many times I've visited. When we began (20+ years ago!) the tradition of a HS graduation trip for nieces/nephews it was Paris, later expanding to add an additional city but almost always including Paris. I have adored everything from street food to five star dining, from BHV and Tati to Hermès. For many years we would visit over Thanksgiving, and once or twice for New Year/ St Sylvestre Day. We have not been to Paris since COVID, and are scheduled to go this Thanksgiving. I am so eager to see the restored Notre Dame cathedral!

So, what would totally rule out Paris for me? Maybe a recurrence of bubonic plague.

As a tourist, Paris remains one of our most visited cities in the world. It's hard to resist Paris, though the prohibitively high cost of accomodation (hotels, apartments etc.) these days is certainly a dampener.

"Paris is always a good idea." Sabrina

Paris is the reason why I travel. It is the only city (outside my immediate area in CA) that I have been to more times than any other. Los Angeles can't say that - of course there is no comparison.

While I have been able to travel to many places and although Italy and Croatia seemed to have found themselves my soul (corny!), Paris will always have my heart (more corny!).

And I can't think of any deal breakers - for me - that could actually keep me from the city. As I am in the midst of planning another trip and the plans have shifted focus from Italy back to France for a familial connection, Paris has weaved it's magic on me once again, and I cannot wait for what awaits.

All prose aside, I have to adjust my expectations. With it being such a popular destination and how it has changed since I last vistited in 2013, there will be no more Versailles, Louvre or trip up the Tower. I'm planning to be much less quintessential, more deliberate. And yet, also very open to what may come, those little surprises that the city can do.

I would rather see Paris in the worst of conditions than not to visit it at all.

I can't think of anything that would be a Paris-specific dealbreaker. Our main travel disrupter would be a strong heat wave, but we avoid traveling anywhere in summer as much as possible.

We have been in Paris during Charlie Hebdo, Bataclan, Yellow Vests...... and the Notre Dame fire.......it would take a lot to keep us away.......as soon as we leave, we are already planning the next time!

Many years I go to Paris twice a year. Put me in the "wild horses cannot keep me away" camp.

flygirl....we are of the same mind....cannot wait to see you there!!!

A lot of our younger friends do not care for Paris. Maybe it is because they don't have the nostalgic feelings to fall back on.

My first thoughts of Paris always throw back to our first visit when a handsome French businessman directed us on a shortcut through Parc Monceau. At the time, it was May and there were huge rose bushes on either side of the many benches in the park. There was barely a soul in the Park and it was beautiful and magical.

Every visit, we walk through that park, and though everything around and in the park has changed, it still brings back great memories.

As some have noted above, though, the cost of lodging, and the (lack of) quality of food, the inaccessibility of some museums because of overtourism....these things did make me think we will not go back to Paris for awhile. There are so many other places yet to see.

Climate change maybe
 

My inclination was to answer as so many others have to this thread already--that nothing would constitute a deal-breaker for Paris. However, rising summertime temperatures and more frequent and severe heatwaves might. With a school-age child to consider, really the best times for us to travel are during summer vacations. We visited Paris this last June during a drawn-out heatwave that saw temperatures in the mid- to high-nineties farenheit each day. We still enjoyed Paris and made the best of it I think but the heat diminished our enjoyment. I remember how one afternoon walking along the Seine or merely trying to cross the river represented a small ordeal. Passing out of the shadow of buildings and being subject to the heat and fierce sun of midday was not fun.

I've been going to Paris for decades and in fact, studied there in several schools on multiple summers (French as well as piano studies), so it has a different meaning for me. I don't do typical tourist stuff nor stay in the main tourist areas (of course I usually visit my favorite museums or sites, maybe 1-2 per visit). But in recent years, I have been getting a little bummed out about it and it's just not the same, so hard to tell. I could see losing interest as I kind of have for Barcelona due to overtourism. I hate that my favorite places are gone, that tourists are roaming in crowds areas that didn't used to have them, that tourists do things that negatively affect traffic (like touristy scenic car rides around the center, and wanting to take private cars like Ubers everywhere) and the environment. I'm not a big fan of a lot of tourists, like that stupid lovelock bridge, stuff like that. I don't understand the tourist cult of going places which can't really mean much to them or do they even know what it means historically (i.e., Shakespeare & Co, the catacombes, etc.) I remember when nobody went to the catacombes, I visited decades ago for historical reasons but somehow it became some tourist thing where they go because it is "spooky", which I find disrespectful to the dead.. but somehow these things come up on their radar, I'm not even sure how. Why is Shakespeare & Co so revered? Some of my favorite bookstores are gone, which is true anywhere, of course. Like La Hune which sold out to Louis Vuitton on bd St Germain. OF course that was over a decade, ago. There are still a few news kiosks where I stay, thank goodness. Climate change has affected my trips as I used to go every summer and it was almost always less hot than where I live in the US, but not now. I was listing to this BBC interview of the last news hawker in Paris, and he described St Germain pretty well, hot it used to be and now is "just a tourist-town". https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdx0vvpeq9wo

It was 95 degrees F in Paris today. I can't imagine how unpleasant that would be.

Christina, good post.

I have been to Paris at least 50 times and it will never lose its allure to me.

Weekender, you are so very lucky! :heart:

I share many of Christina's thoughts and concerns but I could still happily spend a week or two in and around Paris. There are so many other less touristy neighborhoods in the city and plenty of interesting sites both in and around the city that are accessible with a Navigo pass (or whatever the current version of that pass is called now).

Two years ago, we walked by Shakespeare & Co. and I was surprised to see a long line of people waiting to enter the store. We had never seen that before.

I learned to sweat in Asia and still loved it, so sweating in Europe is just a new learning curve. :)

Paris took a hold of my heart decades ago and I will never let it go. It began during the early Fodor days which included "GraceJoan" as my guide-turned-friend (the OG's on this forum may know who I'm referring to). To this day, a Paris getaway is mandatory once a year. I feel comfortable there. Paris is easy and beautiful. I can't imagine any deal breaker scenario.

I love Paris. It’s been several years so we’ve been but I do miss it and have wonderful memories of our trips to Paris. And I know I’ll be back there.

I’m would not go anywhere where there is significant civil unrest terrorist activity or military action. True for Paris or anywhere.

I have been living in Paris for more than 40 years (once full time, now part time) and I cant think of leaving it.
Even if some new things can make it less pleasant than it was.
As mentionned, global warming. Paris is mineral. Most tourists will however stay in hotels with aircon but summer in appartments can be unpleasant.
Traffic: Mme Hidalgo's policy to ban cars is brave but, I think, a failure. Paris has become a jungle with bicycles, mopeds and scooters. Rue de Rivoli is on par with Shanghai's bund.
Buses: It used to be a pleasure to ride buses in Paris but the system never fully recovered from COVID with less frequent services and traffic jams (see above).

95? How about 122?

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/18/world/europe/france-heat-wave-paris-climate-change-planning.html?unlocked_article_code=1.fE8.Vb7h.bca 3ZPKrbN4h&smid=url-share

Eta: Sorry it didn't link properly. Interesting article worth copying & pasting.