Most of my 50+ visits to France have included Paris, occasionally only briefly. I am nearly finished with what I think of my last great Paris project - to walk the entire city. So far 67 days, with only the 19th and 20th remaining. (I'll be reporting on this once completed next year, adding to my earlier trip reports here.) But I will continue to return, as long as good health and good fortune favor me. It would be impossible for me to do otherwise.

MmePerdu, that was a very interesting article as well as the comments. Thank you for posting it.

That’s such an interesting point. For me, none of those would be complete deal-breakers, because I feel the positives of Paris still outweigh the negatives. But if the city ever lost its charm in the small everyday moments, like wandering its neighborhoods, enjoying café culture, or discovering art outside the big museums—then I might start preferring places like Lyon or Bordeaux instead.

It's been waaaaay too many years, but the only way I'd never go back to Paris (barring a truly dangerous situation of course), if there was no way to avoid mediocre tourist shops and restaurants. When we were in Dubrovnik, it was hard to ignore how the walled city was almost nothing but gelato shops and Game of Throne themed shops. As long as I can find real food, Parisian shops, and as long as we still have world-class museums and retreats outside of tourist central I will always love Paris.

People watch too many Youtube videos with "we were SHOCKED" in the title.

2 years ago is not a very long time ago 😒

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nahel_Merzouk_riots

The feeling that my being there helps ruin Paris for Parisians comes very close to being a deal-breaker. Well, maybe not unobtrusive, dripping with politesse, French speaking little old me so much as me exponentially.

I did not know about those riots, I was thinking of earlier ones, so thank you!

Lavandula

Haha, no, this post was not inspired by YouTube. I am a fence-sitter on Paris. There is actually a lot of negative news on Paris if you take it cumulatively over a number of years, and this was more a reaction to that. I also see the YouTubers who have love affairs with Paris, and enjoy them too. I have been only half a dozen times but I often wonder if I would keep coming back, particularly around the criminality in Paris, which I don't enjoy. I also find it a big city, perhaps too big for my travelling tastes (and I come from a big city), and that's how I felt when I was first in Paris alone as a 19 year old traveller. I totally get why people love Paris and keep coming back, it's so diverse, but it's not my love affair in Europe. I don't want to stop discussion of Paris here, I think the responses have been so interesting and so passionate both ways, and it's nice to have a thread that so many can participate in. Keep posting if you feel anything at all about Paris, either way.

Lavandula

How interesting! When you say "walk the entire city" do you mean literally stroll down every single alley or lane or road? Do you mark them off on a map? What I started doing 10+ years ago, when the coffee culture was really becoming a thing (roasters, actual coffee shops with good coffee, many of them artisanal) is I would research where they were and make each morning start out with a treasure hunt, ending with a cup of coffee at the end of it. I trekked to Cafe Lomi from the Marais when it wasn't on tourist radar, KB Coffee Shop, etc. (From the Marais).

I've had, so far, 30+ visits to France, most of them including Paris.

I'd steer clear if the plague returns, or the Reign of Terror starts over, or the Nazis return -- otherwise I'm pretty good to go.

Clearly I am the only one for whom it holds zero appeal.
The nearest I have been to Paris is the source of the Seine, which is officially part of Paris now, though why is beyond me - it flows through more of France than just Paris after all.
The deal breaker for me would be being forced to visit Paris. It has put me off a few train holidays for sure. DH suggested a weekend in Paris way back in the dawn of our relationship and I said no thanks.

I can't think of a single big city I would want to visit, though I have been to a few. Cities are just not my idea of a great holiday, but Paris would come bottom of the list if I had to choose one.

Reminds me of a nice missionary couple I met in Africa. They were returning to the U.S. via Paris. "Ah, Paris," I said. "Lucky you." They replied "Oh, we don't drink or dance, so Paris has nothing for us." Each to his own!

Interesting. I did not know and I checked the wikipedia page (only available in french).
To be more precise, the city of Paris bought the land in 1864 (in administrative terms, the place is in Côte d'Or).
it doesnt really say why. It could be that, at that time, 75 - Paris département- was called "Seine".

I am a bit surprised that you mention it. I dont think there is a specific issue with this. The only pest is groups of unfortunate children trained to be pickpockets because their "masters" know that police cant do anything against them.
Cities like Milan or Barcelona (visited both) are far worse. Not to mention some cities in US. I lived some time in one of them (and not the rough part...). I tried once the metro and that was it. Even when walking, I was concerned by the lunatics who could be violent because of drugs

I have used as my guides two fascinating books - "Curiosities of Paris" and "Unexplored Paris" - as the touch points for this adventure. Originally, it was just paper maps with a rough pre-plotting of what was closest and next. But I lately have been using the excellent Organic Maps app (free, but I have chosen to contribute) to pin the points of interest and so travel efficiently. This all began in 2017 and has taken longer then expected, given health issues both global (COVID, of course) and personal (now safely in the past). As always, it is both the things planned as well as the unexpected which have contributed so much joy to this undertaking.

After living in Paris for the past 53 years and never regretting it, I am very happy when people decide that it is an awful place full of criminals, filth or whatever. We have so many tourists now that I am in favor of anything that would dissuade them from coming. Nevertheless, the tourists don't bother me too much since I don't live in a tourist area. I live 400m behind Gare du Nord, and everybody goes south from the station. Since I go to the movies every day, I do venture into the center almost every day (although very rarely on the Left Bank), but the metro or my beloved bus 38 offer a convenient escape.

Like so many people living in the big European cities, I am eternally nostaligic for the two years of covid when we had our cities to ourselves.

I guess this just shows you can get used to anything. I don't like that there are pickpockets on the metro, bands of thieving children who come at you with a piece of cardboard and thrust it into your chest, nor scammers with wedding rings, etc. It doesn't mean I will never visit Paris again, but these things stand out to me as something that one day I might reject. It does take away from the loveliness of Paris. And I don't come from the US so a comparison with it makes no impression on me. Big cities everywhere have their problems. At the moment there is a drugs war happening in Sydney but tourists clearly do not get caught up in it. It's being played out in the suburbs and is targeted at the people involved in organised crime. The criminality I see in Paris is directed at tourists, and for now, I am one.

kerouac I too think of the pandemic wistfully, not for the hundreds of people who died and the devastating loss of income for so many, but for the tranquility of lockdown, the hours spent pottering with my bookshelf and my 1980s German pop. Sydney was not open for business and we were not out and about, but there was a certain quiet that was really unique and lovely. I doubt I will see this again in my lifetime.

Lavandula