jcolibri

Hello!
I was ready to buy my round-trip ticket to Paris today when a friend mentioned that it's probably not safe to travel to France because of all the demonstrations happening all over France. The US Travel Advisory is "Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution," but the advisory was updated in October 2022. I'd really appreciate any insight on traveling to Paris during the month of May 2023.
Looking forward to your thoughts.
Best,
Joan

kerouac

There are no demonstrations planned until June at the moment.

I am curious about your friend's idea of safety. Does the friend think it is unsafe to demonstrate or see a demonstration?

Michael

I would go but stay clear of demonstrations because I do not trust these people--taken on May 1, 2008


A demonstration is not a parade.

kerouac

The next march is scheduled for June 6th.

macdogmom

We will be there for 6 days in May and are not worried. We’ve been in Paris when they have demonstrations before and they are localized and if you’re not interested you walk around them. My husband is attending a huge medical conference and the only worry we ever had was the metro being disrupted since he has to go out to conference center every day.

jcolibri

I apologize for not being clear. My friend is concerned about the violence that sometimes erupts during these demonstrations.

jan47ete

I was there April 5-10. I think I read about demonstrations online but didn't know about it. Walk around them, back away from them, the dates are publicized so avoid those dates,.

marystream8960

Hi. On the one hand, you really need to be a little more careful and just don't get too close. If there are no demonstrations planned, then there is nothing to worry about.

touringtimothy

No no no no no no! This is is like saying all of Chicago is dangerous because there are some bad areas.. PARIS IS HUGE and there are never demonstrations everywhere! Just avoid major area like Republique and stay in the leafy areas of Western Paris. Believe me life continues and these strikes and activities have died down. Life is NEVER black and white and the media just exaggerates and stokes fear so by all means GO GO GO! And if you're that worried opt to stay outside of Paris in Versailles or Saint Germain etc etc etc.

abbydog

I returned from nine days in Paris last night. I was there on May 1, Labor Day, and it was perfectly safe. There were many armed police around (and lots of police cars blaring sirens), but that was mainly to prevent rather than respond to violence. And unless you were right smack in the middle of Place de la Republique, you probably would not encounter demonstrations, much less vandalism.

uktravelover

I was in Paris during the demonstrations and rail strikes in March. My only slight complaint was the uncollected rubbish in some of the streets. Other than that, my friends and former colleagues advised me to allow extra time if travelling on the RER. As things turned out I didn’t have to wait more than 2 minutes every time I got to the platform. When there were demonstrations at Opera, I went somewhere else. If you’re not sure what’s going on, ask reception or the concierge at your hotel.

prmbrown

You can watch the demonstrations on youtube to get an idea of what they are like if you wish but our daughter lives there and we don't worry at all. There's never much physical danger in Paris at any time. We go for a month each year, walk the streets at night and have no anxiety. However, pick pockets are common during the day. Never carry a bag unzipped especially on the Metro and be wary of petitioners or any street person asking you for anything, the time, directions, etc. Sometimes they are distracting you so that their partner can lift your valuables. Otherwise, enjoy your trip.

kerouac

The main thing to worry about in Paris in May so far is to have warm clothes.

macdogmom

We’re in Paris right now and it’s chilly.

macdogmom

And absolutely no issues with security and no demonstrations. Lots of cigarettes still but that’s another issue

twelvestring

If you're really worried about safety, then avoid America where every paranoid schizophrenic has a semi-automatic rifle. France is much safer. Demonstrations are always announced in advance, so that people who WANT to join them have time to get there. If you hear that a demonstration will happen in a particular place at a particular time, then simply go somewhere else that day.

macdogmom

Saw this morning that a 12 year in Texas shot and killed a fast food employee that was having an argument with his brother or friend. Paris is safe and the sun came out today and it’s beautiful!

P_M

I've been in France since May 2. The first 7 days were in Paris. We did see more police around the city, but not a single protest. There is a lot of anti-Macron graffiti, but other than that we would never have known anything was happening here.

I should caution you that Paris is extremely crowded so make sure to book tickets for the most popular attractions in advance, especially the Louvre.

macdogmom

We’ve been in London and then Paris for the last 7 days and have not gotten any money. ATM at Heathrow was out of cash and by the time we settled into our hotel and started doing activities we realized that we had no need of cash, in fact some stores say we are cashless and only take CC. I’ve used my Apple Pay on my iwatch for everything. Tried to get a small amount of cash once we got to Paris, had problems with another ATM and decided to forget it. Some cabs want cash but we’ve used Uber a few times and my husband got his metro tickets with a CC. I think since Covid there’s been a big switch to making more and more big cities in Europe cashless.

kerouac

50% of the transactions in France are still in cash.