luisr_12

Hi everyone,

I'm heading to south of France first week of May with my wife (we are in our 30s). I'll be driving my cabrio (a relatively cheap but new peugeot) with Belgium plates. We will pass through Monaco, Nice, Antibes, Cannes, Frejus, Saint-tropez, Cassis, Avignon, Arles, etc... on different days and with overnights on private/public parkings. The plan is to drive along the coast.

According to scarce info on the web, thefts, break ins, and other related crimes (even assaults) seem to be relatively common over there... young guys on scooters, stones throw on windows to make you stop, robbery during sightseeing and red light stops, removal/stealing of "fancy wheels" overnight, etc. I would appreciate very much to hear advices and opinions about (at least) two things:

1) Is it safe to drive roof down within and between those cities?

What about the highways between Belgium and southern France (via Grenoble, Dijon, Metz...) during night?

2) Any particular advice about parking overnight? Apart from the obvious don't leave things inside. Will it help if I use any extra lockers to avoid theft of the whole car?

Please, don't get offended with those questions but give me an honest picture of the situation and what I should expect. I have searched a lot on the web before this post.

thanks again!

nytraveler

There are car thefts everywhere and I'm not aware that it's especially bad on the Riviera - as it is is some places in Italy.

The keys are the same as anywhere else:

Never leave anything visible in the car
If by cabriolet you mean a convertible - never leave it parked with the top down
If possible park with the trunk against a wall when there is anything within the car
At night park in a garage with limited entry - and take any receipt with yuo -don;t leave it in the car

(We have done more than 20 road trips in europe -including the Riviera several times - and have never had any problems anywhere. I think you are 1) overly concerned and 2) influenced by stories from people that have been careless.)

nytraveler

Sorry - the above deals with thefts.

I have never heard of assaults - not saying it isn't possible - but can't imagine it isn't extremely rare.

hetismij2

There are cases of cars with foreign plates being targeted on French motorways - fake accidents, waving you down indicating a problem with the car etc.
If something like this happens to you try and continue to a service area if you can, and if you get out of the car then lock it. Even if your partner is in the car.

Make sure there is nothing which can be grabbed quickly from the car. Use the seat belts to fasten things into the car - put the belt through handbag handles etc. This is important at petrol stations and the like, where you probably don't want to put the top up just to fill up. Make sure one of you stays with the car.

Never leave the top down when you both leave the car - whether for sightseeing or stopping for a coffee on the way. Never leave anything of value in the car.

Make sure you are well insured, including providing a replacement car if yours does get stolen. Note that most insurance will not cover things stolen from a cabriolet.

Don't fret too much, take a few simple precautions and have a great holiday.

Tulips

This does happen on the Cote d'Azur, and not only to cars with foreign number plates. Never leave your handbag on the passenger seat while driving, and watch out for scooters and motorbikes; particularly those with a passenger on the back.

When driving on the motorway at night; don't stop at one of the 'aires', but rather stop at a petrol station, where there is activity and light.

I often drive in the south of France, luckily without incidents so far, but I do know people who have been robbed, handbag taken from passenger seat, and even the window broken with a stone while the driver and passengers were still in the car.

Jeff801

We've driven for weeks in the south of France in a cabrio with no problem.

However, my wife did have a purse stolen through a smashed window while she was driving the back bay section of Boston in 1979.

It appears you are a victim of the observational bias that is characteristic of the internet.

Tulips

Friends who live on the Cote d'Azur agree that theft from cars is a problem there. Particularly the thugs on motorbikes.
Just watch out for them, and don't leave any valuables in sight.

luisr_12

Thanks everyone for the advices and tips.

I know I may be a bit over concerned, but as I said my post was a collection of info from different sources, including official stats about theft in France. There is also an interesting source of info from the US department of state (http://travel.state.gov).

I was raised in Brazil and never had any problem with criminals, went out alone during nights, passed through dirty regions (not by choice! ), in medium-sized cities, etc, etc.... still, brazil celebrates relatively high criminal rates. So, bias works either way.

Anyway, thanks again guys. your comments did help!

kerouac

I would certainly only use secure parking lots unless I could park on the Croisette in Cannes or the Promenade des Anglais in Nice -- or other places under total videosurveillance and too visible for anybody to try anything.

I am sometime overcautious, however.