Fellow travelers, are there any neighborhoods in Paris to avoid for safety reasons? Is the Marais area safe to stay for a couple of women?

Since a lot of the Marais is gay, it might even be the safest area for you. Naturally, that would only be true if other areas of Paris were not safe. Paris is VERY safe, even in the outer arrondissements, as long as you don't wander down dark streets alone after midnight.

May we ask from where you are to have such concerns?

Chicago!

Chicago! I’m from Milwaukee and have been to Paris many, many times. Usually with my husband, but the last time I was with 2 of my lady friends. I’ve always felt safe everywhere in Paris but have been mostly in the tourist areas.
As far as The Marais goes it’s not my favorite area and I would never stay there. Other than Rue de Rivoli, ,which is a busy street lined with shops, and St. Paul area full of antique shops, it has lots of falafel shops.
Paris is a gorgeous city and The Marais is just not a pretty area of Paris IMO. You can do much better.

Many people would disagree and really love the Marais and always stay there. I personally prefer the 5th but have stayed in the Marais/4th and thought it was a great area. Like all neighborhoods there are better streets than others. Different strokes.

But just re the safety issue -I've been to Paris several times all but three visits I've travelled solo and as long as you take even modest precaution you will feel safe and be safe. I am much more comfortable in Paris as a single female than I am in Chicago.

The Marais is my favorite area in Paris! I especially love the area around Place des Vosges. The last time I was in Paris, August 2019, I went by myself for a long weekend and stayed in the Marais. DH and I also stayed in the Marais the last time we were in Paris together. It's a very safe and scenic area, and well situated for both walking and the metro.

Yes, Paris is safe.
I feel safe there on solo trips and with others.
I love the 6th.
I'll share my favorite hotel, which would be perfect for two ladies - although most other hotels in Paris would be wonderful as well. I just love this one.
https://www.hotelabbayeparis.com/en/rooms-and-suites

I felt very safe spending a few days by myself and some with my siblings last March. We stayed in the 11th, and I enjoyed the area. It's not a glossy per se, but it was a fun and lively neighborhood.

We've also rented an apartment in the 14th and it was a very residential neighborhood and seemed quite safe.

We're staying in the 2nd in November as we'll only be there a couple nights and I want to be close to the major sites.

lparro Being from Chicago myself, I understand your concern. I'm a 25-year resident of Lincoln Park, and have seen the uptick in crime, aggression, and the mentally ill on the streets, and know how much worse some neighborhoods can be, so I'd understand wanting to ask. At least there are fewer guns over there, and you won't have a car to be jacked. But on my first trip to Paris, the panhandlers were much more aggressive than in Chicago. On the metro and at an atm on the street, I was surrounded by a small group of children (they appeared about 12-15) circling me in an aggressive way and trying to hold my eye (metro) and begging (atm). That was disturbing. Not sure how the tourist areas will be in the month you're visiting.

Also, maybe scroll through threads on the TA Paris forum, too!

It's all relative. Generally, I say yes, Paris is safe. Would I say it's safer than Philadelphia? Definitely. Safer than Brussels? Yes. Safer than or even as safe as where we now live in Switzerland? Ummm...no.

There are areas where you should be a little more vigilant and yes, be wary of petty crime opportunists (aka, pickpocketing, which doesn't seem so petty when you're the target).

I am planning our first trip to Paris in May, so I am happy to hear that Paris is relatively safe - with the caveat that petty crime is a problem. I was fairly sure that this was the case. We are considering staying in the Marais as well.

I've only been to Paris once, but I felt very safe on the streets there. We stayed in the 5th which I thought was a wonderful choice because of the ease of being able to walk to most places we were interested in. Our trip was summer and I loved the parks and walking the city. We used the Metro just once to go across the city (then walked back). If I'd been solo I probably would have skipped it (for being intimidating not dangerous) and stuck to places I could walk to from where I was staying.

(And yet the metro is much safer -- 4 times safer -- than walking on the street. But it is one's perception that counts in cases like this.)

I have been to Paris many times and always felt safe. Obviously one needs to be cautious in terms of pickpockets etc. I wouldnt wander by myself down a dark street or alleway late at night. But I wouldnt do that in any city in the world. In terms of Chicago we just returned from a visit and I love Chicago, but the crime is way higher in Chicago than Paris. Friends who live there were cautioning us to be careful where we walked at night.

As far as which area to stay in Paris, read up on them and decide which feels the most like what you enjoy. As has been posted, they are all different and each has its pros and cons. I have stayed many times in the Marais and love it. But I've stayed all over Paris. I find this statement "As far as The Marais goes it’s not my favorite area and I would never stay there. Other than Rue de Rivoli, ,which is a busy street lined with shops, and St. Paul area full of antique shops, it has lots of falafel shops." I dont think its reflective of the Marais at all. It does have a few falfel shops on Rue Rosier, but there are tons of cafes and restaurants, museums, stores, Place Vosages & small parks and so much more. As everything is open on Sundays, its probably the busiest arrondisement on Sundays.
Have fun! We leave in a couple weeks for our first visit in 3 years.

I think you won't have any problem at in Paris as I am sure you already have "Chicago street smarts." You can always ask at your hotel if there are any areas nearby that you should avoid or mention what your plans are, and they will be able to give you good advice.

(And yet the metro is much safer -- 4 times safer -- than walking on the street. But it is one's perception that counts in cases like this.)

kerouac ~ Like I said, I didn't mean in terms of safety. Rather my own confusion (going underground, the various lines and directions, not knowing the city, not speaking French). That's why I used the words "intimidating not dangerous".

I have a better chance not getting lost staying above ground, on foot, with a paper map

There are paper maps of the metro, too.

Invariably, even when I have a fully loaded Oyster card or any city's metro/ subway pass, I end up walking and taking cabs.
I want to SEE the city, not spend time underground.
If I LIVED there, I would feel differently.
Who the heck cares what anyone else prefers? Let them do what they like to do.
I happened to see on FB that friends were a few gates down from me at Hartsfield while I was having dinner. I invited them to come say "hi" and gave them that fully loaded Oyster card as they were on their way to London.
In Paris, I walk until I'm tired and then take a taxi or Uber. During yellow vest protests, walking was faster and the metro was shut down.
To answer the question = I feel very safe walking in Paris.

Some of us think that you can see a lot more of Paris by taking the metro, which can whisk you to outer areas to which you would never walk -- the Buttes Chaumont, Parc de la Villette, the Bois de Vincennes, Montmartre, Belleville, the Parc André Citroën, the Saint Ouen flea market and plenty of other places. But you are completely free to stay in your little walking zone if that is what you prefer.