I%26#39;m considering staying in an apartment that overlooks Sacre Coeur with my daughters next summer (2010). Is this area of Paris reasonably safe for a woman with two pre-teen daughers?
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It is safe enough but there are better choices for a mom and kids with more metros and buses as well.
Sacre Coeur is fine for a visit. Not central enough for a stay and a little bit chaotic due to loads of tourists with what comes with them (vendors, beggars etc%26gt;
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There are many more central places to stay. I stayed in the Marais last summer in an apartment through Vacation in Paris and the area felt very safe, even coming home in the later hours around midnight.
I actually had my lest favorite experience in Paris on the steps of Sacre Coeur where a very aggressive man started to come after my boyfriend and I to put bracelets on our wrists. Thank goodness I knew about the scam beforehand!
If I were to stay in Paris by myself I wouldn%26#39;t feel safe staying in the Sacre Coeur area, but that%26#39;s just me.
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I have stayed in Montmartre a couple of times and like it but for a first trip with young girls it would not be my choice
I%26#39;d choose the 5th near Luxembourg Gardens or perhaps the 4th or 6th
Montmartre is too far out for a first visit and while I don%26#39;t think it is unsafe -- it isn%26#39;t the best area to be with kids
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Hmmm, I wouldn%26#39;t say Sacre Coeur is unsafe but I%26#39;d tend to aim for the 1st through 6th and visit Sacre Coeur rather than stay there. I concur with the other replies though I%26#39;ve never felt less unsafe in the center part of Montmartre. It is when you venture %26quot;down the hill%26quot; to Pigalle or Barbes-Rochechourat when you could feel uncomfortable.
If you do look at the Marais, also look at the northern part between rue des Francs Bourgeois and rue Bretagne. This is labeled the 3eme but quite nice and a little less hectic compared to near rue Rivoli.
You can look at apartments direct from owners at http://www.vrbo.com and http://www.flipkey.com.
Our favorite agencies are:
http://www.haveninparis.com
http://www.villeetvillage.com
http://www.athomeinfrance.com
You can also search in google for %26quot;paris apartment for rent in Le Marais%26quot; as another approach.
When you find some final choices, you can post them and I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;ll get a few opinions :)
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All of central Paris is safe, in that it is highly unlikely that any of you would be attacked. Everywhere, beware of the possibility of pickpockets.
Some areas are more pleasant or more convenient than others, but safety is not something you need worry about.
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Isn%26#39;t it funny how we all have different notions of %26quot;central%26quot; !! To me the 6th arr. is SOOOO much out in the bushes (and so stuffed and cramped with tourists) - as my %26quot;mental-central%26quot; Paris lies somewhere around Les Grands Boulevards and the 9th arr.
Montmartre is not in any way %26quot;far%26quot; from things, that%26#39;s nonsense. Paris is such a small town, the metro takes you anywhere in 10 minutes. It%26#39;s not a problem, not even for a first visit.
Depending on the exact location of the apartment, you may be lucky to have the quietest, car-free !, villagelike evenings in Montmartre, when all the tourists have gone back home to their coveted 1st- through-6th arrondissements. And at all times in Montmartre you have Paris%26#39;s most clean and fresh air, as the smog from down town never reaches up here. Try going directly with the metro e.g. from Concorde on a warm, heavy day and get off at Abbesses - you can taste the difference instantly.
I have stayed in this apt.
www.perfectlyparis.com/Rooftop%20Vista.html
in 2007 and will stay there again for 2½ weeks in April/May 2010. The view is exactly as shown on the photos, only maybe even better. And when you go to bed you have the dreamlike, white dome of Sacré Coeur lit up against the black velvety sky as your bedlight !
You don%26#39;t get that in Bldv. Saint-Germain.......
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Oh my, that looks amazing. I am off to Paris again on Friday, our 6th visit. We always stay in Montmartre, on Rue Lepic, as there is %26quot;something%26quot; about this area that is incredibly appealing. I may try that place on my next visit. Thanks for posting
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Montmartre itself is charming, and not too far away from things -- but Pigalle and some of the surrounding neighbourhoods might present an issue for you.
Adult-oriented stores, shows, and %26quot;gentlemen%26#39;s clubs%26quot; are more visible than they would be in, say, Boston...and could present an uncomfortable situation.
Not unsafe by any means, but perhaps a little unsavoury for pre-teen girls from New England.
(that%26#39;s not a knock on NE, by the way...but societal norms in New England are considerably more conservative than those in Paris!)
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Travel is about expanding one%26#39;s horizons!
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Montmartre is not in any way %26quot;far%26quot; from things, that%26#39;s nonsense. Paris is such a small town, the metro takes you anywhere in 10 minutes. It%26#39;s not a problem, not even for a first visit.
unquote
soooo no true IMHO -- I have had apartments in the 3,4,5,6,7, 20, and 18th
and Montmartre IS far from the center -- want to see Notre Dame or stroll the Seine at night -- a minimum of a 30 minute metro ride -- it has its charms and we like staying there but on a first trip with little kids it just isn%26#39;t a good base -- walking around Paris at night is a great pleasure -- and having an apartment where you can relax for breaks during the day is a great pleasure -- commuting then to the center and pack eats up time and energy
not a disastrous choice but not the most convenient for a first trip especially for a woman with a couple of little girls
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