# Paris in October **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 14, 2021, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paris-in-october/946501 "2021-07-14T20:52:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2021, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paris-in-october/946501/21 "2021-07-15T15:44:17Z")
I’ve encountered the scam artists in Barcelona, Paris, Madrid, Oslo, and Rome as well as smaller centers like along the Cote d’Azure. Paris IMO was about the densest concentration. I’ve also seen Facebook posts of someone using a variation of the ring scam in my own neighborhood on a local in the last few weeks. They are easy to spot and easier to avoid - keep walking and don’t engage. ---
**Author:** ![Brayne\_Ded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Brayne\_Ded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brayne_Ded)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2021, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paris-in-october/946501/22 "2021-07-15T17:03:58Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Shall I list the other big cities where we walked around unmolested? Feel free, but you were just lucky. > [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > None of this worked with the group of 4 or 5 young girls who surrounded us, all of them yammering at us while we said in loud firm voices “No! Go Away!” It is a real problem if an organized group picks on you. You might have to get physical. I have not been to Paris for many years, and it seems to have been quite different back then. You can get group attacks like the one you mention in the Third World, which can be really nasty, and in many places it is best to have at least two people, preferably more, to scare them off. What nationality were the girls? In Germany I often saw Romanian professional beggars. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2021, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paris-in-october/946501/23 "2021-07-15T18:22:04Z")
> [@Brayne\_Ded](#): > > It is a real problem if an organized group picks on you. You might have to get physical. These girls maintain an air of innocence, and the papers they are supposedly trying to get you to sign are probably blameless. I would not recommend getting physical if that means hitting them or something, I’m sure their enforcer is nearby to protect them, and you might be the one to end up in jail or hospital. As for ethnicity, I have no idea, nor can I see what difference it makes. ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2021, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paris-in-october/946501/24 "2021-07-15T20:23:17Z")
My go to Paris advice is the batobus (boat bus, hop-on hop off). They sell tickets that are good for the day or a couple of days (it might be 24 hours or 48 hours). This is not _fast_ transportation, but it is scenic transportation up and down the Seine. I like to take the batobus around once during the day to see the sights from the river and also take the last Batobus of the evening that leaves from the Eiffel Tower to get a spin around the river at night as well. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2021, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paris-in-october/946501/25 "2021-07-15T21:40:26Z")
First I have to say that I love Paris, and I’ve been there many times. But last time I was there I was deliberately tripped while entering a Metro train. I was sent sprawling on the floor. Fortunately my few valuables were well protected so the thief (I’m sure) didn’t get anything. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paris-in-october/946501/26 "2021-07-16T14:59:50Z")
Does _pipi-sauvage_ still persist and how bad is it really? ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2021, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paris-in-october/946501/27 "2021-07-17T04:11:22Z")
Not nearly as bad as Shanghai. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2021, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paris-in-october/946501/28 "2021-07-17T17:36:55Z")
I was in Paris completely solo for nine days a couple of years ago, walked around a bunch in crowded places and quiet side streets. No issues, no attempted theft, no scams, no problems. 57 years old at the time. I was there in March hoping to hit fewer crowds of raging tourists. No dice: any place that was a Paris sight-to-see was completely mobbed always. ---
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2021, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paris-in-october/946501/29 "2021-07-17T18:05:49Z")
The [Musée du Quai Branly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mus%C3%A9e_du_Quai_Branly_%E2%80%93_Jacques_Chirac) features indigenous art from outside Europe. The collection is well presented, and some of the works are really mind-bending. It’s close to the Eiffel Tower. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paris-in-october/946501/30 "2021-07-18T12:46:09Z")
> [@Chad\_Sudan](#): > > The [Musée du Quai Branly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mus%C3%A9e_du_Quai_Branly_%E2%80%93_Jacques_Chirac) features indigenous art from outside Europe. The collection is well presented, and some of the works are really mind-bending. I second this. A very enjoyable museum experience, and a good change up from all the impressionists 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paris-in-october/946501/31 "2021-07-18T14:40:49Z")
I went to Paris in September 2017, and my best pieces of advice are: - PLAN. Seriously. Break out a map, come up with a list of activities/places in ranked order, figure out a rough plan for each day, etc. Not saying you can’t wing it once you get there, but planning will help ensure you hit the “must see/do” things. - Buy as many tickets in advance as you can. My friends and I bought Eiffel Tower tickets and museum passes before we left the US. - October’s weather might be less mercurial, but in mid-September each day was different and we were glad we’d packed layers/options. Without bringing a whole extra suitcase, try to be prepared for hot, cold, or wet. (BTW, you’re already off by a day: if you arrive on Sunday and spend that night in Bayeux and the next night at Mont Saint-Michel, you don’t get back to Paris until _Tuesday_. 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paris-in-october/946501/32 "2021-07-19T13:43:39Z")
I will add to my list to check out.! ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paris-in-october/946501/33 "2021-07-19T13:44:25Z")
you are right. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paris-in-october/946501/34 "2021-07-19T18:10:04Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > Buy as many tickets in advance as you can. My friends and I bought Eiffel Tower tickets and museum passes before we left the US. Oh, yes, about this: we found the Paris Pass great value for the money, but then we used the Metro a lot - hell, just being able to jump the queue at Versailles was worth the cost, to me. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paris-in-october/946501/35 "2021-07-19T18:26:26Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > Buy as many tickets in advance as you can. My friends and I bought Eiffel Tower tickets and museum passes before we left the US. That was my plan. But now that you’ve told everybody, the petite bourgeoise queues are going to be as long as the ones for the unwashed masses. I’m not going. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paris-in-october/946501/36 "2021-07-19T20:24:14Z")
It easier to just get there early, before the great unwashed do whatever it is they do in the morning. I had Versailles all to myself on a Tuesday morning. Walked all the gardens and was basically alone at Maria Antonetts cottage at noon while people were backed up at the front trying to get in. This holds true to every major attraction in the world. People think vacation is for sleeping late. You can stay home and do that. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paris-in-october/946501/37 "2021-07-19T23:14:33Z")
Also, Paris is the number one tourist destination for _French People_. It’s kind of like Washington DC for the French … which means that local tourist destinations are exceptionally busy when the locals have time off. I see that school holidays start October 23 (???). October is the end of high season, it’s not summer busy, but I think there will probably be a bump there, not a tailing off. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paris-in-october/946501/38 "2021-07-19T23:40:41Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > I’m not going Then my work here is done. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2021, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paris-in-october/946501/39 "2021-07-20T02:22:02Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > It easier to just get there early, before the great unwashed do whatever it is they do in the morning. I had Versailles all to myself on a Tuesday morning. Walked all the gardens and was basically alone at Maria Antonetts cottage at noon while people were backed up at the front trying to get in. And I bought advance tickets for a “skip the line!” tour and ended up waiting 90 minutes in the rain to go into a mobbed Versailles. Seriously, it was like XMas Eve gift shopping at the only mall in town, all I saw was the backs of heads. Which still looked like a shorter wait than the crowd out front, but I think your way - go at cocks crow - would have worked better. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2021, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paris-in-october/946501/40 "2021-07-20T11:57:54Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > but I think your way - go at cocks crow - would have worked better. Yep, this has never failed me, but didn’t make me to popular with the kids when I had them with me. The Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Palace of Versailles, Notre Dame, Statue of Liberty, Tower of London, Disneyland, Niagara Falls Boat, Hersey Factory, the Met, Central Park horse rides and numerous beaches/ breweries/parks were much better enjoyed by getting up early and enjoying the visit during the cooler morning hours rather than sitting in a line with the sun beating down on you with the great non-planners. It’s really a no brainer. You can eat and drink earlier in the day, no one is says you have to wait until dark to do that. And quite frankly eating and drinking at night in places like Paris and Barcelona is not that enjoyable and is more dangerous. The seedy element is looking for pigeons to fleece later in the evening. Barcelona and Amsterdam are the only cities I saw at late night and they are the only cities I felt threatened in at night. London, Tokyo and New York were safe at night. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paris-in-october/946501.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paris-in-october/946501.md?page=3)