Common Tourist Scams in Paris (and How to Avoid Them)
The Métro — pickpockets and the late-night protocol
- Pickpocket lines: RATP and Préfecture data consistently identify Line 1 (Louvre, Champs-Élysées), Line 4 (Châtelet, Gare du Nord), and RER B (airport line, Gare du Nord, Saint-Michel) as the highest-volume pickpocket routes. Phone-snatch teams work the doors at closure moments.
- Defence: phone in a front pocket or zipped bag, never in your hand near doors, no jewellery visible, bag in front of you in crowded carriages.
- Late-night running times: Métro runs until ~01:15 (02:15 Fri/Sat). Night buses (Noctilien) cover after — the N01 and N02 loops around the périphérique are well-used, the radial lines to outer suburbs less so.
- Stations where solo women report harassment: Châtelet-Les Halles late at night (the long underground corridors), Gare du Nord overnight, Stalingrad and Jaurès on Line 2/5. Daytime fine.
- The Uber/G7 taxi default: after 00:30 most solo female travellers take Uber or G7 taxi rather than connecting via Châtelet. €15-25 typical central fare in 2026.
- The "femme isolée" button: every metro platform has a help intercom (orange "appel d'urgence"); RATP agents respond within minutes. Many stations now have dedicated women's safety officers visible during evening hours.
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