19th Arrondisement Paris

I have just found out we will be staying in a small hotel in the 19th Arrondisement. This area I have been told is not for the faint hearted. Is it a safe area to be out at night for my husband and I?

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EllaDexter: What did you mean by that? I guess I didn%26#39;t get it. Were you saying the French don%26#39;t like Americans? Were you saying that the French can%26#39;t tell us apart by our accidents so they won%26#39;t recognize an Australian and will think they are an American? I just don%26#39;t want to assume anything. Thanks.

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In 12 trips since 1996 we have never been %26#39;dissed%26#39; for being Americans. I feel no need to deny my identity in the normal circumstances of a visiting tourist.

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The French press for the past week or so has been full of stories about gang violence in the 19th. There have been a number of vicious beatings and a few killings. None of this has been random violence as far as I know from skimming the stories, but the 19th is one of the grittier parts of Paris and is off the tourist track. It would not have been my choice of where to stay even before reading these stories.

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Hi

%26lt;%26lt; The French press for the past week or so has been full of stories about gang violence in the 19th.%26gt;%26gt;

There have been a few incidents limited to the northern part of the 19th arrondissement near metro Crimea and Corentin Cariou and have involved rival gangs... attacks with knives escalating to beatings escalating to a shooting... As Brophysr pointed out, not random violence aimed at tourists...

Yes, the 19th is more %26quot;multi-grained%26quot; than many other parts of the city; because of that still contains many interesting aspects. Personal safety again depends mostly on awareness of one%26#39;s surroundings.

There are areas in the 1st arrondissement that you should be careful wandering at night also, like Les Halles. All in all Paris remains a safe city.

I see no reason for Australian%26#39;s not to be equally proud and clear about their country of origin as anyone else. If I were an Aussie, I%26#39;d not want to be mistaken for a US citizen...

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I always stay in the 19e, and have never felt threatened. As others have stated it is perhaps %26quot;grittier%26quot; than Rick Steve%26#39;s areas, but be aware you are in a big city and you should be fine. Local gangs are generally easily spotted and avoided, as anywhere.

I normally return to my hotel,either by metro or on foot, around 10 pm.

Which hotel are you in?

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I can%26#39;t resist mentioning that in three visits to Paris, none less than a week, not once has anybody ever given me or anybody I was travelling with a hard time for being American. They did give my daughter%26#39;s girlfriend a few dirty looks for walking into some places in short shorts and a t-shirt but that was about it. Nor have I ever felt in the least bit threatened by anybody anywhere. Still, the 19th would not be high up on my list of places to stay.

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I don%26#39;t know about the 19e. I stayed in the 20e last September-October for 30 days and didn%26#39;t have any problems. I didn%26#39;t see any gangs. Things could have developed since I was there--or, of course, it could just be the 19e where the problems are.

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Apologies if my post caused offence. It was meant as a joke - but clearly wasn%26#39;t a good one.