Is Paris a safe city?
Paris is much safer than American cities of comparable size. Crime rates are low overall, and violent crime is very rare. Crime in general has also declined sharply in the past two years or so, mainly due to increased police activity. The above notwithstanding, if you are visiting the city as a tourist, you are more at risk than are residents of the city, so you should be extra careful. Paris isn‘t any more dangerous than any other city in itself, but as a tourist, you are more vulnerable to what little danger there is. Obviously, a tourist—with lots of money, no familiarity with his surroundings, and his attention diverted by the dazzling glamour and romance of a large city like Paris—is a much more tempting mark for, say, a pickpocket than a resident of the city would be. Put succinctly, the risk is in being a tourist, not in being in Paris.
