Heading To Paris on Friday

hey !  was hoping to get some advice from any Parisienne  members of the forum. I'll be vacationing in Paris with my family,son 19  daughter 16 and wife. we will be at the Crown Plaza Hotel right across from the Republique Metro station.  when we first booked the hotel the only bad reveiws I saw were about the construction going on across the street but now I see person after person reporting that they did not feel safe in this area after dark? lots of homeless and shoddy looking characters around the metro station after dark.  is this true? how safe is the metro late at night? I guess we could get by coming in a little early but I was hoping for a late night at Disney paris. we would be heading back to paris on the RER and then have to take the 2 to the 3 line back to republique or the 1 to the 8 back.  how seriously should I take these warnings?? they've got my wife frightened . i'm not worried about pick pockets as ill have a money belt under my clothing but I don't want my wife and daughter to feel intimidated. 8)  8) 8) 8) 8)
any thoughts or advice is  appreciated.

Hopefully some local people will chime in,
but in the meantime
Our hotel was something like 1Km from there (iirc. 3 Rue de la Banque)
and we felt quite safe around that hotel and in metro's..
we didn't use metro really late at night but around 22-23 o'clock we had none "scary" moments
Actually only scary moment my wife had was when we went in the catacombs,
and for me climbing up to Eiffel was bad

I've been to Paris 8 or 9 times including a one month long stay in the very area you're staying.  I've traveled all over the city by metro with my wife and have never felt unsafe.  You'll need some local info to be sure but I've always felt safe in Paris.

Now to the real question - why does someone who lives 20 miles from "the real" Disneyland want to go to Euro Disney while in Paris?!  (Subtext - Paris is my favorite city in the world, enjoy every minute of the history/food/culture/art).

not sure about the republique station, but when i was in paris last we got  bit lost and ended up doing some back streets around
gare du nord staion and it was well dodgy.
paris is a lot rougher than people think, but i wouldnt be too worried, just dont make it too obvious you're a tourist flashing cameras etc

Yes, Gare du Nord station hood can be a little unsafe but Republique is ok.
Metro at "night" (traffic ends around 12h30 pm) shouldn't be a problem.

Can't comment on Eurodisney, I never went there (not my style) but is is a bit away from Paris, say 1 hour travel from Republique.

Have been in Paris over New Year. Me and my girlfriend felt safe.

Now to the real question - why does someone who lives 20 miles from "the real" Disneyland want to go to Euro Disney while in Paris?!  (Subtext - Paris is my favorite city in the world, enjoy every minute of the history/food/culture/art).
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if you take another look you will see i'm from the "REAL" Long  Beach
Long Beach NY (remember Hurricane Sandy) Been to Disney World more than a dozen times (fanatics)
so we have to see the differences at Disney Paris. Just a day trip.

thanks for all replies they helped a lot. I had heard about Gare du Nord. so i'll just be smart. grew up in queens so ive been in manhattan and on subway often. know how to act in a large city. I know there are some places I would not want to be on the subway at 2am and figure paris and the surrounding area probably have some of those spots also.  I'm sure we'll be safe and have a great time. one question:  does the metro stay open all night?  I believe Disney closes around 11 the day we'll be there and the train(rer) will probably be full of tourist leaving the park. is one of the paths(metro) I mentioned above any more secure than the other? 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)

seavote said:

if you take another look you will see i'm from the "REAL" Long  Beach
Long Beach NY (remember Hurricane Sandy) Been to Disney World more than a dozen times (fanatics)
so we have to see the differences at Disney Paris. Just a day trip.

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A huge DUH for me!  Sorry!

I've been day dreaming of Paris since your post, it really is my favorite place in the world.  I feel more alive and stimulated there than anywhere else.

You'll need to speak to a local about whether one route is better than the other but IME I haven't found a place that was really scary and I've roamed most of that city including some pretty sketchy suburbs (some of my favorite places).

How long do you have in Paris?  Are you into food / wine / galleries?

seavote said:

hey !  was hoping to get some advice from any Parisienne  members of the forum. I'll be vacationing in Paris with my family,son 19  daughter 16 and wife. we will be at the Crown Plaza Hotel right across from the Republique Metro station.  when we first booked the hotel the only bad reveiws I saw were about the construction going on across the street but now I see person after person reporting that they did not feel safe in this area after dark?

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There's always people who don't feel safe after dark anywhere. I had a partner who didn't want to go to the Apollo because it was in Harlem.

lots of homeless and shoddy looking characters around the metro station after dark.  is this true?

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That may unfortunately be true, as in most places of Europe after the crisis. Homeless and shoddy looking doesn't necessarily mean dangerous. I would say that at the moment, in Europe you have more risks of being killed in a railway accident than in a controntation with homeless.

how safe is the metro late at night?

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More or less like it is in NY or any city big enough to have underground transportation. Zero-risk does not exist, but statistics show that you have more risks of being killed in a car accident than in a street fighting.

I guess we could get by coming in a little early but I was hoping for a late night at Disney paris. we would be heading back to paris on the RER and then have to take the 2 to the 3 line back to republique or the 1 to the 8 back.  how seriously should I take these warnings??

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I have a pied-a-terre not far from République and I take the metro often at night; I never had any problems. Now I know how to behave when I pass homeless (never show fear nor arrogance) and I'm a big guy.

Fear can cause a lot of other problems too, walk with ease of mind...

In Paris now!!  many parallels to Manhattan. Many differences. most of metro is great. Paris blows away manhattan!!!! although gare du nord reminds me of time square 15-20 years ago. I will opt for a taxi to the airport rather than pass through gare du nord at 4:00AM.  Disney tomorrow by metro (rer)  not concerned at all. more impression when I have time to write.
8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)

seavote said:

In Paris now!!  many parallels to Manhattan. Many differences. most of metro is great. Paris blows away manhattan!!!!

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I would say on par.

although gare du nord reminds me of time square 15-20 years ago.

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Yes, sadly.

I will opt for a taxi to the airport rather than pass through gare du nord at 4:00AM.

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The metro and RER would not work anyway at such an early hour.

remember to book the taxi to the airport, as we found the taxis hard to flag down. trust me whistling at them does not work!

leadbreath said:

remember to book the taxi to the airport, as we found the taxis hard to flag down. trust me whistling at them does not work!

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Absolutely true. The best is to ask the hotel's desk. And I would suggest you order a maxicab for extra room and baggage space - they're the same price as ordinary cabs.

Allready on the case spoke to concierge. Thanks for the tip!

I have been to Paris many times and loved it. Took driving holidays there in the summer when my parents were still poor and spent christmases with them at a hotel some years in a row after their business grew up - and I kept going every now and then as an adult.

Last time I went, it felt more like London, which I never liked. Still a good city, but the people and atmosphere has a worn feel, larger amount of "tube-faces" and pushy scammers (with terrible, outdated scams) that really get in peoples face. The difference between rich and poor seems to be a factor as well, but I wouldn't conclude too much based on personal observations.

It's also getting harder to find those rare gems to hang out at and eat and drink wine in the evening, but again, that might be due to my age..

If you can manage New York, you will have no problems in Paris.

And if you have time while youre in Europe, visit Berlin. Its way better than Disney World

Gustav