[kkwteh]

I've lived in Paris for over four years now, and I have no idea what these no-go zones people are talking about. I've never heard anyone in Paris talk about them. There is no neighborhood in Paris that I would flat out refuse to go to, even though there definitely a very small number of sketchy areas where I would be more on guard (the Barbès metro comes to mind). There is nothing here that is near as bad as the misery on display in the Tenderloin, or Skid Row.

I have also lived five years in San Francisco, and Paris overall feels much safer to me.

[j-krieger]

I also lived in Paris. What Americans get from their media as "no go zones" are areas with a large population of African immigrants or poor people. Yea, they are sketchy at night and I wouldn't go there alone if I was a woman, but it's nothing like sketchy areas I've seen or heard of in Chicago or SF.

[ChuckNorris89]

>and I wouldn't go there alone if I was a woman

When an area rules out half the demographic then there's no way to sugarcoat it.

[stametseater]

> Yea, they are sketchy at night and I wouldn't go there alone if I was a woman,

So they are no-go zones. I'm glad you've cleared this up. I can now tell my liberal friends that a Parisian has confirmed the existence of such and it isn't just American conservatives telling lies.

[VHRanger]

As a Canadian, northern parts of Paris, (Seine-St.-Denis and some parts of the 18th) are really sketchy. Maybe not like some parts of American cities (fewer guns to start), but the 18th put me on guard in a way you'd never see in Canada.

No Go Zones are complete nonsense, but there's a gradient of safety.

[nebula8804]

What parts of the 18th? It is a historic place with artsy locales and historically was the place where all the raunchy sex shops were pushed.

Are you referring to the Barbes Rochechouart area?

[bombcar]

One thing I’ve noticed is that cities in the USA seem to grow bad areas that are considered “don’t stop, don’t slow down, run a red light at night, the cops won’t care” - whereas the cities in Europe seem to have times when an area becomes an epicenter for something, but then everyone disperses.

The short video clips may seem similar, but the lived reality is vastly different.

[joshgev]

Seconded, lived in the Bay Area for years and Paris for two years so far. Not even vaguely the same ballpark.