Is Paris Safe? A Practical Guide for American Visitors

What actually goes wrong in Paris

For most visitors the problem is theft, not danger: a phone lifted from a café table, a wallet from an open bag in a crowded metro car, a distraction scam near a monument. The Paris tourist office says busy tourist areas are where pickpockets work, and the police guide for visitors spends most of its pages on how to avoid exactly that. Prepare for the theft and you have prepared for the likeliest bad day. Paris je t’aime safety tips, checked November 9, 2026

Set yourself up before you go

• Carry a crossbody bag that zips, and wear it in front in crowds.
• Pay by card and keep only a little cash; the tourist office suggests the same.
• Photograph your passport and keep a copy in your email, separate from the original.
• Put the emergency numbers above in your phone’s contacts now, and save the embassy pages below for offline reading.
• Turn on your phone’s find-my-device feature and know how to lock it remotely.

On the street, in cafés and on the metro

The police guide’s advice is specific. Do not leave your phone or wallet on a café table, or your cards in a coat on the back of a chair, where someone sitting behind you can reach them. Do not put your bag on the ground. Cover the keypad at a cash machine and ignore anyone who offers help. Hold your phone firmly when you take a selfie, and when someone starts a conversation that needs your hands or your attention, keep moving. Our guide to common tourist scams covers the petition, shell-game and fake-police approaches in detail. Paris police safety guide (French)

If something is stolen

Call 17 if a crime is happening now, or 112 for any emergency; emergency calls work even from a phone whose plan has run out. For a theft by someone you could not identify, the Ministry of the Interior lets you file a complaint online, free of charge; the service is in French and asks you to sign in. You can also go to any police station: the police guide says the S.A.V.E. system takes complaints in about 30 languages and gives you a receipt in yours, which helps with the embassy and your insurer. Be wary of anyone who contacts you afterward claiming to be the police; the ministry itself warns about fake officers using its online services as cover. Online complaint (French) · Emergency numbers (French)

If your passport is lost or stolen

Report it to the police, then contact the U.S. Embassy in Paris. Replacing a passport takes an appointment. Bring forms DS-11 and DS-64 (the DS-64 permanently cancels the old passport), one 2x2-inch color photo, evidence of U.S. citizenship and an ID with a copy. The embassy does not accept French photo-booth sizes and lists fees of US$165 for adults and US$135 for children. U.S. Embassy: lost or stolen passport

If you fly within the next seven days, email PassportsParis@state.gov with the subject line “E-33 EPDP: [your name]”. One catch matters for your plans: the embassy says France does not accept the 12-page emergency passport for visa-free travel, only for a direct transit through France to the United States. In practice that means flying home rather than continuing your trip in Europe on it. For anything urgent, the State Department’s 24-hour line is +1-202-501-4444 from abroad. U.S. Embassy: emergency travel within 7 days

Book your trip

A room on a well-lit street near a metro station is worth a few dollars more. Choose a neighborhood first: