Health & Safety

General Availability of Healthcare

In general, Paris is a "safe" destination, although problems can and do occur anywhere. You don't need shots, most foodstuffs are safe, and the water in Paris is potable. If you're concerned, order bottled water. It is easy to get a prescription filled in Paris, and nearly all hospitals have English-speaking doctors with well-trained medical staffs. It's also easy to get over-the-counter medicine, if necessary, in Paris. In other words, France is part of the civilized world.

Contact the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers (IAMAT; tel. 716/754-4883 or, in Canada, 416/652-0137; www.iamat.org) for tips on travel and health concerns in the countries you're visiting, and for lists of local, English-speaking doctors. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (tel. 800/311-3435 or 404/498-1515; www.cdc.gov) provides up-to-date information on health hazards by region or country and offers tips on food safety. Travel Health Online (www.tripprep.com), sponsored by a consortium of travel medicine practitioners, may also offer helpful advice on traveling abroad. You can find listings of reliable medical clinics overseas at the International Society of Travel Medicine (www.istm.org).

What to Do If You Get Sick Away from Home

For travel abroad, you may have to pay all medical costs upfront and be reimbursed later. Medicare and Medicaid do not provide coverage for medical costs outside the U.S. Before leaving home, find out what medical services your health insurance covers. To protect yourself, consider buying medical travel insurance.

U.K. nationals will need a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC; tel. 0845/606-2030; www.ehic.org.uk) to receive free or reduced-cost health benefits during a visit to a European Economic Area (EEA) country (European Union countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway) or Switzerland.

If you suffer from a chronic illness, consult your doctor before your departure. Pack prescription medications in your carry-on luggage and carry them in their original containers, with pharmacy labels -- otherwise they won't make it through airport security. Carry the generic name of prescription medicines, in case a local pharmacist is unfamiliar with the brand name.

Safety

The most common menace in Paris is the plague of pickpockets and roving gangs of Gypsy children who surround you, distract you, and steal your purse or wallet. They prey on tourists around attractions such as the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, and Notre-Dame, and they can often strike in the Métro, sometimes blocking a victim from the escalator. A band of these young thieves can clean your pockets even while you try to fend them off. Their method is to get very close to a target, ask for a handout (sometimes), and deftly help themselves to your money or passport.

Never leave valuables in a car, and never travel with your car unlocked. A U.S. Department of State travel advisory warns that every car (whether parked, stopped at a traffic light, or moving) can be a potential target for armed robbery. In these uncertain times, it is prudent to check the U.S. Department of State's travel advisories at http://travel.state.gov.

The government of France maintains a national antiterrorism plan; in times of heightened security concerns, the government mobilizes police and armed forces, and installs them at airports; train and Métro stations; and high-profile locations such as schools, embassies, and government installations.

In recent years, Paris has experienced political assassinations and random bombings. One U.S. citizen was injured in these attacks, but none has been killed. All passengers on subways and trains are urged to be aware of their surroundings and to report any unattended baggage to the nearest authority.

Student demonstrations, labor protests, or other demonstrations have turned into violent confrontations between demonstrators and police. Americans are advised to avoid street demonstrations.

Gangs of thieves operate on the rail link from Charles de Gaulle Airport to downtown Paris by preying on jet-lagged, luggage-burdened tourists. Often, one thief distracts the tourist with a question about directions while an accomplice takes a momentarily unguarded backpack, briefcase, or purse. Thieves also time their thefts to coincide with train stops so that they may quickly exit the car. Travelers may wish to consider traveling from the airport to the city by bus or taxi.

Although public safety is not as much a problem in Paris at it is in some large American cities, concerns are growing. Robbery at gunpoint or knifepoint is uncommon, but not unknown. Be careful, especially late at night. There have been a number of violent armed robberies, including knife attacks, in the vicinity of the Eiffel Tower late at night.

Thieves on motorcycles have been known to reach into moving cars by opening the car door or reaching through an open window to steal purses and other bags visible inside. Those traveling by car in Paris should remember to keep windows closed and doors locked.

The no. 1 subway line, which runs by many major tourist attractions (including the Grand Arch at La Defense, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysées, Concorde, Louvre, and Bastille), is the site of many thefts. Pickpockets are especially active on this Métro line during the summer months.

Gare du Nord train station, where the express trains from the airport arrive in Paris, is also a high-risk area for pickpocketing and theft.

Many thefts occur at the major department stores (Galeries Lafayette, Printemps, and La Samaritaine), where tourists often leave wallets, passports, and credit cards on cashier counters during transactions.

In hotels, thieves frequent lobbies and breakfast rooms, and take advantage of a minute of inattention to snatch jackets, purses, and backpacks. Also, although many hotels do have safety latches that allow guests to secure their rooms while they are inside, this feature is not as universal as it is in the United States. If no chain or latch is present, a chair placed up against the door is usually an effective obstacle to surreptitious entry during the night.

In restaurants, many Americans have reported that women's purses placed on the floor under the table at the feet of the diner are stolen during the meal.

Dealing with Discrimination -- Discrimination against West and North African immigrants to France -- a population estimated to number more than a million -- does exist. Anyone who might be taken for an immigrant (often illegal) from Africa is subject to verbal abuse. Racism is more prevalent in the southeast of France than Paris. So far, there has been almost no harassment of African-American tourists to Paris or France itself. Many expatriate Americans, in fact, including such cultural figures as Josephine Baker and author James Baldwin, fled to Paris in decades past to escape the racism of America. S.O.S. Racisme, 51 av. de Flandre, 19e (tel. 01-40-35-36-55; www.sos-racisme.org), offers legal advice to victims of prejudice and will even intervene to help with the police.