 | Paris Beggars / Aggressive Vendors Reviews | Tips 1 - 10 of 88 |  |
Anywhere there are tourists, there are aggressive vendors. In le Jardin des Tuileries, artists wanting to draw you in five minutes will follow you if you acknowledge them. Just keep walking!! In front of the Sacre Coeur, men wanting to tie string on your finger to make a bracelet, won't leave you alone if you act interested for a split second. Everywhere we went, we ignored them and kept walking and didn't have a problem, but we saw people being followed and hounded if they spoke or made eye contact! Leave a Comment
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There are plenty of aggresive vendors around the Sacre Coeur, that may not come across as aggressive at first, but believe me they will.
Our story goes something like this -
I was waiting to use the loo by the funicular station, hubbie was wandering around, and a guy with cottons comes over to him.
Now I had warned him about these people before, but hey ho!!
The guy put a piece of string around hubbies finger whilst chatting away to him and makes a cheap looking cotton braclet thing, its made up in no time at all and slid onto his wrist tightly so that he cannot take it off.....At the same time another guy comes across to me, grabbing my hand and shouting to me to respect his tradition and let him make the braclet......Yes, I told him in no uncertain terms to "get lost!".
I go into the loo, at the same time the guy who has put the braclet around hubbies wrist is demanding 8 euro! I couldnt believe it - 8 euro!!!
Hubbie tells him he only has 50 cents! And so the guy replies, thats your wife in the loo, go and get the money from her!
No way would I pay 8 euro for that! A couple of guys surround me as I come out from the loo, and hubbie runs over with a very concerned look on his face, much shouting later we ran off to catch the funicular, with a cheap braclet, without paying the 8 euro.....very nearly turned dodgy!!
You have been warned my dear VT friends! Leave a Comment
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In front of the Eiffel Tower there are some very aggressive "Bosnian" or they clain to be, gypsies. The ask if you speak English then go into a speach about how they need money and proceed to follow you around even if you don't answer. Some people I was traveling with made the mistake if answering their question. My answer was Yes, but I'm from NY and don't give a f*ck...that worked for me.
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You will also see a lot of poverty in the French capital. The amount of beggars in the metro and outside, or people trying to sell you stuff on the streets is huge. Many of the beggars are actually pick-pockets, who will first find out where you put your wallet.
Especially around the Eiffel tower, there are far too many of them and the French police should do a little bit more about it! Leave a Comment
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Be careful around Sacre Coeur because there a hoards of people willing to make your wallet lighter. The favourite trick involves a man who comes up to you, and offers to show you something. He then puts a piece of cotton round your finger and deftly weaves a crappy bracelet. The person is trapped and can't get away without paying, because these guys are huge. I saw about half a dozen operating on the steps up to the church. Leave a Comment
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If you are a young, single, female traveling along in Paris, keep an eye out near all the major tourist areas (ie, Tour Eiffel, Louvre, **MONT MATRE**, Arch de Triomph, Sacre Coeur, etc).
Obviously this is common sense, right? Well, I'm sure you know about the saying that Europeans don't value "personal space" the way Americans do, which I'm totally aware of. I grew up in NY so I'm not exactly "street naive," however, I was totally not prepared for Paris. Everytime I started to get CLOSE (not even there!) to a major sight, like Tour Eiffel, some guy would start talking to me.
When I told him I had to go, trying to skirt this guy, he would try to say bye by first hugging me, then kissing my cheeks, then trying to go for my mouth, all the while his hands trying to go elsewhere. I screamed for help, but all the police did was to tell the guy to go away. They did nothing! In my 4 day/3 night stay in Paris, this happened to me at the very least 8 times.
Essential phrases: 1) Laissez moi tranquille!=Leave me alone 2) Fichez moi la pas=Go away 3) Je suis occupe= I'm busy and ***4) Je suis marrie. I'm so sad to say I used these 4 phrases more than I was able to practice my "Bonjours" or "Comment allez vous".
But seriously ladies, if you are traveling alone, play down your looks, look unfriendly (?), and watch who you respond to when men ask "are you american?". It'll save you from unwanted physical contact or worst. But don't let this stop you from seeing Paris.
Although I may have had a terrible time in Paris, I still desperately want to go back...most likely with some large, lumbering, intimidating-looking guy wearing a police uniform, but still. It's a gorgeous city and I only wish I had gotten pictures of all the sites I had visited, rather than worrying about who might try to talk to me next. I just hope my opinions of men haven't been scarred by this experience. :-P Leave a Comment
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When you are in Montmarte you’re not in the best part of town. There are aggressive vendors selling braided bracelets. They will approach you and take your hand and they will start braiding a bracelet for you. They were on each level of the stairs/hill going up to the church, as well as near the funicular entrances and exits. We were not approached since I think they clearly saw that our hands were full with a toddler, stroller, backpack…all in the rain. Leave a Comment
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Beware of young women hanging around Notre Dame and the Arc Triomphe asking, “Do you speak English?” Nine times out of ten, they already know you speak English because they have been watching you. They then show you a card asking for money because they’re Bosnian refugees. They work in groups and they are well dressed. They also circle around you when they question of, will you give them anything, is addressed to you. We did come across older women that also had signs in English asking for money. They also claimed to be Bosnian refugees. Leave a Comment
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Never have I been anywhere where beggars, and I include those who are asking for money for an organization, have been so aggressive and annoying, than Paris.
It is easy to know where the money goes if the other hand is holding a bottle of wine. But where does the money that the kids collect for their so called charitable organization go. And why don't they have real jobs. They look well dressed and well educated. Is it a cult they are collecting for. How would one really know.
Even if I could be sure that at least 90% is going to the people who need it, their harassing manner discourages me from giving them a sous.
I also find quite annoying all the people who are taking surveys and trying to get you to sign something. Probably the worst place for both groups is near the Monoprix at Denfert Rochereau.
Another annoyance are those beggars who kneel. I think that is just idiotic and I certainly wouldn't want to encourage that kind of behavior by giving them something. I often wonder who they are working for anyway. They seem to be all over Europe. Are they from the same group?
Recently while on the Champs Elysee near the Arc de Triomphe, I saw some people actually giving money to the young girl with the brown skirt and blue top. This girl was traveling with a group of young women, I won't name the group since I believe it would now be considered politically incorrect, who make their living begging for money in every major tourist city in Europe. I thought every traveller knew about this group of beggars, but I overheard the man (French) say to a woman with whom he was walking that the girl told him she waspoor and needed money to feed her children. Leave a Comment
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I was sitting with my friend at this unique fountain park near Goerge Pompidou when an old man approached us and asked for money.
He looks fit , nicely dressed so we ignored him . when he moved to the tourist a few steps away from us, my friend asked me to see what this so called beggar was holding .....A HANDPHONE for god sake 5c*!!! Leave a Comment
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