Pickpocketed in Paris
We arrived in Paris early, the metro was basically adjoined to the airport, so we bought a day pass that included local transportation. Jumped on the metro and headed straight for our scheduled bike tour with Fat Tire. They were awesome! I called them from the train to let them know we might be a few minutes late, no problem! They were waiting for us as soon as we got off the metro to walk with us, stored our backpacks at their office, got us helmets and got us on the bikes. The bike tour was incredible, even though it was cool and rainy. Jerome was a great guide and very informative. So cool the 1st time you get that Eifel Tower view! We had a nice lunch with our group on the tour. There were actually 3 other Texans on the tour!
After the tour, we took a metro and went back to the Louvre to go inside this time. Gotta see the Mona Lisa, while in Paris, right? The Louvre also had luggage storage, so that was great. We had been walking for a while with our backpacks on before going in to the Louvre and we were tired. They get heavy with continuous walking without a break! Speaking of walking, our main goal was to see the Mona Lisa at The Louvre and it was not close to the entrance. Not at all. It’s like a scavenger hunt in this incredibly large museum trying to get to it. Of course, if you have time, there are so many other amazing works of art to take in. Informative audio tours are also available to purchase in addition to entrance tickets. We survived the mob and got to see her. She is smaller than expected, but the crowd is much larger than expected.
Time to grab our backpacks and get on the metro for the hotel. Oops wrong train. No worries, Google ‘transportation’ option got us to the correct stop just around the corner. It was a city bus, but our pass included buses. The bus was crowded, and we hesitated before getting on. We should’ve waited. The bus got even more crowded. We were packed in the isle and I was just thinking about breathing, while a disturbance was playing out in French by the door (probably manufactured). It was a pretty short ride, about 4 stops. Got off and only had to walk a couple of blocks to our hotel. As soon as we got there, I noticed my wallet was gone!! Then I immediately received a text from my bank that they suspected fraudulent activity on my card. I was freaking out. So upsetting. I just wanted to go home at that moment. Got to the room, started canceling cards.
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Also, the hotel would not call the police. They said we had to go to the police station. No time for that and I really wasn’t keen on public transportation or searching the city at that point. Not real sure if I was pickpocketed on the crowded bus or at the Mona Lisa exhibit. Those were really the only two situations we can think of where there was a distraction and a crowd. I had my wallet when we got to the Louvre Museum, but not at the hotel. Either way, I wasn’t ready for a second round. Thankfully, I still had my cell phone and my passport! Next time a hidden money belt for sure tho! Between Big Dog, and encouragement from both of the kids, we kept going. So glad. Next stop would be for 3 fantastic days in Ireland!
Since we hadn’t eaten dinner and had to be at the airport at 4:00 am, we just grabbed a bite in the neighborhood, crashed and took a taxi from hotel at 3:30 am. At least the hotel did call a cab for us. We were grateful, since we don’t speak French and weren’t familiar with the cab companies. That all went well and the cab was waiting outside as we left our room in the middle of the night and startled the nite clerk sleeping on the hotel sofa. Oops!
When I think of Paris, I try to think of our incredible bike tour, the beautiful city and all of the wonderful things we were fortunate enough to experience. Still happy we included this stop on our Europe backpacking trip.
Big Dog’s Review: We arrived in Paris on a cool and rainy morning. First stop, Fat Tire Bike Tour. This was a fun and informative tour of the city. Our tour guide was great and knew the history of Paris very well. We saw all of the beautiful buildings and architecture. The history of the city during WWll was very interesting. Some of the buildings still have bullet holes and scars of war. We broke for lunch in Tuileries Garden. A nice oasis from our tour. The tour culminated at the Eifel Tower. An awesome structure that is a must see. After the tour we headed over to the Louvre Museum. Possibly, Lulu encountered a pick pocket here at the Mona Lisa exhibit. The room was packed and difficult to maneuver thru the crowd. If you let your guard down for a second you may be a target, so be aware! The Louvre is massive, and you need to schedule plenty of time to tour its vastness. I can see why Paris may be the most visited city in the world, don’t miss it!
Eiffel Tower Paris
I’d love to visit Paris, minus the pickpockets! My daughter and grandson spent a week there in December and loved it!
Yes minus the pickpockets!
Great pictures and it looks like an amazing trip…except for being pick-pocketed of course. That really sucks!
Yes!! Otherwise it was great!
Glad you didn’t allow the pickpocket to ruin your trip. I’m pretty paranoid about stuff like that happening… and hard as you try, it isn’t always easy to prevent. These people usually work in groups and have fine tuned their skill 😞😞 We loved Paris, but need to go back to see Mona Lisa! Everything was closed the day we were there for a National Holliday… bad luck on our part!
You are so right! Bummer about Mona Lisa. Good excuse to go back!
Sounds like a busy day and I chuckled at the night hotel person you startled that was asleep on the couch.
Haha
Sounds like a wonderful trip other than the pick-pocketing. My daughter had a few scary encounters in Paris with people attempting to rob them on her high school trip. For that reason, she never wants to go back.
I can understand!
I haven’t made it to Paris… other parts of France, but not the capital. Someday….
I’m glad you still had your passport!
Me too!! Other parts are beautiful, I’m sure!
OHHH, the thought of going to Paris!! I would love to, but will need to plan that vacation later . . . after we all recover from COVID-19. Loved visiting with you on your trip!!
Yes, lots of trips after this virus trip! Ugh! Lol
I have loved taking this trip with you so much! I’m am sorry you got pickpocketed! That’s scary, but I am so glad you didn’t let it ruin your travels. I love your photos and adventures!
Thank you Erica!!
So glad the “incident” didn’t disrupt your trip too much! Looks like it was an amazing one!
Thanks Suzan!
Looks like a fun trip overall!!
Yes it was!
What a beautiful place. Hoping to get there one day.
Hope you do too Stephanie!
looks like a great experience despite the pickpocketing. Did you have to cancel credit cards?
Yes, everything and get new License etc. Just thankful they didn’t get passport!
Biking is such a great way to see Paris! Unfortunately, pickpocketing seems to happen just about everywhere.
True! It’s awful!
Definitely have a story to tell! and a great trip with great pictures.
It was an adventure!
Looks like an incredible adventure! So sorry to hear that you were pick pocketed: I had that happen to me in Vegas. So upsetting! Good thing your credit card company caught it right away. We did a Fat Tire tour in Barcelona and we absolutely loved it.
Oh I hate that it happened to you too!
I would love to go to Barcelona!!
You hear so many occurrences like this. I remember it happened to my cousin once. It is unfortunate.
Yes much too common!!
That’s awful that that happened (though it does make for a catchy title!). At leas the rest of the trip to Paris was amazing!
Yes, we did enjoy everything prior to!
Sounds like an amazing experience overall (minus the theft).
Yes there were positives for sure!
Wow, sorry about the pickpocketing experience but looks like a wonderful trip otherwise!
Thanks Alexis!
Even though you had some struggles, it sounds like you had an amazing experience! Thank you for sharing!
Yes so much to enjoy!
What a bummer! I’m so sorry someone did that to you. One of my biggest fears with international travel is having someone steal my passport. I’m so glad that you didn’t have your passport stolen.
Me too Sara!! What a nightmare!
I love Paris! I went once for a school trip in high school and we went all over France. Another trip I just flew into CDG to go to Disneyland, so I never really saw the city. I would love to go back and see the city with my husband.
Sounds like a wonderful plan!!
I would love to visit Paris.
Hope you get to soon!!
Europe is riddled with pick pocketers! Great tips! I love your photos and it sounds like you still had fun!
Yes it’s so unfortunate! Thanks Tricia!!
Sorry that this happened to you. I’m glad to see that you didn’t let it ruin your trip. It looks like you had a great time in Paris and the bike tour looked like it would be a lot of fun.
Thanks Bonnie! Yes very memorable bike tour!!
One of my daughters backpacked across Europe the summer after her junior year in high school. She had a blast and I love looking at the pictures and all the great places she saw. Some of them she had been to before when she was a little girl and I was in the Navy, but she didn’t remember.
Awe that’s great Laura!!
So sorry for your incident but very glad you didn’t go home at that point (you mentioned you just wanted to go home). The pictures are great and I bet the memories the best. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Beth! I’m glad I didn’t go home either! I would’ve missed Ireland and England!But yes, I wanted to at that moment.
Sorry that happened to you! But it sounds like you didn’t let it bring you down or ruin your trip 🙂
I’m glad we kept going, but I was rattled!
Although I’ve visited and loved other international cities, Paris is by far my favorite city. Always wear a cloth belt (holds money, passport, phone, credit cards, etc) underneath your clothes in any foreign country you visit. If carrying a backpack, make sure you have locks on every compartment (I used TSA locks – they are small and work well with backpacks). In my purse, I only carry 1 credit card and a small amount of cash as it can sometimes be awkward to get items from your hidden belt. Before I go into a store or restaurant where I know I’ll need more money, I would usually find a bathroom or shelted area where I could discretely get what I needed from the belt, and move it to my purse. The purse should be a cross body type, or one you can hold close to your body with your arm. Never let your purse hang loose from your arm, or it can be snatched easily. Not trying to tell you what to do, just want to give some helpful tips. Enjoyed your article!
Thank you Roselyn!! Great tips and I was thinking I needed a money belt or something under my clothes next time!!