Gare Montparnasse : how safe is it at night?

Hello TA Paris,

In case we can%26#39;t get a taxi coming out of a dance club in the 14e at 1 or 2 in the morning, I see (on RATP site) that we can take a Noctilien (#62) from Gare Montparnasse and then walk from CAMBRONNE-LECOURBE for 3 min to our hotel Delos.

Would this be a safe walk + ride for daughter (20s) and mom on a Friday or Saturday night?

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Aren%26#39;t these %26quot;how safe%26quot; threads getting a bit annoying (and offensive, to be honest) after a while? Just do a search, and you%26#39;ll see what the overwhelming response is.

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Hi -

I%26#39;m not a Parisienne and I%26#39;m insulted by them.

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I am asking because there are posts warning to avoid certain stations at night. I don%26#39;t know if Gare Montparnasse is one of them. Every city has less-safe areas I think.

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You should have no problem getting a taxi. Someone at the club can phone for one for you. Or, make sure you know where the nearest taxi stands are located.

There%26#39;s nothing wrong with asking about safety at night.

We were in Montparnasse station late one evening. The stations is enormous and it was a long way to our track. This went on the %26quot;never again%26quot; list.

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Your helpful response is greatly appreciated, djkbooks. Thank you.

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Yes.......... Montparnasse is safe at night, I%26#39;ve even stumbled across a rave party in Montparnasse when I stayed at Le Meridien (not my choice) in 2006......... everyone was friendly (if not a little drunk - or something else)........ I had no problems.

Many people imagine Paris is like New York or Los Angeles as it pertains to safety. For an American (or Canadian), Paris is a remarkably safe city late at night. I myself just avoid Les Halles and Pigalle at night - although I%26#39;d probably be safe there as well (being a male).

Yes, the threads on %26quot;safety%26quot; can get tiresome, but it%26#39;s an honest question most of the time from people that have never been to Paris and tend to think of Paris as another %26quot;big%26quot; city like the ones they are familiar with, which it is not. To me, Paris is unlike any other city in the world - and that%26#39;s why I love her so......

I just like to reassure people that Paris is a VERY safe city, I%26#39;ve never felt uncomfortable or threatened anywhere.

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Personal safety is always going to be a valid concern on the streets of a big foreign city at 2 in the morning. More so if you%26#39;re female, more so if you%26#39;re a Mom wanting to look out for your daughter, since Moms naturally worry about that sort of thing.

Main line train stations around the world can get less than appealing after dark, for all manner of reasons. Come to Central Station in Sydney in the early hours and I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;ll see the seamy side of life.

No-one means to single out Paris as a hotspot for personal risk, and it should be obvious that no offence is intended when these types of enquiries are made.

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You have taxis from every stations, so there will be taxis from Montparnasse, although there is an extra charge if you take the taxi from a station.

I have walked there so many times, arriving from the last metro, alone, single girl, never felt threatened. Quite safe. The Noctilien buses are not always so nice as there are usually a few drunk guys in there, but not unsafe either, just not so nice

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Thanks for putting that into perspective, Nibbles55. I can%26#39;t understand why anyone, Paris resident or not, would be insulted or offended by a visitor asking for help in evaluating what/where is %26quot;safe%26quot; at night! Is it just the word %26quot;safe%26quot; that is so open to hyperbolic interpretation? No one means to insult Paris or those who live there by implying that it%26#39;s full of criminals! Those who are unfamiliar with the specifics of locations are just asking for a judgment call from those who are in the know. Let%26#39;s not close off that line of communication by taking the questions about safety as some kind of irritating, tiresome, irrelevant subject. The only reason that Paris has been singled out here in regards to %26quot;what is safe%26quot; is because this is the Paris forum, not because Paris has been misrepresented in the US and Canada as some kind of risky destination. Stop slapping people on the wrist, and just give them the good personal advice that they%26#39;re asking for.

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I don%26#39;t think that the question really was %26quot;is Montparnasse district safe%26quot; but %26quot;is Noctilien safe%26quot;.

Of course there is nothing wrong with the Montparnasse district, but there are Noctilien horror stories. I%26#39;ve seen aggressive drunks, excited scum, even syringes.

Everything can be OK of course, but I wouldn%26#39;t recommend the Noctilien to anyone unfamiliar with the city. I personnally think it%26#39;s great transportation, but an all-night bus service from the heart of the city to end of the suburbs -including the poorest ones - would be a hazardous thing in any capital of the world.