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Paris: These Streets and Neighborhoods to Avoid Alone or Late at Night

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The Editor

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We all know that certain neighborhoods in the capital have a bad reputation, to the point where some people prefer to avoid them like the plague, especially when night falls. Yet, despite the potential "threats" they may represent, these areas have plenty to offer those brave enough to explore them. Here's a quick look at why these places deserve praise rather than criticism.


Clignancourt Gate – La Chapelle

We know it, the Goutte-d'Or neighborhood has a reputation for being among the capital's most unsafe areas, probably with good reason at certain levels. But what a shame when you know it's bursting with culinary and gastronomic gems. Among our must-tries, Hasard Ludique, La Recyclerie, loads of cheap and popular restaurants (big shout-out to the Indian and Sri Lankan gems), the recent Central Chapelle, the Bouffes du Nord theater – one of our Paris favorites, basically, that neighborhood life that changes vibe completely depending on the street.


Stalingrad – Jaurès

Well, we'll give it to you, for this area, we have plenty of reasons that are mainly valid in nice weather

. Because yes, the biggest plus here is without a doubt the Ourcq Canal, its quays, the drinks by the water that go on until late at night, the Rotonde Stalingrad, all the bars by the waterside (hello Pavillon des Canaux, we love you and we're rooting for you), or even Paris Plage in the summer. And in winter, no worries, you can always fall back on one of the two huge MK2 cinemas facing each other.

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North Station – East Station

Let's face it, the areas around train stations are never the most welcoming places in the world. Especially when it comes to North Station, Europe's busiest railway station in terms of passenger traffic, which brings together people from all over the globe every day. Yet it allows us to travel to London and Brussels, which is pretty great. East Station, for its part, is right next to the Saint-Martin Canal, near La Caserne, Brûlant, L'Essaim, the terrace of Café A, and even one of the locations of the Bouillon Chartier.


Les Halles

Okay, let's be honest, Les Halles is a bit of a madhouse, no matter what time of day it is. There's always a crowd. Lots of people. Way too many people. The metro station is a taste of hell, and in the evening, it's not very cheerful. But it's also a place where you'll find some of the capital's best jazz bars, rue Montorgueil with its neighborhood shops, cultural institutions (Bourse de Commerce, Théâtre du Châtelet, Pompidou) and culinary hotspots galore (le Pied de cochon, for example).


Barbès – Château Rouge

Once again, northern Paris has a bad reputation. Yet, the neighborhood located between Barbès and Château Rouge absolutely doesn't deserve all the negativity surrounding it. In fact, it is bursting with affordable bars, places to go out, with Le Soleil de la Butte and Double Vie at the top of the list, super cool restaurants where you can escape the hundreds of tourists invading Montmartre, and delicious kebabs like Gemüse, the Institut des cultures de l'Islam, or even FGO Barbara to dance to some great music.


Bastille – Rue de Lappe

On one hand, Bastille, which is full of tourist traps and overpriced bars. On the other, Rue de Lappe, a true version of hell on earth after 10 p.m. Yet, in a

Either way, we love the neighborhood for the opera, the cinemas, Rue de la Roquette and all its side streets, packed with cool restaurants and bars and especially not too pricey when you know where to look, Bofinger, the Badaboum, the Disquaires for dancing until dawn. And between you and me, Rue de Lappe is actually doing much better these days.


Olympiades

It's far away, it's gloomy, the university is awful, and it's not exactly appealing, especially when the weather is grey or dark. Yet the Olympiades neighborhood also offers proximity to Tolbiac, with the Asian neighborhood packed with restaurants that are all absolutely delicious, affordable student bars, thanks to the university's presence, line 14 (which lets you escape far and fast if needed), colorful and festive street art creations, and basically a pretty calm world of its own.


Gare d'Austerlitz – Gare de Lyon

Sure, we know these two train stations are pretty far from each other, but for many people, they're linked for life by how close their railway lines are, so we decided to showcase them together.

So we'll be talking about the waterfront, with all its restaurants and nightlife spots like Le Petit Bain, the proximity to La Félicita and Jussieu, the gorgeous evening visits to the Grand Gallery of Evolution, and also nights out at Wanderlust and Future.

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Place d'Italie

A few months ago, we shared a definitive verdict with you: Place d'Italie is, by far, Paris's worst square according to Parisians. It has to be said that it's not very beautiful, not very practical, and not very well-regarded. Yet it doesn't lack advantages, starting with the Théâtre du 13e Art, the charming Butte-aux-Cailles neighborhood (and all its amazing restaurants), its cinemas with the beloved UGC Gobelins leading the way.


Gare Montparnasse

We keep coming back to it, but the areas around train stations are definitely not Paris's most charming places, nor the ones where you feel like lingering late into the evening. But once again, the surroundings of Montparnasse Tower have more to offer than meets the eye, starting with the crepes on rue du Montparnasse (and to discover the best one,

it's not here), all the cinemas and theaters, the Rotonde, the Relais de l'Entrecôte and la Coupole, which are true institutions. And most of all, the chance to head to Brittany, and that, well, that's priceless…