Originally Posted by BENLEE

I'm just back from a vacation to Paris. I find this really a joke and misleading to say the Metro system in Paris is wonderful. The trains itself are also poorly maintained. It's positively primitive compare to the tube system in London or nicer subway systems in other big cities. Sure there are connections to get you to where you want but the actual metro station itself is always dark, dirty and crime infested and pickpockets everywhere. Every french person or regular tourist that I have come to speak to while in Paris can recall at least one or two experience of being robbed or pickpocketed in the metro station.

The people are not friendly. You can say Bonjour all you want but unless you personally know them, or perhaps speak fluent French, they are generally not helpful. Some are downright rude and go out of their way to treat tourist and foreigners with contempt. Sure sights like Effiel and Lourve are beautiful places to visit but the city itself is not a welcoming place, pretentious, dangerous, crime-infested city. The food and most of the restaurants are not what it is made out to be, with mediocre food quality at inflated rip-off prices. The shopping is not also not what it is made up to be. Everything they have in Paris including supposedly high end brands are available outside of Paris as well and with much better service. Once is enough I think. Been there done that and probably not coming back.

During the same trip, I also visited London and comparing these two cities, London is far better by miles. The people are way more friendly and helpful, the public places clean, the tube system efficient and actually more things to do and see.

This is a Paris forum and I think my opinion is not going to be popular but I am just saying what I feel from the perspective of a first time visitor. My apologies if I caused any offense.