Travelling safely
Paris is a safe city for you. Here's how it stays that way.
Marriage, adoption, IVF and legal gender change are open to everyone; LGBTphobic attacks are aggravated offences. There are still neighbourhoods, hours and reflexes worth knowing — here they are, without drama.
Numbers to save
Free, 24/7 unless stated. In an emergency, dial 17 or 112 first.
Your rights in France
- Marriage and adoption open to same-sex couples since 2013; IVF for all since 2021.
- Holding hands, kissing in the street: legal and common, especially in the centre.
- An LGBTphobic assault or insult is an aggravated offence: file a complaint (police station or online via FLAG!), even if unsure.
- Conversion therapies are banned (2022).
Where to go out without thinking
- The Marais (3rd–4th): the historic heart, bars and terraces, very safe day and night.
- Pigalle, Oberkampf, Bastille, Belleville, Canal Saint-Martin: mixed and queer nights, friendly crowds.
- The big tourist avenues are safe but anonymous; business districts empty at night.
- Check a venue's page: our “Rainbow / Friendly” rating tells you who shows their colours.
At night
- Metro until ~1:15 am (2:15 am Friday and Saturday), then Noctilien night buses; G7 taxis and ride-hailing everywhere.
- Go home in pairs if you can; club exits around 5–6 am are calm, stay on main streets.
- Phone snatching and pickpockets: keep your phone away near metro exits and on terraces.
- Drink spiking: don't leave your glass; partner bars have cup covers and trained staff.
Dating and apps
- Grindr, Tinder, Hinge, Feeld work normally; prefer a first date in a Marais bar.
- Beware of profiles wanting to bring you to an isolated place or paid “private parties”.
- Chemsex: associations (AIDES, Le 190) welcome without judgement; if unwell, 15 or 112.
Health
- Free walk-in testing at CeGIDD centres; PrEP prescribed at sexual health centres (Le 190, Checkpoint Paris).
- After HIV exposure: emergency treatment within 48 h at any hospital ER, 24/7.
- On-duty pharmacies and English-speaking doctors: ask your hotel or the LGBTQI+ Centre.
- Travellers on treatment: bring your prescription; pharmacies dispense on EU prescriptions.
Trans and non-binary travellers
- Foreign ID documents are accepted as they are; no specific checks.
- Gender-neutral toilets in most Marais bars and at the LGBTQI+ Centre.
- Trans support: Acceptess-T (Paris 10th), OUTrans, the Centre's drop-in.