Sarah Lim has travelled to 24 countries in Europe and has shared her experiences of the places where she felt the most unsafe, specifically as an Asian female traveller
A seasoned globe-trotter has been using TikTok to document her adventures across 24 European nations. In an unexpected departure from typical travel review, Sarah Lim opted to spotlight five cities in Europe where she experienced feelings of vulnerability, particularly as an Asian female explorer.
“Five cities where i didn’t feel safe in Europe (as an Asian female),” she captioned her post. Sarah added: “I went to several countries in Eastern Europe as well, through both the Baltics and the Balkans and i found Western Europe to be more unsafe unfortunately.”
Here is her list of destinations you might wish to steer clear of.
Paris, France
Describing alarming encounters in the French capital, Sarah revealed: “I was stalked at night alone on my first trip and then chased by a bunch of men when I was with five friends on my last trip.”
She also highlighted the widespread threats such as bag snatchers and pickpockets she came across.
Brussels, Belgium
Whilst she managed to avoid any major incidents in Brussels, Sarah confessed she couldn’t dispel a sense of discomfort, particularly after dark. “There were many groups of men lingering around the city centre at night, very unsettling,” she explained.
Additionally, Sarah referenced an even more troubling incident – a Singaporean exchange student’s stabbing in Brussels, which reinforced all her concerns about the city’s security.
Milan, Italy
Sarah’s Italian escapade kicked off with a near-miss scam at her flat, which she described as “very convincing” due to the fraudster’s numerous “accomplices”.
She also voiced concerns about her safety, stating: “Walking around at night near the residential areas felt quite unsafe – had to call male friends to escort me and my friend back.”
Barcelona, Spain
Next stop, Barcelona. Sarah reported no major issues but remained “very vigilant” due to the city’s notorious pickpockets.
She revealed: “I heard about stabbing and mugging cases from fellow Erasmus students.”
Rome, Italy
In Rome, Sarah experienced more trouble, noting: “It felt the most touristic – hence the number of scammers in the open. Pickpockets and snatch thieves were common here.”
Her TikTok post resonated with many viewers, leading them to share their own travel tales.
One user empathised with her Brussels experience, commenting: “Finally someone mentions Brussels,” and explaining their decision to leave despite a good job because they felt “I lived there for eight months and everybody asked me why I left if the job was so good. I literally always felt so unsafe.”
One user slammed the romantic notion of Paris, stating: “When people call Paris the city of love its hilarious because all I know is stabbings, getting stalked and pickpockets.”
Another shared a similar experience in the French capital: “I was stalked in Paris too when I was out alone in the middle of the day. Belgium was definitely shady at night and we managed to stop a pickpocket.”
Echoing these sentiments, another person said: “Milan and Paris are so real. One of my Paris friend got her bag snatched on the train. And Milan, the pickpockets are everywhere, we literally identified some of them from afar.”
However, not everyone had negative experiences. “I used to live in Paris, and actually felt very safe as long as I wasn’t near the Gare du Nord area!” one person revealed.
“And actually felt so safe in Rome as well. But of course people have different experiences.”
Another added on a positive note: “Lucky to have stayed in Paris for a month and never felt unsafe or threatened!”.
