‘Is This Paris’? Indian Tourist’s Viral Video Shows Shocking Side of the French Capital
Paris is often called the “city of love” and one of the most beautiful tourist destinations in the world. But for one Indian traveller, the first impression was very different.
An Instagram user, Vinayak Mishra, shared a video that quickly went viral, showing a side of the French capital that surprised many. In the clip titled “Paris gave me a plot twist in the first 5 minutes,” Mishra is seen stepping out of a train station into a dirty, crowded area filled with garbage. Shocked, he can be heard asking, “Where is this? Is this Paris? Looks like a fish market.”
Later in the video, he walks through a cleaner and quieter neighbourhood, saying, “This place looks normal, but the other one was very weird. People were shouting from all directions and trash was everywhere. I never imagined Paris like this.”
In his caption, Mishra explained that not every part of Paris looks the same. He compared it to India, saying every city has both good and bad sides, and that’s what makes travelling interesting.
The reel has already crossed 1.5 million views and attracted hundreds of comments. Many users agreed with his experience. “Brother, stay in central Paris. If you go a little outside, this is what you’ll see. Don’t step out at night, it’s unsafe,” one person wrote. Another added, “This is the other side of Paris they never show us.”
Others pointed out that it’s common for all big cities to have clean as well as dirty areas. “The media always shows the bad side of Indian cities and only the polished side of Western ones,” a commenter noted.
Paris Syndrome
Paris remains home to world-famous attractions like the Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, and Notre-Dame Cathedral. But some visitors suffer from what is called “Paris Syndrome” — a type of culture shock when the reality of the city doesn’t match the dreamlike image they had in mind.
