Is it safe to withdraw cash in France or not?
I usually withdrew during the day to avoid any chance of trouble but did use an ATM in Bordeaux at 11 PM once when I was low on cash. It was right outside a BNP Paribas branch near a tram stop and there were still people walking around. No issues but I wouldn’t do it if the street was totally empty. It’s generally safe to withdraw cash in France but try to stick to daytime if you’re in unfamiliar areas. At night, only use machines attached to major banks or inside stores where there’s lighting and foot traffic. I always kept a small amount of backup cash just to avoid last-minute late-night runs.
I felt fine withdrawing cash at night in places like Strasbourg and Marseille but I always used ATMs at supermarkets like Monoprix or Carrefour or ones directly inside bank lobbies. I used BNP Paribas, HSBC, Cooperatif and Credit Agricole. I never used the ones in train stations or attached to small tobacco shops. One guy at my hostel said his friend got followed after using a random street ATM late at night in Nice.
In Lyon I needed cash after dinner and used a Crédit Mutuel ATM around 10 PM and there was a La Banque Postale ATM also need to it. It was in a well-lit street with a few cafés still open. I didn’t feel unsafe, but I made sure to take the cash and put it away quickly without standing around counting it. Common sense stuff really.
I used ATMs at night a few times in Paris and never had an issue, but I always stuck to ones inside or attached to actual bank branches. The ones near big metro stations like République or Gare de Lyon felt fine since there were still people around and decent lighting. I avoided any machine that looked too isolated or was tucked into a corner.