Last Updated on June 24, 2026
I can feel the collective itch mounting already. If you’ve read mainstream media stories about Paris in recent times, you’ve probably been exposed to one of a gazillion stories about a sharp uptick (incongruous pun intended) in reports of bedbugs (punaises de lit) around the capital and other cities.
According to accounts in both French and English-language media, there has been an alarming rise in people reporting and seeking treatment for bedbugs in Paris. For weeks now, social media posts showing (often blurry) footage of critters alleged to be bedbugs crawling on metro seats or on couches in apartment rentals have prompted what many French media outlets are calling a “psychose” (panic or fit of hysteria).
In 2023, there were notably reports of bedbug sightings (and bites) in a few Parisian cinemas, and the multiplex cinema group UGC issued a press release (and an apology) via Twitter/X, confirming an infestation detected in one particular cinema in the 12th arrondissement.
The bugs, they say, have since been eradicated by exterminators and deep cleans. But a few Twitter/X users responded to the release by claiming that they had been bitten in another UGC theatre in central Paris— prompting further apologies and investigations.
{For those of you who were wondering, “Oh Punaise!” (used in the headline) is also a French idiom that roughly translates to “Oh, damn!”}
Parisians have also found yet another reason to complain about the Metro, already finding it infernally overcrowded and sweaty: in late September, a passenger claimed to have spotted bedbugs in the (upholstered) seats on Line 8. But the transport authority RATP, which operates the Metro, told French newspaper Le Figaro that they thoroughly investigated the case and found no evidence of their presence.
The reports go on and on, and I won’t regale you with all of them. Such is the intensity of the apparent “plague” that worries are now mounting (at least if you believe the press) that it might negatively impact tourism in France, including in the run-up to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Tourism officials are wringing their hands at the constant churn of stories coming out in social media and elsewhere about bedbug sightings. I was even quoted in Le Figaro, responding to a journalist’s question about whether the “crisis” would keep tourists away. The story’s in French, but here’s what I told him over e-mail:
“My sense is that some travelers may be put off by recent reports of bedbugs in Paris, but I seriously doubt it will affect tourist numbers or travel plans in any long-term way. Only the most phobic would cancel or delay plans in response to these reports.
As French officials have noted, there are always increased cases after the summer holiday period, because travelers tend to bring the unwelcome guests home in suitcases, leading to a temporary increase in infestations. I’m very skeptical of the idea that it’s worse in Paris than in other major cities around the world, though. It’s just a good topic for attracting clicks on news sites.”
Only time will tell, I suppose, if my skepticism is warranted. And to be fair, it’s not hyperbolic to suggest that the problem seems to be rather acute in France, with over 1 in 10 households in France encountering bedbug infestations, according to a July 2023 report from ANSES, the country’s Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety.
Moreover, Deputy Mayor of Paris Emmanuel Gregoire has called the infestation in the capital “widespread”, showing that concern in warranted. The city does need to get a handle on this.
But to put all this in perspective, bedbugs have been gaining significant ground in cities across the world in the past decades, following a ban on the use of highly carcinogenic pesticide DDT that all but eradicated them in the postwar era.
I remember growing up and wondering what the little creatures even looked like, when told to not “let the bedbugs bite” at tuck-in time. Unfortunately, the (beneficial) ban of one of the world’s most-toxic pesticides has come with a nasty (but luckily not dangerous) side effect: the return of a bug that inspires special horror and dread for both its bites and its amazing tenacity.
And it’s not just Paris that’s in the grip of an itchy “psychose” over it all. I’ve found recent local news stories fretting about bedbug crises (or looming ones) in New York City, Las Vegas and London, among others.
The Time Out article on London I link to above has even, mystifyingly, referred to “mutant bedbugs” threatening to invade the British capital via Eurostar passengers. The journalist later clarifies that “bedbugs are classed as mutants as they possess genes from other organisms”— but the clickbaity headline implying a recent mutation certainly doesn’t do much to calm the reigning panic.
The same article suggests a certain fear of foreigners and border anxiety that I find eye-roll-worthy, if not egregious. I have to wonder, judging from some of the language in many of these articles, whether at least some of the current anxiety about bedbugs can be tied to fears of foreignness and immigration. But that’s perhaps another article altogether.
What’s my bottom line? While I’m not denying the problem, it’s clearly not one unique to France. By all means, thoroughly inspect your hotel or apartment bedding, headboards and other furniture for unwelcome roommates before settling in.
Also feel free to inspect metro, train and movie-theatre seats (although you can bet that every Metro line, Eurostar and cinema in France will now be on the case, probably making it even less likely than in the past that you’ll have any nasty encounters).
You might also consider (if you can) avoiding peak bedbug season, which according to many experts is roughly early summer to October. The reason is simple: travel is most intense during the period, and bedbugs are expert stowaways.
{My full guide to planning a trip to France}
But whatever you do, please don’t give in to the current psychose, or let these reports ruin your trip or (far worse) prompt you to cancel plans. Don’t let the bedbugs bite— but also don’t let them keep you couch-bound.
Courtney Traub is the Founder and Editor of Paris Unlocked. She’s a longtime Paris resident who now divides her time (as well as she can manage) between the French capital and Norwich, UK. Co-author of the 2012 Michelin Green Guide to Northern France & the Paris Region, she has been interviewed as an expert on Paris and France by the BBC, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Le Figaro, Matador Network and other publications. Courtney has also written and reported stories for media outlets including Radio France Internationale, The Christian Science Monitor, Women’s Wear Daily and The Associated Press. In addition to going down various rabbit holes of curiosity when it comes to French culture, history, food and art, Courtney is a scholar of literature and cultural history whose essays and reviews have appeared in various forums.
