Paris has gone from pop pick to place to avoid for many people planning a trip to Europe, at least for the time being.

Scores of Calcuttans who were scheduled to visit the city of eternal romance in the next few weeks have either cancelled their trips or opted for European alternatives like Amsterdam and Rome.

Since opening on Monday morning, travel agencies in town have received multiple phone calls from clients wanting to know whether Paris would be a safe bet by Christmas or they should abandon the idea for now.

Salt Lake resident Snehasish Bhaumik, who along with two other family members had planned a five-day stay in Paris en route to visiting his niece in Amsterdam, has already made his decision.

Snehasish, who was scheduled to take Jet Airways' Mumbai-Paris flight on November 18, called his travel agent on Monday to cancel that journey and book him and his family on a direct flight to Amsterdam instead. "We want to avoid Paris this time. The cancellation charges have been huge for the hotels but there is no other option given the uncertainty," he told Metro.

Paris did return to a semblance of normality on Monday with schools, museums and malls reopening, but tourism might have to wait longer. "The Metro is running, shops have opened too. Life is coming back to normal but there is a sense of fear in the air," said 23-year-old Sonal Malhotra, a Ballygunge girl who lives in the Ile Saint-Louis neighbourhood of Paris.

Sonal said security personnel were all over Paris, although that alone wouldn't be reassuring for anyone travelling from another part of the world.

Tour operators said tourists weren't just apprehensive about safety in the wake of the terror attacks in Paris last Friday but also about travelling within France and staying in hotels and rented apartments. Airbnb, the online apartment rental service, has offered to refund in full whoever wishes to cancel a booking in Paris.

The Indian embassy in Paris has issued a travel advisory for anyone from India travelling to France.

"For those undertaking travel to France, they are advised to be in touch with their respective airlinesravel agencies. As per the travel information issued by the French ministry of foreign affairs, border checks are being instituted. Airports and railway links continue to operate," the advisory states.

On an average, around 3,000 people visit Europe from Calcutta every month. The list includes tourists, honeymooners and business travellers. More than 90 per cent of these travellers make a trip to Paris.

"Paris is among the top three destinations from Calcutta along with London and Rome. It is at the same time a leisure, romantic and business destination that nobody wants to miss. We are getting phone calls since morning. Most people are apprehensive about the current situation but we hope the crisis will be over," said Anil Punjabi, chairman (east) of the Travel Agents' Federation of India.

Shilpa Arora, who is getting married in February, was to honeymoon in Paris in the first week of March. On Monday, her father headed for the travel agent's office to change the itinerary. Mauritius and Seychelles have since emerged as alternatives for Shilpa and her would-be husband, although the couple are still keen on Paris.

Airlines operating out of Calcutta that connect passengers to Paris via other cities have waived cancellation charges. They are also allowing passengers to change their destinations without extra charge.