BTW Blueeyedcod, I am not disrespecting what you are saying.

My BIL is Chinese, my sister is as a blue-eyed blonde with a Chinese surname, her four children are half Chinese & Irish. They have some very odd experiences when traveling that can only be explained by racist assumption.

PAX

+1 for OReilly. And take the time to read up on & observe local customs.

Some cultures / countries are more formal / reserved than others. Not everyone responds well to what we regard as overly-familiar, inquisitive overtures from strangers.

As a tourist, I find the Italians and British to be the most friendly and welcoming.

France, in my opinion.
I have no idea who perpetuated the "Rude French" myth.

I found the French very polite and welcoming. In the smaller towns, the locals say hello when they pass by you on the street.

The Spaniards are very friendly too, particularly Madrilenos.

Australians.

Europe is shot through with them bouncing around the continent in their gap years.

I agree with Blueeyedcod's response. I think certainly ones race has something to do with it. Based on our travels in Europe (we are not white Anglo) we found the Irish to be the most friendly (everyone we met appeared to go out of their way to be nice, friendly, helpful) followed by Slovenians. We had reserved but mostly polite interactions with folks in Austria as well as Switzerland in that order. We experienced rude behavior in Italy on more than one occasion (more so in touristy areas). Cannot obviously be generalized but this was our experience.

I think the rudest Europeans are the ones who killed my family.

South United States, especially rural Georgia, rural Kentucky.

Friendly people everywhere I have ever been.

Most outgoing - Turkey, following you about with offers of tea and, of course, then rugs.
Most helpful - Spain, leading you to your destination when you are lost.

<<we are not white Anglo>>

Gawdam it, this is the most daft mischaracterization of ethnicity and "race" in contemporary semantics.

Caucasians are NOT Anglos. Angles and Saxons were tribes of Germanic barbarians. Caucasians trace to the Caucasus. As racial groupings have developed, it is accurate to say Anglo-Saxons are white, but not all whites are Anglo-Saxon. And not all Caucasians treat each other similarly.

Get some bloody historical, ethnographic and intellectual accuracy in this.

<South United States, especially rural Georgia, rural Kentucky.>

I keep hearing about how friendly Southern Americans are, but then again these are the same people who want Trump as president. Wonder how they'd treat you if you were of black or Mexican appearance.

Speaking as a woman of color, I have yet to visit a country that I would consider "unfriendly." But then again, I make sure to read up on the cultural and try to learn a few phrases in the native language and I have found that I am appreciated and welcomed--even when I went to Slovakia (a country that I was initially worried about visiting)!

That said, I think Ireland is the country where the people are extremely friendly. I also felt Germany was friendly, as was Italy.
I've never been to England so cannot compare English and Irish, but I can say that based on my encounter with the Irish people, they are some of the friendliest people and they love to chat with visitors and appear to appreciate you visiting their country.

IMDonehere,

Now that has to be the best answer I have ever read- clear, concise and poignant.

Thank you Boo