My DH and I recently returned from Paris. France was low on our priority list of places to visit because of things we had heard about the way the French treat visitors, especially Americans. Our two daughters have been there at least twice and convinced us to go, they love it there.

I am humbled to say that we were treated wonderfully the week we were there. We stayed at the Hotel Luxembourg Parc and we both feel as though the hospitality they showed us far exceeded any other hotel that we have ever stayed at in any country.

We went to France fully expecting to not be treated well but that we would extend the courtesy of trying to speak to them in their language (very elementary, let me assure you). We figured that there were a lot of things in Paris that we wanted to see and that we may have to tolerate their dislike of us in order to do that. Well I have to say that I love the French people, they were everything we did not expect them to be.

I am so happy that we decided to go, that we listened to our daughters and all you Fodorites who just love Paris!

Thanks for sharing your experience. I am always hearing about how rude the French are, but that only comes from people who have never been to France. They simply won't belive me when I tell them about the friendly French. Vive le France!!

Ms. Bear and I recently returned from 4.5 weeks in Paris--almost everywhere in Paris, not just the 4-5 blocks closest to the Seine. We experienced friendly, helpful people everywhere. Even the one apparent exception (an Asian woman behind the counter at a boulangerie on Boulevard Saint Marcel who was abrupt with Ms. Bear when she took a while to make her choices) was a one-time event, as that same woman was quite friendly the next few times we shopped there.

Although waiterpersons are more formal (and thus appear less friendly) than is often the case in the US, that manner of service is not specific to Americans or to foreigners--they are much the same with Parisians.

We enjoyed Paris, Parisians, and the people we met in Dijon, Provins, and Reims.

I agree with PM above. I've had many people tell me that the French are rude and when I ask them where they have been in France and in what way were the people rude I'm told that they have never been to France but have heard the French are rude. The only negatives about French people are from those folks who have never been to France.

New Yorkers are much ruder than Parisians IMHO.

Ditto, ditto. We just came back from 3 weeks in France and everyone was quite friendly. They were also friendly on our trip 3 years ago.

My DH was surprised. He said everyone told him that he would hate France and it was because they were unfriendly. Turns out of course, the people telling him this had never been any closer to France than Seattle!

I thought they were unusually friendly this trip because they may be afraid they'll have less tourists this summer because of the $.

However, a friend tells me that in Normandy and Brittany they are friendly because they prefer Americans to the British.

we just got back from Paris a few weeks ago and I have to admit, all of my impressions about the French were wrong.

All I heard is how they hate Americans and will be very rude to us. What a shock when I realized the folks in my hometown of Boston are much more rude than in Paris.

We had a great time and lookj forward to going back some day.

cb

What's almost as amazing to me as the reports from people who say they hear the French are rude are the posts from people who say gosh, it turned out not to be true. Either way, I find it insulting. It's such a back-handed compliment - it was so nice to find out you weren't the ass we thought you were...know what I mean?

I always feel like I'm reading posts from 30 years ago when I read these things.

Wow! It wasn't just a fluke! The people in my husband's office were just relentless prior to our trip about how awful we would be treated because they knew people that went there and were treated badly. I am so happy to hear that there are so many other people that have the same impression that we have of the French.

I know that it could be perceived that perhaps they are worried about tourism but I really didn't feel that. I think that they were genuinely nice. They weren't just polite, they were often very friendly. Granted some people were more reserved than others, but I actually thought that we were treated with great hospitality our time in Paris. The only two times ventured out of the central areas were to
Versailles and Epernay. In both places we were with many French tourists and they were fine towards us.

Never intended to hurt you StCirq. The reality is that the French are perceived that way. I never said that I believed it or not, just that I didn't want to go somewhere where I may or may not be wanted. I have stated that it was erroneous and that I am humbled. I was just publicly stating that it was a perception of other people that I found to be untrue. As I have said, there was no intent to hurt you or the French, but to say that it was a stereotype that is undeserved, IMHO. I am sorry that your perceived it otherwise.

I've encountered both very sincere, nice French people as well as rude ones. It's the same anywhere pretty much, but I am glad to know you had a favorable trip.

I have to say that I was so impressed by the warm, friendly manner of everyone that I interacted with in Paris 3 years ago. Everyone I met was helpful and welcoming. I was MUCH more comfortable than with the Italian waiters! France has gotten a bad "rap" for some reason, but my experience was nothing but positive. Vive le France!

Decades of propaganda are not undone overnight. I'm sure that older generations also have hard-to-shake opinions about, say, the Russians.

StCirq, the first time I came back from Paris a few fellow New Yorkers (!) asked me if I found the Parisians rude. I had to say, no. The worst I encountered in Paris was indifference, while in NYC I deal with open hostility on a regular basis! (I also deal with some of the most helpful, enthusiastic people you could ever hope to meet.)

I also had someone say on my return from Amsterdam, didn't I find it dirty and full of drugs? This was in the early 80s - I said, WE LIVE IN NEW YORK! I couldn't get two blocks from my apartment back in those days without going by a sidewalk shopping mall for pharmaceuticals ...

The truth is that people who are unused to living in a major city often find the reception to visitors less than warm. With major hassles of daily life, the need to get on with life and not respond to EVERY person you pass in a day, the constant flood of tourists ... well, among the 9 million living here and those 9 in/around Paris, you're likely to run into a few who are having a bad day, or just are not on the welcome committee. But many more are pretty great.

the many cultural differences of formality/informality etc are well-documented hereabouts. But I think it's a great thing that smacknmo wrote with this confession - she says she was humbled!

St. Cirq" Either way, I find it insulting. It's such a back-handed compliment - it was so nice to find out you weren't the ass we thought you were...know what I mean?" Oh get over yourself.

Where does this idea come from that French people are all "rude" or "hate Americans"?

As an Australian I'm really genuinely puzzled by various comments (seemingly only from Americans) on this forum about this.

Have I missed something? Has there been a spate of articles in newspapers?

Or is it just a bunch of people who don't get that the French are generally just more formal than most Australians, Americans and New Zealanders?

I've been yelled at by a very crabby French railway worker for not having correct change when buying a metro ticket, and the staff at CDG are pretty officious and often seem fed up. But nothing I can recall could in any way be described as specifically "French" rudeness.

But the cases of genuine kindness I've experienced travelling have far and away exceeded the odd, to- be- expected "just sick of so many tourists" behaviour.

These (amongst other genuine and pleasant service interactions)included a cab driver turning off the meter while trying to locate our hotel, to a pharmacy staff member giving me her personal phone number to call if needed, as she was concerned when I could not reach an English speaking doctor for my very ill husband, late on a winter evening.

>Oh get over yourself.

Travelme, when you read something from a tourist that the Americans are not aggressive and trigger-happy, that you guys are not bombing random countries every day before breakfast, and that your towns are not full of violent gangs pouncing on every unsuspecting tourist to rob and murder him/her... what would you feel?

<I've had many people tell me that the French are rude and when I ask them where they have been in France and in what way were the people rude I'm told that they have never been to France but have heard the French are rude.>

my French in-laws however often say the same thing - about the French being rude - to each other. figure that out. When they come to the U.S. they are amazed how polite folks in stores are - on the street, etc.

I think there is something to the French being naturally rude - at least that's what they, including my French son, tell me. He picks it up he tells me everytime he goes back to France.

"my French in-laws however often say the same thing - about the French being rude - to each other."

Yes, I've noticed this among my French in-laws and friends too, though often the Parisians are singled out (NB my husband, half of his family and many of our friends are Parisian themselves).

The European stereotype for the French is:

- beautiful slim women
- nice clothes
- rude
- excellent wine
- don't want to learn another language
- great sex scenes in films
- all have mistresses (see Chirac)

Have I forgotten something?

By the way, all Europeans are sterotyped good and bad.

Schuler wrote: "The European stereotype for the French is: ... all have mistresses"

Merde, non! Just the men.