Vendors in Venice, Valpolicella in Verona, and a Clandenstine MaiTai sighting. What else could you want in a trip report?
May 25th, 2004 | 06:11 AM
#21
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Joined: Nov 2003
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Sue,
I'm anxious to read your report! We got to Verona just after the rain stopped. We had a couple of evening showers, but perfect weather otherwise (partly sunny, highs in the mid 60s). A big part of why we liked Verona was our comfortable routine we'd established there, with the people watching from Piazza Bra.
I have not been to Lake Como yet, but it's on my list. I can't believe it's supposed to be prettier than Lake Garda...how can that be?
The bad meals in Venice. One was an okay pizza, but it was tainted by the bad behavior we witnessed. The other meal was at an outdoor trattoria (I didn't write down the name) just behind the Campo Pescaria in San Polo. The food was not just bad, it was awful. We could barely eat it, and it turned out to be one of the most expensive meals of the trip. For example, the caprese was made from greenish, flavorless tomatoes, hard, American-style mozzarella cheese, and dried basil. The sea bass seemed old and was really fishy. My ravioli con brodo was (I'll bet) store bought ravioli with canned chicken broth. We didn't say anything, as the staff seemed pretty grumpy already. We noticed a trend there--whenever the staff was happy, the food was good. Unhappy staff = bad food.
I'm anxious to read your report! We got to Verona just after the rain stopped. We had a couple of evening showers, but perfect weather otherwise (partly sunny, highs in the mid 60s). A big part of why we liked Verona was our comfortable routine we'd established there, with the people watching from Piazza Bra.
I have not been to Lake Como yet, but it's on my list. I can't believe it's supposed to be prettier than Lake Garda...how can that be?
The bad meals in Venice. One was an okay pizza, but it was tainted by the bad behavior we witnessed. The other meal was at an outdoor trattoria (I didn't write down the name) just behind the Campo Pescaria in San Polo. The food was not just bad, it was awful. We could barely eat it, and it turned out to be one of the most expensive meals of the trip. For example, the caprese was made from greenish, flavorless tomatoes, hard, American-style mozzarella cheese, and dried basil. The sea bass seemed old and was really fishy. My ravioli con brodo was (I'll bet) store bought ravioli with canned chicken broth. We didn't say anything, as the staff seemed pretty grumpy already. We noticed a trend there--whenever the staff was happy, the food was good. Unhappy staff = bad food.
May 25th, 2004 | 06:28 AM
#22
Joined: Jan 2003
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Jocelyn, I'm sorry to hear that you did not fall in love with Venice, but it's understandable since not every destination is for everyone. I'm glad I could be of help with your time there, though.
Who knows...I might come back from our next trip to Venice with similar observations as we are hoping to visit some of the "off the beaten path" destinations that you did. So, I'm enjoying your report and tips.
Who knows...I might come back from our next trip to Venice with similar observations as we are hoping to visit some of the "off the beaten path" destinations that you did. So, I'm enjoying your report and tips.
May 25th, 2004 | 10:29 AM
#23
Joined: Feb 2003
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I also came back this month from Italy, (Bologna, Verona, Lake Garda and Lake Como ) Even though it rained in Verona, I loved it. As for comparing the 2 lakes, we drove all around Garda, stopping at a few of the charming towns. It truly is beautiful. Lake Como had the snow-capped mountains in the distance, and going back and forth by ferry to the various little towns was lots of fun. I stayed in Bellagio which I liked very much. On Lake Garda I stayed in Sirmione.
May 25th, 2004 | 10:51 AM
#25
Joined: Jan 2003
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This Venice trip will be for a week, and wasn't really planned, but we ran across a great deal that we couldn't pass up. So, we'll have more time for daytrips, as we didn't before.
We haven't really decided where yet. We know Verona is on the list and we may only choose one other, but haven't yet decided. That's why your report is helpful!
We haven't really decided where yet. We know Verona is on the list and we may only choose one other, but haven't yet decided. That's why your report is helpful!
May 25th, 2004 | 11:51 AM
#26
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There's another aspect to our Venice trip that I meant to include. Several months ago we bought tickets to see Verdi's Requiem at the Palafenice, my absolute favorite piece of music. This has been a dream of mine to see it live, and IN ITALY, since I participated in it in college (part of the choir). We bought the tickets through culturalitaly.com. I printed out the confirmation information and made the necessary arrangements to get to Tronchetto half an hour before the performance began. The problem was that cultural italy gave us the wrong time!!! Plain as day on the email it said 9:00, but when we got there at 8:30 it was already half way through and they couldn't seat us. Not only was I steaming mad, but heartbroken (nothing a little shopping couldn't cure, though 
). I've been putting it off, but I'm going to email cultural italy and tell them about the mistake they made and insist on a refund. If they refuse, I'll be letting everybody know about it. 
So, the point of this rambling: always confirm times, especially if you're using a third party for special events.
). I've been putting it off, but I'm going to email cultural italy and tell them about the mistake they made and insist on a refund. If they refuse, I'll be letting everybody know about it. So, the point of this rambling: always confirm times, especially if you're using a third party for special events.
May 25th, 2004 | 12:54 PM
#27
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 10,266
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Sad story about your tickets. . . I wonder if they made a mistake in converting the 24-hour time to 12-hour. Perhaps your performance began at 19:00 (or 7:00PM), and they wrote 9:00 instead. Still, sorry you missed it and hope you get satisfaction from cultural italy.
May 25th, 2004 | 07:04 PM
#29
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 10,624
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Oh, Jocelyn, how frustrating! And unforgiveable incompetence on the part of the agent. I suspect ellenem has it right - some wunderkind at the agency transcribed '19:00' as 9:00. Arrgh, I do feel for you! You are right though, one is best off reconfirming times, especially in Italy when things have a way of changing unpredictably.
May 25th, 2004 | 07:33 PM
#30
Joined: Jan 2003
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Jocelyn - Lovely report. Sorry Venice did not enchant you. For me it was love at first sight and it has not diminished. How unfortunate about your tickets. I had a similar experience many years ago and then realized that concerts never start as late as 9 pm. Live and learn. What did you buy in Italy, if you don't mind my asking?
May 26th, 2004 | 04:18 AM
#31
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Claire! I wholeheartedly intended to thank you for recommending Verona House, as you are how we first heard about it. Belated thanks to you.
Thanks to everyone else for the sympathy. The concert started at 8:00 according to the ushers there, but STILL on the cultural italy website, even after the fact, they have it listed as 9:00.
No problem, Treesa. We bought a large wall tapestry for our house. It's a replica of a famous painting, although the name escapes me now. It's a scene of the merchants out on the canal in front of St. Mark's in the 18th Century. Pretty cool. Admittedly, we also bought some cheap glass trinkets as souveniers for our family back home. We also ended up with a watercolor painting from a street artist. We've done that on every trip so far, and it createss a nice log of our travels on our dining room wall. We were hoping to find a tapestry and/or watercolor earlier in the trip, but no luck.
Thanks to everyone else for the sympathy. The concert started at 8:00 according to the ushers there, but STILL on the cultural italy website, even after the fact, they have it listed as 9:00.
No problem, Treesa. We bought a large wall tapestry for our house. It's a replica of a famous painting, although the name escapes me now. It's a scene of the merchants out on the canal in front of St. Mark's in the 18th Century. Pretty cool. Admittedly, we also bought some cheap glass trinkets as souveniers for our family back home. We also ended up with a watercolor painting from a street artist. We've done that on every trip so far, and it createss a nice log of our travels on our dining room wall. We were hoping to find a tapestry and/or watercolor earlier in the trip, but no luck.
May 26th, 2004 | 05:56 AM
#32
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Joined: Nov 2003
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MISCELLANEOUS:
I probably should have put these at the first, but I was too anxious to get to the good stuff.
Air Travel:
We flew American and British Air. Once we got our boarding passes everything went really smoothly. We even got bulkhead seats for the Dallas-London leg. We're not preferred passengers or anything, we just asked politely. Neither of the transatlantic flights were even close to full.
The problem we had was getting our itinerary set. We had a great itinerary, but then BA changed our flight times so that we had too short a layover in London on our way back. The most logical thing to do was to fly out of a different city (Venice instead of Verona). A couple of months before the trip I spent hours on the phone, caught up in a game of "Pass the Buck." The travel agent (we used our FF miles so had to use the credit card's travel agent) said to call American, American said to call BA, BA said to call the travel agent. I eventually got a helpful operator at AA who said she'd made the arrangements, but to call back in a couple days to confirm, then the whole thing started over again. We waited until we showed up at the airport in Dallas, and the BA ticket agent wanted to send us on another wild goose chase! Instead we talked to a supervisor and got it all straightened out--no problems after that.
Safety: there was never a moment where we felt unsafe. We spent quite a bit of time wandering the back streets of Verona late at night and never felt threatened. Anti-Americanism? Not even a hint. If anything, the locals were glad to see us and asked lots of questions.
Packing: for the first time in our lives, we packed light, thanks to the many threads on Fodors about the subject. We each took a 22" roller, our camera, and a small backpack. On the way back we used two extra duffels for overflow. I am amazed at how much you can fit into one of those little suitcases when you roll your clothes! We had more than enough and were so glad we'd packed light, especially lugging our stuff around Venice.
I guess that's it. I think we're going to post our pictures on ofoto. I'll give you the link when we do.
I do have a question for you Italy experts: where do we go next? We have taken two trips to Italy, seeing the above plus Rome (5 days), Florence (2 days), Siena (1 day), Cinque Terre (1 day). We're discovering that we tend to shy away from the bigger cities in favor of the back roads. Is Umbria next? Sicily? Lake Como and the Turin area? More of the Veneto, Dolomites, and Friuli? As much as I'd like to see it, I'm wondering if the AC will be too touristy for our taste. Thanks for any input and happy travels!
I probably should have put these at the first, but I was too anxious to get to the good stuff.
Air Travel:
We flew American and British Air. Once we got our boarding passes everything went really smoothly. We even got bulkhead seats for the Dallas-London leg. We're not preferred passengers or anything, we just asked politely. Neither of the transatlantic flights were even close to full.
The problem we had was getting our itinerary set. We had a great itinerary, but then BA changed our flight times so that we had too short a layover in London on our way back. The most logical thing to do was to fly out of a different city (Venice instead of Verona). A couple of months before the trip I spent hours on the phone, caught up in a game of "Pass the Buck." The travel agent (we used our FF miles so had to use the credit card's travel agent) said to call American, American said to call BA, BA said to call the travel agent. I eventually got a helpful operator at AA who said she'd made the arrangements, but to call back in a couple days to confirm, then the whole thing started over again. We waited until we showed up at the airport in Dallas, and the BA ticket agent wanted to send us on another wild goose chase! Instead we talked to a supervisor and got it all straightened out--no problems after that.
Safety: there was never a moment where we felt unsafe. We spent quite a bit of time wandering the back streets of Verona late at night and never felt threatened. Anti-Americanism? Not even a hint. If anything, the locals were glad to see us and asked lots of questions.
Packing: for the first time in our lives, we packed light, thanks to the many threads on Fodors about the subject. We each took a 22" roller, our camera, and a small backpack. On the way back we used two extra duffels for overflow. I am amazed at how much you can fit into one of those little suitcases when you roll your clothes! We had more than enough and were so glad we'd packed light, especially lugging our stuff around Venice.
I guess that's it. I think we're going to post our pictures on ofoto. I'll give you the link when we do.
I do have a question for you Italy experts: where do we go next? We have taken two trips to Italy, seeing the above plus Rome (5 days), Florence (2 days), Siena (1 day), Cinque Terre (1 day). We're discovering that we tend to shy away from the bigger cities in favor of the back roads. Is Umbria next? Sicily? Lake Como and the Turin area? More of the Veneto, Dolomites, and Friuli? As much as I'd like to see it, I'm wondering if the AC will be too touristy for our taste. Thanks for any input and happy travels!
May 26th, 2004 | 06:28 AM
#33
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 19,879
Likes: 79
Thanks for the great report, Jocelyn.
Where next? Hell, anywhere. If it was me, I'd head to the Dolomites (including the wine areas west of Bolzano) then out to the Veneto for a tour of the Paladian villas. Our beloved Fodorite Elvira (are you listening Marna?) did a tour of the Veneto and posted one of her as-usual grand reports here some years ago - I'll see if I can find it.
Keep up the good work.
Where next? Hell, anywhere. If it was me, I'd head to the Dolomites (including the wine areas west of Bolzano) then out to the Veneto for a tour of the Paladian villas. Our beloved Fodorite Elvira (are you listening Marna?) did a tour of the Veneto and posted one of her as-usual grand reports here some years ago - I'll see if I can find it.
Keep up the good work.
May 26th, 2004 | 09:11 AM
#35
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Joined: Nov 2003
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Thanks, Gardyloo.
Karen, here's the thread that taught me about rolling clothes:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34467252
I found that the clothes were a little wrinkled when I first took them out, but just hung them up while in the shower and I never had to iron anything. That thread has a lot of other great packing tips. Including what I wore on the plane, I had 2 pairs of shoes, 4-5 days worth of underthings, 6 shirts, 3 pairs of pants, a light sweater, a blazer, and a weatherproof jacket. I could have done with less, but we had a washing machine in our room. Since you'll be going when it's warmer, your clothes will be even less bulky, although you may want to wash more often.
So what's the final itinerary? You've done so much careful planning, I'll bet you're ready to go NOW!
Karen, here's the thread that taught me about rolling clothes:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34467252
I found that the clothes were a little wrinkled when I first took them out, but just hung them up while in the shower and I never had to iron anything. That thread has a lot of other great packing tips. Including what I wore on the plane, I had 2 pairs of shoes, 4-5 days worth of underthings, 6 shirts, 3 pairs of pants, a light sweater, a blazer, and a weatherproof jacket. I could have done with less, but we had a washing machine in our room. Since you'll be going when it's warmer, your clothes will be even less bulky, although you may want to wash more often.
So what's the final itinerary? You've done so much careful planning, I'll bet you're ready to go NOW!
May 27th, 2004 | 08:17 PM
#39
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 2,893
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Dear Jocelyn,
Here are my thoughts on your impressions of Venice:
<i>"Let me start by saying that I really, really wanted to fall in love with Venice."</i>
Sometimes, overly excited anticipation can thwart and distort first impressions. Venice is Venice, and since there's nothing like her anywhere else in the world, she can pack quite a wallop. For first-time visitors, especially those coming from any smaller city or lake town in Italy, you're bound to experience some shock. Venice didn't become one of the most powerful cities in all the world because it was a tiny, insignificant hamlet. Imagine what first-time visitors felt in the 16th Century. We're talking awe, darling, utter awe.
<i>"It seemed to us that everything and everyone was trying to appeal to the ignorant traveler"</i>
Does this mean you consider yourself an all-knowing traveler? Two days does not provide enough time and/or freedom to discover the heart and soul of Venice, let alone its many treasures. One must dig deep beneath its thick crust of all-important tourist commerce and segue off the heavily-ridden, tourist-beaten path to get a true feel for Venice. Judging Venice by what you can absorb in 48 hours is simple folly.
Many people believe that Venice is small and can be experienced in two days. Yes, you can walk Venice's main drags in that time but, will you have time to really explore the neighborhoods, visit and chat with numerous shopkeepers, shop at a several local grocery stores, visit and explore the top five most fascinating, historical places, eat in some of the great restaurants that don't offer tourist menus, and get to know some of the locals...impossible.
<i>"all the restaurants had the "tourist menu"</i>
This is the clearest indication to me that you didn't see <i>my</i> Venice. However, in a city that survives solely on the profits of tourism, what can you expect to see on any two-day schedule?
With only 53,000 residents in Venice, who is supposed to keep all 1,500+ restaurants in business? Did you not know that most acclaimed food critics rarely list more than 20 restaurants as "top" in Venice. That leaves more than 1,480 for the tourists who don't care or don't know any better.
Judging by your two "hit" restaurant choices (and what seems like a serious lack of quality restaurant research), I would say, if your goal was to experience some Venetian authenticity at modest expense, you made mediocre restaurant choices.
<i>"We were appalled and embarrassed by the behavior of some of our fellow Americans... No wonder we're called 'ugly Americans.'"</i>
In all my 20+ years of visiting Italy and Venice, I've never heard one Italian refer to my fellow countryman, or me, or any of my friends, as an "ugly American." I'm not really sure what to say about any fodorite who would use this capricious, hyper-sensationalized term in any trip report.
I don't doubt you witnessed something appalling, Jocelyn, but, if it was <i>that</i> appalling to you, why didn't you walk over to the offending person and put that donkey arse in his place? One doesn't have to make a scene with a fellow American abroad to get your disapproving point across.
I sincerely doubt that any person on this travel board behaves as your offending American did, therefore, I'm not convinced that mentioning such an event serves any great, altruistic purpose here. What can fodorites or any of us do about poorly behaved people in this world? I think you would have done more good by dealing with the source of your displeasure at the horse's foul-mouth than by venting your dismay here.
I've witnessed sad, embarrassing behavior from many different nationalities in Italy. Frankly, my experience suggests that most Italians love their American visitors and they know not all Americans fall from the same tree.
<i>"I also noticed that Venice seemed much dirtier than the other cities in the Veneto"</i>
Do other cities in the Veneto cater to over 10 million visitors a year?
Maybe I've lived in NYC too long but I just don't get these dirt complaints. Big, exciting cities with millions of tourists traipsing through get dirty. Mother Nature is dirty. Hot sex, especially with the comfort of love, is dirty. Kids playing in the back yard are dirty. Why are people surprised to find any popular, old city in Europe dirty? Venice isn't downtown Dallas or Forest Hills Estates in Tulsa, for goodness sakes.
My mother kept an overly meticulous house in Ohio and my housekeeper has been in my employ for almost 20 years. One would think that I'd be stricken with a dirt phobia, too. Even though you can eat off my floors in both my home and my studio, I don't expect big, popular cities to look like the grounds of Disneyworld and nor would I want them to. Disneyworld isn't reality and, frankly, I think Venice is remarkably clean when you consider how many visitors come and go each day. The fact that you're near the Sea and there isn't a car and a bus to be found anywhere makes Venice one of the cleanest big cities in Europe. (You definitely needed more time there. Or, maybe not.)
<i>"In general, the canals were unique, but seeing the rats climb in and out of the water was a big turn-off."</i>
I can't believe I've never seen a rat in Venice. Jocelyn goes to Venice her first time, for a whole two days, and sees rats climb out of the water. Maybe my problem is when I'm in Venice I don't look down. Again, I'm just not sure why someone would mention a rat-sighting in their trip report. Read about dirt above.
<i>"We found nothing appealing about San Marco, other than the dueling orchestras at night."</i>
It only happens to be one of the grandest piazzas in all of Italy and home to St. Mark's Cathedral. Jocelyn, dear, please stay in Tulsa and spend your vacation time in pretty, clean San Diego. Your take on Venice is killing me.
<i>"Okay, I'm ready for the barbs.</i>
Well, you asked for it. Now read it again.
Here are my thoughts on your impressions of Venice:
<i>"Let me start by saying that I really, really wanted to fall in love with Venice."</i>
Sometimes, overly excited anticipation can thwart and distort first impressions. Venice is Venice, and since there's nothing like her anywhere else in the world, she can pack quite a wallop. For first-time visitors, especially those coming from any smaller city or lake town in Italy, you're bound to experience some shock. Venice didn't become one of the most powerful cities in all the world because it was a tiny, insignificant hamlet. Imagine what first-time visitors felt in the 16th Century. We're talking awe, darling, utter awe.
<i>"It seemed to us that everything and everyone was trying to appeal to the ignorant traveler"</i>
Does this mean you consider yourself an all-knowing traveler? Two days does not provide enough time and/or freedom to discover the heart and soul of Venice, let alone its many treasures. One must dig deep beneath its thick crust of all-important tourist commerce and segue off the heavily-ridden, tourist-beaten path to get a true feel for Venice. Judging Venice by what you can absorb in 48 hours is simple folly.
Many people believe that Venice is small and can be experienced in two days. Yes, you can walk Venice's main drags in that time but, will you have time to really explore the neighborhoods, visit and chat with numerous shopkeepers, shop at a several local grocery stores, visit and explore the top five most fascinating, historical places, eat in some of the great restaurants that don't offer tourist menus, and get to know some of the locals...impossible.
<i>"all the restaurants had the "tourist menu"</i>
This is the clearest indication to me that you didn't see <i>my</i> Venice. However, in a city that survives solely on the profits of tourism, what can you expect to see on any two-day schedule?
With only 53,000 residents in Venice, who is supposed to keep all 1,500+ restaurants in business? Did you not know that most acclaimed food critics rarely list more than 20 restaurants as "top" in Venice. That leaves more than 1,480 for the tourists who don't care or don't know any better.
Judging by your two "hit" restaurant choices (and what seems like a serious lack of quality restaurant research), I would say, if your goal was to experience some Venetian authenticity at modest expense, you made mediocre restaurant choices.
<i>"We were appalled and embarrassed by the behavior of some of our fellow Americans... No wonder we're called 'ugly Americans.'"</i>
In all my 20+ years of visiting Italy and Venice, I've never heard one Italian refer to my fellow countryman, or me, or any of my friends, as an "ugly American." I'm not really sure what to say about any fodorite who would use this capricious, hyper-sensationalized term in any trip report.
I don't doubt you witnessed something appalling, Jocelyn, but, if it was <i>that</i> appalling to you, why didn't you walk over to the offending person and put that donkey arse in his place? One doesn't have to make a scene with a fellow American abroad to get your disapproving point across.
I sincerely doubt that any person on this travel board behaves as your offending American did, therefore, I'm not convinced that mentioning such an event serves any great, altruistic purpose here. What can fodorites or any of us do about poorly behaved people in this world? I think you would have done more good by dealing with the source of your displeasure at the horse's foul-mouth than by venting your dismay here.
I've witnessed sad, embarrassing behavior from many different nationalities in Italy. Frankly, my experience suggests that most Italians love their American visitors and they know not all Americans fall from the same tree.
<i>"I also noticed that Venice seemed much dirtier than the other cities in the Veneto"</i>
Do other cities in the Veneto cater to over 10 million visitors a year?
Maybe I've lived in NYC too long but I just don't get these dirt complaints. Big, exciting cities with millions of tourists traipsing through get dirty. Mother Nature is dirty. Hot sex, especially with the comfort of love, is dirty. Kids playing in the back yard are dirty. Why are people surprised to find any popular, old city in Europe dirty? Venice isn't downtown Dallas or Forest Hills Estates in Tulsa, for goodness sakes.
My mother kept an overly meticulous house in Ohio and my housekeeper has been in my employ for almost 20 years. One would think that I'd be stricken with a dirt phobia, too. Even though you can eat off my floors in both my home and my studio, I don't expect big, popular cities to look like the grounds of Disneyworld and nor would I want them to. Disneyworld isn't reality and, frankly, I think Venice is remarkably clean when you consider how many visitors come and go each day. The fact that you're near the Sea and there isn't a car and a bus to be found anywhere makes Venice one of the cleanest big cities in Europe. (You definitely needed more time there. Or, maybe not.)
<i>"In general, the canals were unique, but seeing the rats climb in and out of the water was a big turn-off."</i>
I can't believe I've never seen a rat in Venice. Jocelyn goes to Venice her first time, for a whole two days, and sees rats climb out of the water. Maybe my problem is when I'm in Venice I don't look down. Again, I'm just not sure why someone would mention a rat-sighting in their trip report. Read about dirt above.
<i>"We found nothing appealing about San Marco, other than the dueling orchestras at night."</i>
It only happens to be one of the grandest piazzas in all of Italy and home to St. Mark's Cathedral. Jocelyn, dear, please stay in Tulsa and spend your vacation time in pretty, clean San Diego. Your take on Venice is killing me.
<i>"Okay, I'm ready for the barbs.</i>
Well, you asked for it. Now read it again.
May 28th, 2004 | 04:21 AM
#40
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,098
Likes: 0
On tourist behavior:
So says the Mirror...
BRITS are the rudest, worst behaved and least adventurous holidaymakers in the world - and Germans the best.
Tourist offices placed us bottom of 24 countries, a survey said yesterday.
In contrast those sunbed bandits from Germany ranked highest for behaviour and their attempts to speak the local language. Dermot Halpin, boss of online travel service Expedia which conducted the survey, said: "Much as it pains me to say it, the Germans deserve the best sunbeds.
"British holidaymakers are some of the most widely travelled in the world. But that doesn't mean we're good at it." Expedia questioned tourist offices in 17 popular destinations worldwide. Britons were worst for rudeness, followed by Russians and Canadians.
They were also worst for their behaviour, learning the language and enthusiasm to try local delicacies.
Next on the bottom of the list were the Israelis, Irish and Indians. At the top, the Germans were followed by Americans, Japanese, Italians and French.
Americans were the most polite and most generous tippers and Italians the most adventurous eaters.
The Foreign Office said: "A lot of our tourists are no worse than other nationals. Look how well behaved they were at the World Cup in Japan."
So says the Mirror...
BRITS are the rudest, worst behaved and least adventurous holidaymakers in the world - and Germans the best.
Tourist offices placed us bottom of 24 countries, a survey said yesterday.
In contrast those sunbed bandits from Germany ranked highest for behaviour and their attempts to speak the local language. Dermot Halpin, boss of online travel service Expedia which conducted the survey, said: "Much as it pains me to say it, the Germans deserve the best sunbeds.
"British holidaymakers are some of the most widely travelled in the world. But that doesn't mean we're good at it." Expedia questioned tourist offices in 17 popular destinations worldwide. Britons were worst for rudeness, followed by Russians and Canadians.
They were also worst for their behaviour, learning the language and enthusiasm to try local delicacies.
Next on the bottom of the list were the Israelis, Irish and Indians. At the top, the Germans were followed by Americans, Japanese, Italians and French.
Americans were the most polite and most generous tippers and Italians the most adventurous eaters.
The Foreign Office said: "A lot of our tourists are no worse than other nationals. Look how well behaved they were at the World Cup in Japan."
