Are the people of France friendly towards American tourists?

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Bene7808

As many people here I'd advice you to be natural and just polite. You shouldn't get any problem :) Just be the way you would like them to be with you and you'll be just fine :)
There are a lot of people talking English in big cities.
Just beware of Parisians though, they're rude, even to fellow French people coming from "la province". That's just their nature. They're very stressed and I guess that might be why they're rude.
Just try and give some "bonjour", "s'il vous plaÃ®t" and "merci" and I'm positive you'll have a great time :)

ekka

Frenchies are nice toward friendly people in general. Just like in Americans in the States.

ewwwenglish4francecom

yes of course, french eat american and dress american, especially in Paris

losilue

Hi from France !
all the advice were very good
it's true that misunderstanding can lead to think that we are rude. Sometimes we have a more straightforward way of saying things that can appear as rude
and there are a lot of culture differences
I know very well because my husband is American and he had some rough times at the beginning of our relationship !
Some Americans can be very rude believe me
We welcomed some relatives, lodged them took them everywhere and even paid for the restaurants and everything and they kept complaining about the prices ! One guy kept saying he could have better deals with the internet... But of course, i am not generalizing
excuse my English and welcome to France !

T?chtli Moz?mani

I always try to help tourists of best than I can... yet, my English is far from being perfect. as it has been said previously, welcome is more cordial when tourists try to adjust to the country that they visit... a simple " bonjour" (hello) , "s'il vous plais" (please) or "merci" (thank you) is adequate ... and very appreciated

I know that some people (politicians ...) try to oppose American to French people ... but you're welcome ...

edit :

there's no riots in France ... even though some american TV say the opposite ...

Anti-Aging Girl

In my experience, the French were very kind and polite, especially when attempting to speak the language.

What was shocking to me was that fellow Americans were the ones who were totally rude to me. (the don't talk to me because you're ruining my European experience attitude). I think you get what you give.

roxy

well im sorry to say this but most people are just sick and tired of americans if you're the rude, loud, ignorant type of yank.

but in general, french people can appear rude but it can be unintentional. for example, when you go into a shop, they customary phrase used by the shopkeeper is Qu'est-que vous desirez?" which translated LITERALLY into English is "what do you want?" which can sound rude to anglophone ears, and if a frenchie has learned english but attempts too much literal tanslations (as we often do when learning a language) then they can appear rude. also, it only takes a little effort to learn some basic francais, and a little french can go a long way, even if a lot of les francais can speak fluent or good english. if you come to their country, respect their laws, culture and language and you will be fine.

catherine i

Hi from France !

You're welcome to France !! We love american people, I know your country and I know that American people is welcoming with french people too, thanks !!
Be yourself and all will be ok ....

Have a nice day,

Cat.

Garacaius

I have spoken to friends who traveled to France and they said the French were not even nice to each other. But I imagine it is like any other place, there are friendly people and there are rude people. Take money and a big smile.

Henri S

I would say that you get what you bring :
be friendly and you will get friendly feed back
be arrogant ... you know.
Isn't this the same everywhere ?
I heard comments in the US about NYC is ... California is ... Red necks are ...
We know how to make a difference between American tourist and GWB visiting lol... but from recent poles I read this is also now true for 3/4 of the US...
Rumsfeld should better not retire French Riviera ... after his comments about old Europe, he may not find a warm hospitality.

Murphy

Frenchies are always friendly towards FRIENDLY American tourists.

DaDevil22

In my experience yes. i visited France for the first time 3 years ago when i was 22. As long as you make an effort to be respectful and well-mannered I think you should have no problem.
I was a lil worried about that too b/c i had heard about bad attitudes towards americans in France. I found nothing like that while I was there...
I think if you try to at least speak a lil french you will get a warmer greeting from people and really most people (especially young people) there know english...if you make an effort they will help you with directions, etc. Just be considerate and try to learn basic things in french...they will appreciate it and be more likely to go out of their way to help you enjoy your touring experience.

In my experience, yes. But of course this could depend on where in France you are traveling, and how friendly you are towards the residents.

You can only expect to be treated as nicely as you treat other people! So remember that you are a guest in their country, and you should be OK.

I found that if I attempted to speak my VERY broken French, people were much more willing to use their (often fluent) English. A good place to start is to know that in France, when you enter a shop, it is customary to greet the shop owner with a greeting. A 'Bonjour Madame!' will go a long way, just make sure you say hello, and address the person by a Mrs, Miss or Mr, depending on which is appropriate!

Happy Travels!

robert m

Hmmmmmmmmm. I can't say. I'll get a violation notice.

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