Which cities are cold and unwelcoming?

We had a great time in Salzburg. The clerks at the hotel were welcoming and all the staff was helpful. My husband and I strolled down the river to the castle and when we arrived there was a festival going on. We strolled around and had lot of fun at the various booths and then went into a huge tent where we had dinner and were treated to some wonderful traditional singing and dancing.

So you can see that people's experiences vary widely. You had a not-nice time in Salzburg and we had a great time!

Do you work for the Salzburg tourism board? What I'm trying to gauge is if there are certain regions of Europe where multiple people have had similar experiences.

Not accept, but that implies they are cold and unwelcoming; better interpret.

The Ukrainians for instance (G-d I hate generalizations and I am about to do a doozey of one), they look at you like you are some sort of space alien and keep their distance .............. until something snap as the result of a word or a gesture or .... never really did figure it out .............. but then they are there to die for you. So are they cold? No, they are the kindest most welcoming people on earth ............ eventually.

I haven’t found anywhere in Europe unwelcoming, but we commented in Budapest that no one smiled, but we did visit in the middle of winter. Also here, we didn’t see a single bald local person during the week!

The most unwelcome by a long way that we have ever felt was in New York during 9/11. Extenuating circumstances but even so, rude and unhelpful.

I have to say we’ve been to Salzburg five times and Fussen twice and absolutely loved our visits. We had the opposite experience of RafaFan. In fact, we found the people of Germany and Austria in general to be the nicest people. As a matter of fact, we’ve became friends with the owners, hosts, of two pensions we stayed at in Germany and Austria and it’s partly because of their friendliness we go back again and again. We all keep in touch to this day even though it’s been a few years since our last trip. No, we don’t work for any tourist board.

I certainly wouldn't put either Füssen or Salzburg or Munich in the category of cold and unwelcoming. I've great times in each. And returned multiple times. We get a lovely welcome at our hotel just east of Munich, and they always give us the same room, without asking.

Maybe the three least welcoming would be New York City (used to live nearby), Chicago and Namur (Charleroi a close second). In my opinion.

Not really unwelcoming, but in August 2022 everyone in Stockholm looked incredibly sad (tourists excepted).

I find it interesting that the OP didn't put Berlin as cold and unfriendly, given that Berliners are thought of as rude by other Germans.

Bermans and Austrians in general don't do the fake American friendliness. They can be the nicest people but usually after they get to know you. It's just a character trait-the Scandinavians are the same way but it would never put me off traveling there.

Nothing but praise for all my visits throughout Germany and Salzburg. Perhaps the issue doesn't lie with the German and Austrian people.

My list of friendliest places thus far:

1) Liverpool. Great sense of fun and humor. The hotel desk guy started singing "Country Roads" when he realized we were from West Virginia.
2) Ireland. Again, love the sense of humor and gregarious nature.

The other countries were hit-and-miss. I won't list them and anger anyone. The above two countries we had nearly 100 percent positive interactions and it really enhanced to the trip.

July will be our first visit to Scotland, which is at or near the top of many lists for congeniality.

I agree with those posting a return message. I have found the Salzburg natives to be some of the friendliest people of anywhere I've traveled. It's like they were all travel guides--so helpful

We also like Munich, and feel comfortable after many trips there.

We were in Berlin a year ago and found it to be a very impersonal city. Paris is another impersonal city, but the rural towns of France are not as cold to travelers.

"Which cities are cold and unwelcoming?"
Any city where I have relatives.

No doubt, there is a sternness about the German people, but I've never seen it as off-putting. H, I'm more suspicious of those always in a merry way.
.
I agree that NY, NY can just be plain downcast.

Many cultures/people are more reserved than the average American. They may think you're "special" if you go around smiling all the time at people you don't know. That's an American thing to some extent. My wife and I have been to Paris a few times, which is famous for being full of people who are rude to Americans, and we had a great time. We didn't encounter any rudeness at all. I haven't been to these German and Austrian cities but I wouldn't put much stock in the whole idea that people need to go around laughing and smiling.

Generalization alert.
It is an American thing to assume that American standards and expectations of behavior are the universal standards everywhere else. Maybe I can expect people who are in the business of serving tourists (I.e., taking their money) to be more open. But everyone else has no reason to welcome me, at first encounter. And many seek to avoid unnecessary encounters with excessively friendly people. Formality is a sign of respect between strangers. Projecting unhappiness is a way of avoiding intrusion. As Don Draper said on Mad Men, "the world is, at best, indifferent to your presence."

On an airplane, I want to be an island. Is that off-putting - I hope so!

July will be our first visit to Scotland, which is at or near the top
of many lists for congeniality.

That was my takeaway from Scotland last year. I've never experienced mass rudeness anywhere, but Scotland is so far ahead in 1st place for friendliness that they don't realize that there is a 2nd place.

As Don Draper said on Mad Men, "the world is, at best, indifferent to
your presence."

Yes. Except Scotland.

Those of you who looked at it from a cultural perspective, I think nailed it. That, and I am certain that in all places you will receive what you give. And do remember that as easy as it is for us to overly generalize, your behavior will form the basis for their over generalizations. So, if you hit a cold stare, push a little harder till you change it.

...........................Baltimore,

See, I adore the people in the Netherlands. Great sense of humor, sort of like European Aussies.

Have yet to run across a city or a country where the people were all the same, let alone rude or cold. That is a vibe one gives off like an aura, and it gets quickly returned.

I really, really, dislike this thread. It could lend itself to some not so nice generalizations that probably are not true. Of all the threads that get closed down by the webmaster for good reason, this could easily be one of them.

I think about this issue a lot. If we can hold several things still at once:

1) cultures vary and all people are generally decent

2) some cultures and people are on average nicer to strangers and/or each other.

3) You can't label any group as exceptionally open and friendly without then labelling other groups as less so. Colombians and Brazilians are particularly friendly; Peruvians more reserved.

4) Reserved can be mistaken for unfriendly. Or maybe it does mean immediately unfriendly or less friendly. It's a semantic distinction more than anything.

5) you can't really determine that a people are in general open and friendly based on only commercial relationships. Hotel staff, waiters, shop clerks, your Airbnb hosts etc might or might not be nice. You can get a sense but you need to factor in how people with no skin in the game act.

6) Friendly doesn't mean much. It's pleasant, but would people in a friendly culture be more likely to help you if you really needed help? Maybe not. Friendly might be a surface. Many "unfriendly" cultures have a strong sense of duty and are more likely to help you, not because they "like" you, but because it is the right thing to do.

Given all of this, in years of European travel I've found that Germans from the west German commercial/industrial rust belt strip along the Rhine and into Frankfurt tend to be the most gruff and not friendly. Not everyone, but more so than some other parts of Germany. Its the region where I've experienced the most (and still very rare) open anti-Americanism, seen the most white supremacists, been treated coldly by hotel staff, waiters, people I've asked for directions, etc. Bavaria and the southeast to some extent too.

Humor is less important to these people. I'm not sure why, but on average the sense of humor is not just different; humor is often seen as a frivolous and a marker of being a bit of a fool.

These areas mentioned have relatively high rates of participation in the Reichsbürger movement, or at least relatively high rates of sympatric points of view. So you add to a bit of an unsmiling cultural tendency and a certain grumpiness a mindset in some people that is hostile to foreigner and you get places that aren't in general as friendly as others.

I think there's an age thing too. The older set is less friendly than younger people.

For what it's worth, my family has nearly all German heritage, all from these parts of Germany. My German grandparents rarely smiled and were not "nice." They did not have much of a sense of humor. They were however excellent, reliable, productive people. And a bit of alcohol might even get them singing and playing music. For them, and for more rigid, structured people around the world, open expressions of warmth or goodwill had, like everything else, a time and place. They weren't for spraying about randomly like some dumb puppet with a perma-smile.

And closing caveats of course that I don't feel personally better that the people in these places, or that my country is better. But I will say that after a week or two on the ground in these places alone on a bike, when I cross the Dutch border the difference in affect is palpable, and it is nice to interact with people who are a little less rigid. If you want a friendly surface go to Hawaii. You'll never see a "Smile, It No Broke You Face" bumpersticker in Germany. But more often than not I'll take Germany. I travel there more than any other place, occasional dour shopkeepers notwithstanding.

See, I adore the people in the Netherlands. Great sense of humor, sort
of like European Aussies.

Ms. Jo I completely agree with this. To narrow it a bit, the Dutch absolutely love self-deprecating humor. You can't go wrong opening with a joke about yourself. Aussies often open with humor about the other person - they reflexively "take the piss" (gently with strangers) - the Dutch don't like this even in gentle forms.

But yes, the Dutch love a laugh, wonderful if you are a person like me who used self-deprecating humor as an interactional crutch.

As a side note, most Germans don't respond as planned to self-deprecating humor. They rarely laugh or smile, usually disagree and seeming a bit embarrassed for you, tell you why it's probably not so. Tough for me as I tend to lead with a "silly me" to make people comfortable .... :)

Not really unwelcoming, but in August 2022 everyone in Stockholm looked incredibly sad (tourists excepted).

I chuckled when I saw this. When I lived in Sweden, there was a long list of items on an expat board under the theme, ”You know you’ve been in Sweden too long when …”. One of them was, ”You know you’ve been in Sweden too long when a stranger smiles at you, you assume he is either drunk, insane, or an American.”

In Sweden, people don’t really do small talk and in general, tend to be more reserved around strangers. The translation of small talk is kallprat (literally ”cold talk”) or sometimes dödprat (literally ”dead talk”). Once you get to know people, things are different. I think sometimes what we interpret as unfriendly are simply cultural differences. I have some wonderful, warm and friendly Swedish friends who I know will be friends for life. Had I only visited as a tourist, I might have a different impression. I don’t really think you can judge a culture based on the very brief encounters you have with random people on a short visit.

Quickly I'll note to that it's interesting the OP is from Texas. Texas is friendly on the surface, like a lot of places with an old west heritage in the USA. And then quick to move to defensiveness (Don't mess with Texas, etc), also like a lot of places with an old west heritage in the USA.

I've read that this cultural tendency is attributable to a history where everyone had guns and there was little law enforcement. As such you communicated to everyone else that there was no problem, but then when there appeared to be a problem you made sure to make the first move.

Greater point maybe that all around the world outward countenance isn't like some biological imperative, but rather a cultural behavior that has a reasonable, functional origin. What I think is unreasonable is to expect people born and raised in other cultures too act in ways that fit your culture.

Paris. Been there 3 times. Never saw a smile.

Are the perceptions mentioned here about the general population at places, or mostly the hospitality people who are being paid to interact with tourists?

And how warmly and engaging do they see those customers towards themselves? Wonder whether they see certain categories of visitors as less nice than they might desire?

Maybe, as long as they’ve got cold, hard cash (or credit cards, electronic payments, whatever), that “cold” is acceptable?

I was in an online discussion once that had some eastern Europeans. One of them mentioned that she had to tell her visiting American friend that if he kept smiling at the people he saw on the street she'd have to pretend not to know him.

Which cities are unwelcoming and cold? I don’t surround myself with negative stereotypes; I can’t even understand the concept of it. While I’ve never been to Füssen, I’ve certainly been to Munich and Salzburg and if you want to sully the people, that’s for you and those who think like you.

Do you work for the Salzburg tourism board? What I'm trying to gauge is if there are certain regions of Europe where multiple people have had similar experiences.

This is your response to somebody took the time to tell you that she/he had a wonderful time in Salzburg gaving you concrete examples of what she/he experienced? You DO want to surround yourself with negative stereotypes of your own creation.

Well, I don’t know…. I may take offense at Hank’s generalization about Texans….

Let's turn it over to Lyle Lovett

You say you're not from texas
Man as if I couldn't tell
You think you pull your boots on right
And wear your hat so well

So pardon me my laughter
'Cause I sure do understand
Even moses got excited
When he saw the promised land

That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
But Texas wants you anyway

Oh turning out Texans are a lot less friendly than I thought. ;)

At least I can still count on Pacific Northwesterner to response with friendliness to friendliness but then completely ghost you if you ask to hang out (aka the Seattle Freeze :)

Being reasonably warm, engaging, and friendly has nothing to do with smiling like a happy idiot. Please don't conflate these attributes. Agree Paris, Berlin, and NYC have a rather cold demeanor as an aggregate.

If you want to journey further down this particular rabbit hole, Formula 1 fans know that the Dutch driver Max Verstappen has a reputation for being, uh, well if you're a fan he's blunt and if you don't like him he's a rude arrogant such-and-such.

So the other day I did some google about Dutch characteristics and sure enough, this is a major talking point among expats and visitors alike.

I've been to France several times and never had issues, it seemed like I got what I gave. I did find the Brits very friendly but never ask a question if you don't have time for the essay answer (yes or no would have sufficed). I did have a German conductor give me the third degree on a TGV train from Paris to Germany, but whatever - civil servant.

Tokyo. Not Europe but for us on the way. We had a layover in Tokyo on our way to Oslo in August 2022 and the airport staff were cold and unfriendly - maybe a cultural thing. I was taken aside during transit to be quizzed repeatedly about why I had ordered a Japanese meal for the next leg of our flight when my travelling companion had ordered a Western meal. We were then hassled to hurry to the transit lounge.

On our flights (JAL Business) we also got really slow service and if we wanted to do anything outside of their schedule got intensively quizzed again - very surprised at the difficulty I had getting a sparkling mineral water on three flights. I knew they had them as I could see them on the trolley heading past me towards Economy section. They kept trying to give me wine or coke. Might have been because of their COVID paranoia but has really put us off ever visiting Japan in the future.

Thanks for your reply, continental.

I find this whole thread to be a bit weird. Like someone said' "wherever you go, there you are". I thought maybe it was Pogo, but he's the one who said "we have met the enemy and he is us."

Anyway, this thread just goes to show that when we travel we need to be more opened minded about the culture and the people of the country we are visiting. I wonder how much travel prep RafaFan has done and what his expectations are. Certainly his perceptions are very different from mine, yet he felt that the only reason that I enjoyed myself in Salzburg was because I'm a travel agent and not because I travel with an open mind and am open to new experiences. mmmmmmmmm :-(

Anyway, this thread just goes to show that when we travel we need to
be more opened minded about the culture and the people of the country
we are visiting.

Acknowledging and advising that makes this a good thread.

Every city and no city is your answer.

We all have different views, approaches, and experiences and two people same place same day can have very different reports.

I'm sorry, the purpose of bringing Lyle into it? Nice guy too.

IMHO anyone who mentions Lyle Lovett gets bonus points!

quizzed repeatedly about why I had ordered a Japanese meal for the next leg of our flight when my travelling companion had ordered a Western meal . . .. They kept trying to give me wine or coke

That’s a surprise. Boy, what if one of you wanted a wine and the other a Coke? Would that dissimilarity have caused difficulties?

In Spain we often say that our Portuguese brothers seem always depressed and gloomy, between that sad Fado and their bleak food it is to no surprise lol!

Dresden Germany was not too friendly - seems to be a remnant of the Cold War in E. Germany. In general, Germany and Austria can have a culture which appears a bit strict but it's just a different culture.

There are many areas that overrun with tourists which seem less friendly - e.g. riverview restaurants in Paris. Although in Puglia is somewhat the opposite as not having very much experience with tourists.

But in general, most places are mostly good experiences with occasional bad. For example, most French people are great - even in Paris - but I have met some older French people in small towns who in the tourist industry who seem insulted that you don't speak French, and even when you do try to speak it, they are irritated you don't speak well enough.

Of course the most important thing is the attitude you bring to the table - which gets reflected in them.

Generalization alert.

All of these discussions are general ones.

It is an American thing to assume that American standards and expectations of behavior are the universal standards everywhere >else.

Friendliness is not a uniquely American standard or expectation. In fact many countries and people seem to be generally more friendly.

Maybe I can expect people who are in the business of serving tourists (I.e., taking their money) to be more open. But everyone >else has no reason to welcome me, at first encounter.

I do hope for a little helpfulness, and possibly some basic English when I am paying for an expensive tourist attraction - but it's not a demand. In the same way, when Germans, Japanese, or Argentines come to visit Disneyland in the US, I hope that our people are friendly and patient to them. It's kinda universal thing.

And many seek to avoid unnecessary encounters with excessively friendly people.
Formality is a sign of respect between strangers. Projecting unhappiness is a way of avoiding intrusion.

These might be interpreted as signs of rudeness or an "ugly American". Culture and interaction are two way streets.

IMHO anyone who mentions Lyle Lovett gets bonus points!

Lyle Lovett
Lyle Lovett
Lyle Lovett
Lyle Lovett

Mm

Prague - so cold - in fact rude cold - we were struggling at a bus stop and we would approach people with map in our hands and twice they simply said “ no “ and turned away . The third person at least said “ no speak English “ but we were hoping we could just point at a point on the map and they could tell us which bus to catch - but she also walked away .

Finally a man answered us - he had been living there for work for over a year and said “ yeah they absolutely don’t warm up to strangers at all”

We’ve been to Germany , France , Italy , Greece , Spain , Switzerland, Belgium , the Nederland's , Ireland , and uk . And pragues the only place we felt they really were cold .

Anyway, this thread just goes to show that when we travel we need to
be more opened minded about the culture and the people of the country
we are visiting.

One of the unexpected benefits of our RS Tour in France in 2019 was our guide opening our minds about French culture and why they appear to be more formal than some other cultures (sadly, Formal = Rude by some people's interpretations). I've only spent 2 half days in Paris so far and on our first half day we managed to experience a parade of stereotypical unfriendly Parisians and were starting to wonder if it was true, but by the end of our tour, our guide had done a wonderful job of educating us on France and the French and we felt a lot better about some of those earlier experiences.

This Berliner appears to agree with the OP on Munich - pretty funny :)

When people from BERLIN visit MUNICH

"Being reasonably warm, engaging, and friendly has nothing to do with smiling like a happy idiot."

BigMike, the eastern European I mentioned was quite clear that smiling at ALL to strangers on the street was the problem. And she would have to pretend not to know her visiting American friend if he kept doing it. She said you didn't have to scowl or frown but keeping a "formal face" was necessary out among strangers.

"American Friend" - a wonderful movie - watched it last night.

RobertH, understand. Thank you.

We've got Poland scheduled for 2024. Never been that far east. I understand that U.S. is establishing a permanent military presence there for obvious reasons. My wife is in love with Polish pottery. I have no doubts she would trade me in for a good deal on the pottery. "Here, take my husband. He's good at washing dishes."

Pat, what I remember about visiting Prague in December was it was darn cold. Me being me, I decided we'd all go on a ride in a horse-drawn carriage. Huge mistake. Nearly got frostbite and my youngest started crying. My wife gave me a look that said, "Smart move, Mike. Next, maybe we should go for a swim in the river."

Max Verstappen. That's just fun to say as are other German words, especially anything with fahrt in it. I enjoy the Teutonic character of many Germans.

Depends on the weather. But generally people in Europe are not chatty, on the street particularly. Fluent English is also very rarely spoken on the Continent. Everyone knows a bit, but less than you might expect, so be prepared to have a few
phrases of the language of the country you are visiting.

“Max Verstappen. That's just fun to say as are other German words”

Ha! There is nothing German about Max Verstappen. Not the name and certainly not the man himself! :-)

I think my favorite phrase is Fahrrad fahren= to ride a bicycle.

followed closely by Hahnwasser=faucet. My teacher taught us to remember it by thinking of a chicken in water and every time I think of it, I crack up

Back to Paris and "rude Parisians". First time my mom and I took the Metro in Paris, we were looking at the map and arguing about which way to go. A nice older French woman going to work saw us and asked if she could help and of course apologized for her English. She told us what lines to take and which would be the shortest. So while some shopkeepers and store associates can be a bit cold, I've never felt the French are any ruder then any other culture.

I've never felt that about any place, although there are cultural differences, and I respect those. I don't expect everyone in the world to think or act the same way I would, and, as an introvert, I most certainly don't judge people for not interacting much with strangers.

I do agree with the poster who mentioned the Scottish as coming across as the most friendly, though. We were surprised with how effusive and outgoing they were. Even the airport security staff were laughing and joking with us.

I think it's very important to remember that a lot of European cities are absolutely flooded with tourists, and it would be impossible for everyone in these places to be as welcoming, in the small-town American sense, as some people's expectations. I lived in New York City for a decade, a city that gets a reputation for being rude, including in this thread, but I think a lot of that is not understanding that people simply don't have of the time to smile, wave, say hello, and listen to the story of every single person they pass on the street or sit near at a cafe, both tourists and locals alike. You will find that this is similar whether you are in New York, Paris, Stockholm, or anywhere that has a reputation for having people who don't readily engage with strangers. Don't take it personally and don't think that it's because you are a foreigner because it's typically just the way people are with everyone, and is a way to cope with being constantly surrounded by tons of other people. Also, you are not a novelty to locals, especially in the most touristed places. Wherever you are from, people have already met probably hundreds of people from there, so don't expect people to be all that interested in hearing your story, what Texas is like, and in your opinions on Amsterdam/Salzburg/London, etc.

Interesting thread. Some of the rudest people I’ve experienced in Europe have been Americans. Typical “ugly Americans” expecting “their” standards to be THE standard everywhere, talking loudly, not knowing any of the local language, etc.

We enjoyed Salzburg so much that we are considering moving there after retirement. Our Airbnb hosts were amazing. But I had researched a bit and knew not to expect a lot of interaction with store clerks, servers, etc. I think it has something to do with insincere/unnecessary chit-chat not being a thing there. It’s seen as intrusive, I think. And as an introvert I’m totally ok with that!

If you want super friendly people who will chat you up and go way out of their way to help you: 1) Scotland. Hands down. 2) Ireland. They know hospitality like nobody’s business.

Some of the rudest people I’ve experienced in Europe have been Americans. Typical “ugly Americans” expecting “their” standards >to be THE standard everywhere, talking loudly, not knowing any of the local language, etc.

I have been to Europe over a dozen times - most of those trips for long stays - and visited over 250 locations. I can't recall a single instance of seeing rude Americans. The only example I can think of is a scene in the movie "A Good Year" where some Americans ask for customized food in a restaurant in Provence - but thats an entirely fictional situation created for comedy. Indeed, even in that scene, they were not trying to be rude, but merely doing what is normal in America and asking for changes to the menu, which is highly insulting to French chefs. In fact, usually Americans are overly friendly and easy to dispense praise about the food or whatever - more than most other people are. Usually they are over-awed easily. Its sometimes true that Americans may be a bit loud in a positive way, but Italians and Chinese can be pretty loud too.

I have encountered a few less-than-friendly French, Germans, British and Italians. I don't make any big deal about it because its small fraction of the generally positive or neutral interactions. The only people I have felt were rude were Russians and Chinese tourists - but that is judging by my standards. When I visited China, it was normal in some areas for women to grab you bodily to try to make you buy things - so clearly they simply have a different culture.

So I think it's unfair I this post - and others - to perpetuate the misperception of Americans being uniquely rude or demanding.

I live in a retirement community on Vancouver Island. Every time we walk on a forest path, on the beach , stroll through town, or on one of our lovely trails, we say hello or good morning to people we pass. Pretty much everyone responds in kind whether they know the other person or not….except tourists. They avoid eye contact, and scurry away. This is our town’s culture, but we don’t hold a grudge against anyone who is visiting and doesn’t feel comfortable interacting with a stranger.

I’ve been to Paris, and would never dream of doing the same thing there. That being said, I travelled there solo, and have a poor sense of direction. I often approached a Parisian, spoke my few French words, asking for directions. Not once was anyone rude to be. Every single person helped me, sometimes walking me to the metro station I was looking for, or pointing me in the right direction. In one instance near the Palace of Versailles, I was so turned around that I went miles in the wrong direction to catch the train back to Paris. I stopped at a local Dominos pizza and asked for directions. The 2 young men did not speak English, but took me into the kitchen to show me a map on the wall, and then one of them walked me the 2 blocks to the bus stop. Another young man at the bus stop heard me questioning the driver about getting to the train station, and told me in very broken English that he would was going there as well and would make sure I got off at the right stop.

So my experiences in Paris and around France were not what I experience in my community, nor should they be. I can only say, I would return there in a flash.

As an European living in Dublin Ireland unless you're in the tourists industry we don't have the time or inclination to stop and smile and be friendly with everyone we have busy lives ourselves, personally I've come across so lovely American tourists who I've enjoyed and helped out in any way I can and some others who were rude and who I've either ignored or cut off, they have probably gone home with a bad experience but as someone else states above your vibe usually dictates your interactions
Wouldn't want anyone to leave with a bad experience but Europe also isn't a theme park so if you're rude good luck on your journey home..this applies to European tourists in the USA . agree with previous poster this thread is pretty bad

As The New Radicals sang last century...you only get what you give.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL7-CKirWZE

This is less about the people and more about the vibe of the city itself but I found Madrid to be quite unwelcoming. Despite all the great art, I just couldn't connect with anything about the city at all. Same goes for most of Switzerland. Beautiful but sterile.

I live in a retirement community on Vancouver Island. Every time we
walk on a forest path, on the beach , stroll through town, or on one
of our lovely trails, we say hello or good morning to people we pass.

@Susie. I don't live in a retirement community, but it's the same thing here when I go for a walk, always a hello and always eye contact, especially first thing in the morning. I still do it out of habit for my early morning walks in other countries, but it definitely is a different vibe and usually the best I get in return is a brief glance and a nod.

And to follow up Susie's Paris story, our first day in France was off a cruise in Cannes in 2014. At that point all I thought I knew about the French was that they were rude, but the first person we encountered was a local coming up to us when we looked lost to ask if we needed directions. He kept the smile even though I forgot my bonjour and au revoir, and said thank you instead merci.

I found the exact opposite with Madrid. The people were more reserved than in, say, Barcelona, but they were unfailingly courteous and helpful, even to the point of walking with us to make sure we could see the correct way to go. I absolutely loved Madrid, and, as someone who has a large personal space, I particularly appreciated how people there would give others that space (e.g. on the sidewalk and such). I found the opposite to be true of Barcelona, for instance, and, therefore, I enjoyed that city a lot less. (I know that personal space is a cultural thing, so I don't think of a lack thereof as rude or anything, but I do find it exhausting and irritating, and I need to seek refuge more often during a day out and about.)

There is a lot to unpack here. How this thread devolved into ugly Americans or "fake smiling" I do not know.

The laugh smile comment was hyperbole. The Italians and French were extremely warm and helpful, I speak Spanish and rarely spoke English there so maybe that made it easier to connect, I just could never connect in the same way to "the three". I went to Berlin and Rothenburg AFTER with an open mind, I kept telling myself no way an entire country would be so unpleasant/unwelcoming. Thank god I did since I had a wonderful time. I knew beforehand that Germans tend to be more private and keep to themselves, I know they are not warm fuzzy teddy bears (that's the Italians).

I expected anyone who enjoyed those 3 cities to comment that their experience was different to mine. If someone posted that Berlin or Paris was cold, I'd have done the same. It is hilarious that people posted about NYC, that is my favorite American city, the people are amazing. Also the suggestion that I somehow am responsible for how I was received is bit confusing since I spent more than 2 months in other regions of Europe with zero issues. By that logic, the ENTIRE time should have had me feeling unwelcomed.

Hobart Tasmania

Mid-winter July when the Antarctic Southerly roars up the Derwent River and Kunanyi (formerly Mt Wellington) has 3 or more metres of snow on it. Brrr. And I am in Bali.

Regards Ron

I don’t go to Europe to make friends. Politeness is universal.

It is interesting how people were quick to show their teeth to any criticism of said German or Austrian towns. Hypersensitive. Quick to dismiss my experience, "since It didn't happen to me, it must be false the OP must be the issue."

Hyperbole. I saw tourists laughing and smiling.

Q: Which cities are cold and unwelcoming?

A: Longyearbyen

My sister's best friend lived in Brussels and her husband was president of European operations for a huge American company.

My sister would visit them quite often, and the girls would hit the road in a big Lexus Sedan with a Memphis, Tennessee license plate and an Elvis-1 license plate on the front. You wouldn't believe the attention they got with the car alone.

They traveled to many places mentioned on this posting famous for unfriendly locals. The more she smiled and the more she talked to everyone directly, they would warm up to her and talk. She wouldn't allow Europeans to be anything but nice to her.

We were once in Warnemunde, Germany one Saturday. I hadn't seen my sister in 9 months, and ran into her walking down the street. Travel works in wonders.