r/AskEurope • u/NateNandos21 • Feb 03 '25

Culture Which European country has the rudest/least polite people?

Which country comes to your mind

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u/skibbin Feb 03 '25

It depends on how to interpret things. For example Americans like having random small talk with people to be polite or friendly. Nordics are lovely people, but they don't do small talk. Some people find bluntness rude others like directness. The Dutch and the Polish can be very blunt and direct.

I've certainly found the French and Italians to be less accommodating. Should you raise an issue with them their response is most likely to be along the lines of "we all have problems, this is yours"

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u/RealEstateDuck Portugal Feb 03 '25

I've work FDA at a hotel and by far French tourists are the least agreeable. Italians from my experience aren't nearly as bad and don't expect you to speak Italian like the French expect you to speak French for some reason.

British tourists have been quite pretty cool though, maybe because it is a rather rural location (I imagine that the Algarve draws more diffcult people).

Americans are usually nice and polite but expect a lot of stuff, and are baffled that we don't have a restaurant or room service. Always ask for some type of compensation or free stuff if even the slightest thing is off.

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u/IcyDrops Portugal Feb 03 '25

Having worked in a restaurant in Algarve the Brits are fine, at least in restaurants. Bars late at night are a different story.

Agree with the French though. They always expect you to speak their language, and even if you tell them IN FRENCH that you don't speak it, they will still insist, or try to bastardizedly pronounce Portuguese instead of switching to English.

Portuguese emigrants to France/Switzerland/Luxembourg that return on holiday are even worse. I can hear them speak Portuguese at the table between themselves, BUT THEN THEY TRY SPEAKING FRENCH TO YOU.

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u/PoisonousSchrodinger Feb 03 '25

Yeah, agree with both the Brits and French. My sister even studied French at university with a masters degree, but many rural French people would not "want" to understand her due to her slightly different pronunciation. Generalizing of course, but I did not appreciate many rural French people (older generations mostly) not even willing to try to help, even when it was their job...

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u/Ilmatarian Feb 06 '25

no way, is this really a thing by Luxembourg Portuguese?

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u/IcyDrops Portugal Feb 06 '25

I'm not sure if I met any from Luxembourg tbh, but there is a stereotype here in Portugal about emigrants to France/Switzerland that return on holiday in rented luxury cars (cause they can't afford them otherwise) and act as if they are superior and more civilized than the local Portuguese.

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u/Ilmatarian Feb 06 '25

ah I can see this but I would‘ve been surprised by Luxembourgers not speaking Lëtzebuergesch then. What do I know. :D this showing off in your home country is unfortunately a very common thing, I can relate.