Brits seeking a swift getaway frequently choose European capitals, with their easy accessibility by air or rail making them perfect for a spontaneous long weekend. Nevertheless, several of these destinations are gaining a rather unsavoury reputation amongst travellers for being inhospitable, grimy and potentially dangerous.
One particular city has been receiving considerable criticism from British tourists, despite its standing as the archetypal destination for a romantic retreat. Paris, the city of illumination and romance, has faced backlash with Brits on Reddit delivering some scathing reviews. A user called ExplanationWorried14 spoke bluntly, describing Paris as grubby and its residents as “unbelievably rude”.
They recalled an episode where a simple ‘merci’ was greeted with displeasure: “I said ‘merci’ when someone actually stopped at a crossing and he looked angry and shrugged like I was an idiot.”
Their ordeal worsened further: “Some school girls sang a song about me being an English whore, despite me wearing a long, flowing hippie dress that in no way revealed any flesh and I felt unsafe.
“Got followed by two men near the Louvre. Would never go back. I don’t know why people say it’s romantic… I guess those people are into some weird stuff.”
Another Redditor, Mister Pink, shared: “Lots and lots of crime very visible all around in the form of pick pockets and con artists. Very expensive and the Parisians generally were pretty rude.
“At least when you go to the nicer bits of London for food the area tends to be quite nice to match the outrageous prices.”
Other major European cities have also come under fire, with Reddit users not holding back in their disapproval.
Brussels has been described as exuding a “pretty grim vibe”, while Rome, synonymous with La Dolce Vita, has faced allegations of being overrun with “scammers and gropers”.
Despite these disparaging remarks about the city of love, Paris still succeeded in drawing an impressive 48.7 million million tourists in 2024, according to Choose Paris Region.
