Not encouraging to see
With a trip planned for September 2026 that includes a stop in Paris it wasn't real encouraging to see the following article in today's local paper.
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With a trip planned for September 2026 that includes a stop in Paris it wasn't real encouraging to see the following article in today's local paper.
Comments
It's definitely getting harder especially during the busiest time of the year. For Paris and elsewhere, in addition to the tourists, the efforts to cut down on vehicle traffic makes it difficult for large tour buses to move around, finding parking, and even find places to stop long enough for travelers to get on/off. There was that recent traveler complaining here about why the coach didn't wait for them when they were late to the meeting point. Likely because the coach couldn't sit there any longer.
If they want to cut down on vehicle traffic, it makes sense to ENCOURAGE buses, as it's one vehicle with a lot of people, rather than lots of individual cars with one person each.
Sam - I'll be in Paris next May. I clear the way for you
I'm glad I first went to Paris when I was in my late 30's - and fell in love with the city. My mother was French, and I had heard and read so much about Paris. I walked the Champs Elysee during that visit and said to myself, “This is the Champs Elysee – this is Paris!”
I've gone back several times since then and always found the city magical. Maybe that's changing now.
[I learned to speak a bit of French, enough to get by in Paris.]
That's what I'm afraid of. After your visit they may bar Americans completely. 😂
Just remind them that if it weren't for us, they'd be speaking German now.
Smiling Sam are you do a Tauck river cuise in May? If yes, so are we. I have been to Paris at least ten times for multiple weeks. At this point, we avoid most of real tourist stuff, because we have done it multiple times, except for Montrmonte (I buy fabric there) and Museum D’osay.
Kathrine - No on the river cruise in May. I'm doing the Paris, Brittany, Loire Valley, Normandy tour in September. I think BKMD is doing the same Paris, Brittany,... tour in May.
We have some friends that are on a river cruise right now that originates in Paris. We got an email and they had the Welcome dinner last night at Fouquet's restaurant. They enjoyed it. Today they are catching a train to Lyon (I believe) to board the riverboat. When they return from their trip we will ask if they sensed any anti-American sentiment.
I completely agree with any city that wishes to retain their autonomy. It’s not about being against Americans in my opinion. It’s about preserving their culture—my opinion again.
Kathrine_Wnek - I also purchase fabric when in Montmartre. It is one of my favorite parts of Paris, especially the areas away from the touristy center.
I had the same reaction when I read that article. We are just days away from Cruising the Seine, Plus Paris and London, and am a bit anxious about how welcomed we will feel in Paris. I'm glad we chose Versailles for our excursion rather than Montmartre. At the same time, I feel for the residents who are losing what they love about their neighborhood.
We did the Savoring France trip last September, and we did not encounter any disgruntled people. Everyone was very friendly. We have been to France and Paris many times and never encountered hostile people. San Francisco on the other hand is a different story. We live ten miles north of the Golden Gate.
We were on the Paris, Brittany, Normandy and Loire Valley tour this past May. We ended in Paris at the Scribe and stayed two additional days. I never noticed any animosity. While we had been to Paris many times over the years, we were with family/friends who had never been there. As a result we visited many of the main tourist areas.
Aside from the busy Place du Tertre on Montmartre, if you wandered a few blocks away, the other streets were quiet and uncrowded. There are some quiet parks and playgrounds that you can stop in.
There were long lines for all of the main sites including the Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame and la Sainte Chapelle. However, the Conciergerie was empty and there was virtually no-one on the Ile St Louis. I think that the Sacre Coeur may have gained popularity because Notre Dame had been shut down for five years. This may revert to earlier visit levels once Notre Dame has been open for a while.
We walk a lot and were able to pick the neighborhoods and sights we wanted to visit. We walked back from Montmartre and we were in very uncrowded areas until we got to the Galleries Lafayette where everyone wanted to go up to the roof. That day was particularly interesting since they had a large screen TV showing matches from the French Open. You could sit in a beach chair and watch the matches! Personally, I don't think the view is worth the crowds.
France has an interesting holiday policy. If a Thursday is a holiday, Friday is also a holiday. This year there were three Thursday holidays (May 1, May 8 and Ascension Thursday). We were there for the last one which was also the first weekend for the French Open as well as the day that Paris-St Germain won the soccer tournament.
Many of the tourists were French. It was hot and there were families all over the city. Many were in the parks.
I am convinced that it is all about how you conduct yourself in a foreign country. I know some snicker, but you are a guest in that country. Learn a few words in their language, as well as familiarizing yourself with their culture and societal norms. Be respectful and you will be respected in turn.
Parisians have had a reputation for many years for being rude to tourists that can't speak French. Although I could speak a bit of French, I mostly used English. There was only one time when I encountered a Parisian who wouldn't speak to me in English. She was working in a travel agency so I have some reason to suspect she spoke English.
I was able to speak to her in my halting French, but when she replied it was a mile a minute - but I figured out what she was saying (I had asked for directions to the Metro). This was probably 40 years ago.
Just thinking of Paris brings a smile to my face.
The French were less friendly forty years ago. If you did not speak French, they did not want to deal with you. In recent years I’ve found that many want to practice their English. I try to speak French, and they respond in English.
I don't believe the anti-tourist sentiment is anti-American sentiment. It's happening all over - Venice, Amsterdam, Barcelona.........
I’m with Goddess, it’s tourists in general. Paris is Ok, personally I don’t see the incredible fascination that people have with it. I love France but could happily skip Paris and go everywhere else and I think that is where you see the real France anyway. My tip is to take a week in the winter and see Paris that way, less crowds, cheaper flights.
I agree with the last two comments, especially about seeing France beyond the confines of Paris. It is a beautiful country with beautiful people. I am looking forward to taking the new holiday market cruise.
Absolutely agree with Sealord and British on this one. Paris is a great city but overrated in my opinion. And yes here are the exact conversations about speaking English in Paris that I have had:
1983: (asking politely) Excusez-moi, monsieur, parlez-vous anglais? Response: We are not stupid, of course we do not speak English! We are French!
2019: Excusez-moi, monsieur, parlez-vous anglais? Response: We are not stupid! Of course we speak English!
Over-tourism is definitely something to consider, but I always thought a little French snarkiness was part of the charm.
Visited Barcelona last year right after the infamous "water pistol" episode aimed at tourists. Our driver from the airport, unprompted, told us to ignore all the controversy surrounding that and told us we wouldn't encounter any negativity. He was right. He also pointed out that the majority of the local population knows that without tourism, they would be unemployed and so treat their guests accordingly.
On my first visit to Paris, almost 30 years ago, we encountered a waiter in the Eiffel Tower... my wife used her limited French to communicate with him, and he used his limited English in return. Another table of Americans sat down and were loud and obnoxious from the start. They heard him speaking some English with us and so asked him when he came to their table if he spoke English. He gave them a VERY loud, VERY curt "NO!" Then periodically returned to our table to speak English again. It was a highlight of the trip.
Then there are the American tourists who raise their arm, snap their fingers and say, “HEY.”
Maybe they were just being polite and saying hello in Danish.
Meget godt, BKMD. I am truly impressed! I thought you were going to say the tourists were just practicing their flamenco moves.
Actually it is hej…pronounced just like “Hi” in English as BKMD indicated. I’m sure my fluency will be challenged, however! Not by you.
I wouldn't worry about people being hostile - or at least not any more so than any person who lives in a highly touristy area is. I used to live in Monterey CA and we got pretty tired of tourists. Absolutely avoided going near the waterfront on weekends when just trying to run errands. It's a beautiful area so I understand why they wanted to visit.
My French is pretty limited but I haven't had any trouble with French service personnel since a TD explained to us the importance of greeting them first. A simple "bonjour monsieur/madam" before asking for anything else. The TD explained that walking into a small shop and not doing so was the equivalent of some stranger walking into your home.