Lot of stereotypes in the comments. I'm little disappointed to read that on HN.
Some commenters tell they had bad experiences in France. In my opinion, it's a case of confirmation bias and lack of understanding of cultural differences. For many reasons, you can't expect the same types of interactions with a waiter in Paris and one in NYC or Tokyo. I think people traveling to foreign countries should be open-minded and understand that things may work a little differently than in their home country.
The French aren't arrogant assholes overprotective of their language! that's just plain stereotype. Yes, they don't speak English as well as Swedes for instance, but not worse than let say Italians. Besides, there are tons of English words making their way in the French language.
Also, French people are often shy of speaking English. Sadly, we tend to make fun of each other, and those that haven't had the opportunity to practice outside school are often embarrassed to speak English.
I've visited France (Paris mostly) in the off season and found it a great experience. In general people were as friendly or helpful as any other large city I've been in.
I can imagine when tourists are clogging up everything people's tempers get short (I know mine do and I live near a major tourist friendly city). Anybody who wasn't overtly friendly was at least reasonably professional and I can't recall any specifically negative interaction with any French person during my stay. Language was sometimes a barrier, but nearly everybody we interacted with was patient and kind with our terrible abuse of our few French words.
I remember one evening trying to find a certain restaurant, my wife stopped a lady out on her evening exercise/walk and asked for directions. This lovely Parisian woman not only offered directions, but made a better restaurant recommendation, walked us the dozen or so blocks over to it and made arrangements with the staff to let us dine there even without proper reservations.
Every place has some bad things as well, things that can be constructively criticized. I'm an American and it's pretty obvious we screw up all kinds of things and those things are worthy of comment or criticism, France is no different in that respect.
France is beautiful, the people are great and I came away very impressed with the country and the people. I also learned a lot and came away with new perspectives on many things I had taken for granted before. French citizens have a tremendous amount to be proud of.
I don't speak French, but I've never had a problem with people being rude to me, in Paris or elsewhere in France. I have witnessed rude responses to other tourists, though, and it was always because the tourists themselves were rude and/or excessively informal first. Politeness will take you very far.
I am French and I've lived both in "province" (means not in Paris...) and in Paris, and I don't think that's particulary accurate to say that people are much friendlier in province. I've met friendly people both in Paris and in "province" as well as unfriendly ones...
In my opinion, it's just a way of reenforcing this dichotomy between Paris and "province" (and this word is also part of that scheme).
The funny thing about those stereotypes is that they go both ways. American tourists are viewed in France as people who wouldn't even try to speak at least one word in the language of the countries they visit, and expect everyone to speak English, because, you know, everyone speaks English, why make the effort.
I haven't met American tourists like that, and I haven't met French people that are arrogant asshole overprotective of their language. Somewhere, there probably are some specimen of both categories, but, as always, anecdote is not evidence, etc.
Yes and English education in France used to mostly focus on writing to the detriment of oral communication. A lot of French people are unable to speak English and are very self conscious about it.
That sounds more like Paris than France as a whole; it's certainly not my experience of many childhood visits to Normandy.
My French never improved while over there, because they'd never give me an opportunity to use it - I'd open my mouth once and it would become immediately clear to them that their English surpassed my French!
Some commenters tell they had bad experiences in France. In my opinion, it's a case of confirmation bias and lack of understanding of cultural differences. For many reasons, you can't expect the same types of interactions with a waiter in Paris and one in NYC or Tokyo. I think people traveling to foreign countries should be open-minded and understand that things may work a little differently than in their home country.
The French aren't arrogant assholes overprotective of their language! that's just plain stereotype. Yes, they don't speak English as well as Swedes for instance, but not worse than let say Italians. Besides, there are tons of English words making their way in the French language.
Also, French people are often shy of speaking English. Sadly, we tend to make fun of each other, and those that haven't had the opportunity to practice outside school are often embarrassed to speak English.