If you’ve done quite a bit of traveling, you’ll know that you can have vastly different experiences around the world depending on what country you’re in and how well you fit in there. In one place, you might be considered crazy if you smile at a stranger while walking down the street. Meanwhile, in another, you might be called rude if you don’t strike up a conversation with the bartender before ordering a beer.

Your experience might also be greatly impacted by how the locals feel about tourists. Globetrotters on Reddit have recently been detailing which countries they’ve met the friendliest locals in and which ones weren’t exactly welcoming towards foreigners. We’ve gathered their most eye-opening replies below, so be sure to upvote the ones you’ll keep in mind for future travels!

#1

The world is filled with nice people and I keep travelling to remind this myself: you will find great people in any country.

Image credits: GreyAngy

#2

This highly depends on who you are. Race, gender, ethnicity, nationality play a huge role.

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#3

I haven’t travelled the whole world but I felt safe and comfortable travelling in Germany, and totaly scared for my life in China.

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#4

I feel like men and women may have VERY different experiences in some countries. India for example. I found it very friendly/respectful as a big/tall western man, but I’d not want my wife or daughters traveling alone there.

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#5

Morocco for both. Had some of the most obnoxious dumba**es harass us but on the other hand had the one of the best meals of my life offered for free by the nicest strangers I’ve ever met one Ramadan there.

I prefer to remember the second but I can see how others would not. And that’d be every bit as reasonable.

Image credits: Mothcicle

#6

Nicest? Easily Canada- some very nice people up that way!

Meanest was easily Germany, though I did find their rudeness to be almost comical haha. I still like them though and appreciate their blunt manner!

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#7

Ireland = nicest, I was surprised as I’m English but everyone was very friendly. France = rudest.

Edit: Runners up for nicest, Greece.

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#8

Best: Japan. By far the worst of what I’ve experienced: Turkey. God I hate everything about that country.

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#9

Vietnam is probably the friendliest place ive been.

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#10

Dear female travellers travelling alone in India: don’t travel alone.

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#11

Some of the nicest people I’ve come across in travels:

Japanese and Balinese, also New Zealanders

The rudest and most disrespectful:

Russians and Chinese.

Image credits: waffles4us

#12

The meanest is probably Manila Philippines. I’ve been there 3 times and every time I encounter the coldest least friendly people I’ve ever met. I heard good things about other places away from Manila so I’ll have to experience that first.

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#13

Most Irish people and Japanese are welcoming and humble.

When I went to Vietnam, a vendor slapped my hand for giving the wrong amount of money.

Image credits: anon

#14

Philippines is very friendly to travellers. The rudest I’d say were France and Belgium. I honestly can’t say I was really personally impacted by that, but coming from Canada it was quite shocking to see how rude some service staff could be to customers.

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#15

Thailand. Nicest people.

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#16

Nicest was Indonesia , so friendly and genuinely so. I’ve been many times and always have the same experience (touristy parts of Bali exempt)

Most unfriendly , Israel. They just looked so miserable all the time and any time I tried to start a chat I just got a dead eyed stare back at me.

Image credits: Long-Confusion-5219

#17

For me, a white woman in my then early twenties, Scotland was by far the nicest country. I found it so endearing that everyone kept calling me “love”.

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#18

Nicest place I’ve ever been was New Zealand. The land is gorgeous, the people are lovely, and welcoming. I live in Niagara Region, which can be very touristy, and all over NZ was just so pleasant.

Worst place I’ve ever been is the Walmart next to Walt Disney World in Florida. There was a shooting as we were leaving, heard the gunshots while pulling out of the parking lot.

Image credits: MetricJester

#19

The French. I am not a huge world traveler so I’m no authority, but in my experience the French folks I met were not very friendly, and liked to make fun of people and any attempts to speak their language.”

Image credits: CountessBloodbath

#20

Went to Montreal once. Just got to the city and stopped in front of a street kiosk with a city map. Within a couple of minutes of staring at it, a woman approached us and asked if we needed help finding anything. She was local. English, but with a French accent.

I was so confused and startled by this random act of kindness, that my initial thought was she was setting us up for something and I started looking behind my shoulder. The concept of a stranger helping us out for no particular reason was so alien to us that we were on guard for something that never happened. Turns out, people are just nice there and we weren’t used to seeing it.

Image credits: -Dixieflatline

#21

Nicest? New Zealand by far.

Worst? Isreal. Arrogant and mean.

#22

Meanest in Morocco, lots of catcalling and no respect for personal space. Nicest I am going to say America from personal experience.

Image credits: kirrillik

#23

Female, American from DR, raised in NJ in the 80s and 90s. I appear mixed/brown and when I traveled in my 20s and 30s, I mostly did alone.

Nicest people: Japanese. I’ve lived in Japan and traveled there a lot since. Never had a truly bad experience. People were helpful and once the ice was broken, very friendly; everyone tends to mind their business and customer service was always great, even when the konbini part-timer looked like they’d rather be anywhere but at work. Friendliest people I met were at Kamakura.

Meanest: I wouldn’t say “mean” but I am never going to Egypt again. The sexual harassment was unbelievable. Made NYC Construction Sites seem like a monastery by comparison.

#24

I haven’t been to all that many foreign countries, but I thought New Zealanders were quite nice. Sarcastic and teasing at times, but nice in general. I got really, super-bad vibes in Rwanda, like I was hated. That was difficult.

#25

Lived in Italy a bit – pretty bad. as a woman, men were AWFUL. Catcalled and everything for first time in my life and I was a young student. The people also so judgey and rude to foreigners. I once got yelled at a grocery store for putting my basket on the conveyor belt (for a sec so I could reach for my wallet before unpacking). She yelled at me so hard I cried and never returned to the store. So yeah. Lots of bad stories.

Also worst maybe the French in Paris, they’re def sick of tourists understandably. But don’t take it out on em.

Best – are from Philippines! The sweetest people and so welcoming.

#26

Taiwan is awesome and the people are super welcoming and nice

#27

I’m latino. Germans treated me terribly. Malaysians loved me and were all super nice.

#28

Nicest people – Philippines (yet to meet anyone that isn’t kind or welcoming)

Meanest people – Russia (not everyone, but few people seemed to care about anything at all… strange).

#29

People posting nicest places needs to post if they’re a man or woman. Going to someone of these places as a woman is down right dangerous yet men see it as “nicest people ever”.

#30

For me thus far, nicest: Denmark. I don’t think I met a rude person once. They score very high on reported happiness quizzes. Close second would be Costa Rica.

Meanest: France, but I still wouldn’t say they were mean. People in the Loire valley were great, Parisians were a little less nice. But still much nicer than the stereotype, which I think comes from Americans who believe that everybody understands English if you just slow it down and shout it.

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#31

It depends, are you attractive or ugly?

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#32

Nicest people …Ireland. My niece is a harpist, used to go to Ireland every year to compete in an Irish music and dance festival. I’d go with her and my sister to be the driver (needed a van for the harp, no automatics to rent, sister couldn’t drive stick). We get into Dublin Airport and get the van, drive to the other coast to a small town called Ballybunion. I’ve barely slept from the flight over, hotel didn’t have a parking lot, had to park the van in a lot a couple of blocks away near the business area. Streets and houses are all on the same level, no curbs. But the houses would have a low curb/fence put up around them as a bit of a boundary. Tired, driving on the wrong side of the road and turning down a narrow alley… drove up on the ‘curb’ of this one house. High enough that it’s like having a jack on the van. Can’t drive off of it. Road is the main road but it’s one way. I back up traffic for a mile, it’s a Sunday so no tow service nearby.”
“Gentleman wanders over to us sitting there trying to get the van jacked up high enough to get the tire onto the curb. Oh fook a duck laddie, that’s a bang-up parking job. Proceeds to take over, borrows a plank of wood from one of the houses nearby and wedges it under the tire to give traction to back up. Sister tried to give him cash for helping, turns out it’s is mother’s home. She’s off on holiday. Later that week, we saw him in the pub and tried to buy him a pint. Fook no, I’ve been drinkin’ fer free all week tellin’ the story about the American that backed up traffic to the next town!’. He bought us pints all night, still friends with him today.”

#33

Bosnia was a hugely friendly and welcoming place.

#34

I’m French (not from Paris).
I haven’t been all around the world yet, but so far, the nicest people I met were….Americans. All over the East Coast, from NYC to Key West, I met a lot of really outgoing and friendly people, always willing to help out or eager to chat.
And the meanest, I’d say Italians. I always felt like they were a little rude.

Image credits: KeyOui5

#35

Friendliest country unironically Iran or Afghanistan. You get invited for dinner almost every day. People are eager to help you, and they take a personal pride in travellers experience of their country. You feel looked after like a beloved relative.

Unfriendliest maybe China, but that can be related to language barrier aswell.

#36

I would rank the nicest folks in El Salvador, Japan, Thailand and Denmark.

Rudest, possibly Belgium but I was only in Brussels and sick and had trouble navigating the health care system. Not so much rude as just…not friendly. Probably not a good sample, though.

Irish, Americans, and Brits are all very friendly people, and accommodating when you’re a tourist. Most recently, felt very welcome on the Central Coast of California and into Santa Barbara. In fact, most places we went to greeted you with a “welcome in”.

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#37

Nicest customer service: Mexico

Friendliest locals: South Africa, Southern USA

Worst customer service: Russia

Least friendly locals: Northeastern USA.

Image credits: ElysianRepublic

#38

Been to ~55 countries —

Nicest:

Turkey, Philippines, Ireland

Meanest:

Egypt (tout overload), India (to each other)

All were worth going to.

Image credits: alexunderwater1

#39

Nicest people – Thailand; people were just friendly and helpful for no gain; I remember the nicest lady who saw we were confused and helped us to cross the street and then she couldn’t speak English so she found someone else who spoke English so we could get directions and then made sure we got safely to building.

Runner Up – Wierdly Americans; seemingly always open to starting a conversation and trying to assist you or give you helpful tips

Image credits: EmpressI

#40

I’ve met lovely people all over, but I would have to say the nicest were Italians. I hit my head at the Vatican and had a flurry of people exclaiming at me with Italian concern. At least I think it was. But the French were also lovely, as were South Africans.

The worst people I’ve encountered were in the Dominican Republic. They were rude, demanding and condescending everywhere we went.

Image credits: anon

#41

Spain, France, and Ireland have the kindest people in my experince. Germans, Poles and Czechs are very nice too, but as an American they can come off a bit cold/ awkward.

Dublin does have small roving bands of hoodlums that you have to watch out for but people in Ireland are by and large very friendly and easy going.

France gets a bad rap I think because they get annoyed by people talking at them in English all the time. Learning a bit of French prior to my trip payed dividends as I ended up needing a lot of help from the locals and they were more than willing to oblige.

The UK, specifically London had by far the rudest people I have ever dealt with while traveling.

Image credits: pofwiwice

#42

Everyone mistakes Japan’s social politeness policy for niceness.

Female who has been traveling since my early 20s:

So far the friendliest , most genuine , people were in Mexico.

A certain less famous Caribbean island felt dangerous and like everyone wanted something from me or to take advantage of me (I was young with nothing to offer even).

Japan experiences have been mixed with surprisingly more negative than positive.

It’s hard to say any place I’ve been so far had solidly mean people… though I’ve traveled to mainly non- Caucasian majority countries .

#43

I think both of mine come from the same country.

Nicest: Hawaii

Meanest: New Jersey

We were only in Newark for one night before flying back to the UK, but given how lovely everyone else in every part of the states I’ve visited has been, New Jersey was a surprise.

#44

Friendliest would be Bali, meanest would be Egypt.

#45

I’ve traveled internationally for 45+ years( 55F American) and I’ve found warm, friendly, welcoming people everywhere except Italy. Special shout out to Ireland!

#46

Rudest is unarguably Hong Kong. Of the three times I’ve visited I’ve always had a sh*tty encounter

#47

I did Greece in summer, everyone, everywhere was fantastic.

As for mean or nasty folks. Well you get them everywhere (except Greece).

#48

This might sound strange but I find Americans the nicest.

I mean I suppose it depends where, but in general you are all such a welcoming happy bunch it makes me feel uncomfortable as a moody Brit when you engage me in conversation and I’m like, eh alright hi ?.

#49

Spain. Been there three times, always very nice people. France might be the meanest.

#50

Mexico has the nicest, most laid back people IMO. Germany was the meanest… Very very intense.

#51

Last place I traveled was southern Spain and most of the people were very friendly. I’m from the US and it’s not uncommon for many of us to nod or say hello to passerby’s. Just a friendly hello. In most places I’ve visited in Europe, people don’t like that but southern Spain seemed very welcoming and happy in return.

#52

I’ve been to over 20 countries across the world (Germany, UK, France, Belgium, Mexico, multiple Caribbean countries, Canada, Guyana, Brazil). All had nice and not-so-nice people.

Germany was interesting. They weren’t the friendliest at the airport and customs and the first time I was there I had this worry that I’d made a big mistake. But I ended up enjoying my stay there because people were very genuine. I got invited to dinners and drinks from almost strangers that I’d met at a hostel. I’ve been back multiple times.

Mexico had some of the nicest people. Get past the shops which seemed almost cut-throat and abrupt and I met some really beautiful people. Also got invited to dinners and drinks from almost strangers.

Canada was a little disappointing. I think I was expecting everyone to be friendly as with the stereotype. But they were just normal. Bored restaurant staff, bored check-in clerk at the hotel, sort of abrubt service when I was renting gear.

Haiti was pretty bad. Mostly because of very aggressive vendors who literally grabbed my arm and shoved merch in my face. When I said no a couple got angry and almost pushed me out of the way to talk to the next person. But the restaurant staff at the couple places I ate were fine.

Brazil was awesome. Everyone there seemed to treat me like I was some long lost cousin. Oh, but I got my phone stolen.

#53

My experience – the warmer the climate, the kinder the people.

#54

Nicest – USA, Turkey

Best service – Japan, but the people in general were not particularly nice outside of the service industry

Worst – Tunisia, Spain.

#55

Context: I’m Irish and white.

Nicest: Americans, Indonesians, Japanese

Meanest: Australians – though I just think they hate tourists in general.

#56

Best: southern Spain. I really don’t know if it’s the same all over the country. I had quite the opposite impression of Madrid, for instance, but southern Spain has wonderful people, full of humanity, and the strongest culture I have experienced anywhere. People there work to live, not live to work.

Shout out to America, too. I experienced some of the friendliest, most hospitable people ever over there. It was a bit overwhelming.

Worst: Morocco. Constant, unrelenting harassment. Saudi Arabia was bad too, because the people could be threatening or cheat you – but they could also be the opposite, so I can’t pass judgement.

#57

Croatia was the worst experience by far, and the only negative one i’ve ever had. Maybe surprisingly the US was the best, i was shocked by how kind and helpful everyone was. i’m european, F, and i look mixed (asian-latin + white).

#58

I understand Mandarin/Cantonese and went to Guangdong for a holiday. Worst holiday ever because I understood how rude they were. When I tried on clothes at a mall shop and didn’t find anything which I liked, the sales girls b*tched out loud to each other that I shouldn’t be trying anything if I wasn’t going to buy anything. At another shop, I asked if they had a certain design in stock. When they offered an alternative, I tried it on, and I could hear them complaining out loud about me being a nuisance just because I asked if they had a particular design in stock. Plus, they did it deliberately loud Mean Girls style, like they wanted you to hear what they were saying. I had people scold ME for exclaiming ‘hey!’ when THEIR spit accidentally landed on my shoe. One lady in her 20s cut the line when I was just about to pay, and then yelled at me. Ordering food at a semi-popular dessert store meant being body slammed like we were at a mosh pit. I was never so glad to leave a country.

#59

France is the only country I’ve been to where it doesn’t seem to matter. They can be really rude