Openess towards foreigners

Hi all,

We (3 adults) will be in Toulouse for a 3 nights trip. How open/friendly are the people of Toulouse towards foreigners, as we definitely look Asians. I heard it%26#39;s very bad in Paris but I understand that it is unwise to judge the same to the whole nation.

Also I%26#39;ve never been to France before and none of us speak French. Will we have any problems?

We may do day trips to neighboring places like Albi and Carcassonne. Any suggestions regarding both places.. the people, weather etc would be very, very much appreciated

Merci beaucoup , Prim

|||

I cannot speak about antipathy towards foreigners, but Toulouse is a big international city with an important University and multi-national industries. You will have no real difficulty finding people who can speak English but obviously if you know no French you might have trouble with the street signs and menus!

However, on my last visit to Albi, which is a very nice place, I found no-one who spoke English and my half-forgotten school French lessons (plus a dictionary) came in very useful indeed just to be able to buy train tickets etc.

I now visit France (not this area) more regularly and I can safely say that in many areas it is quite hard to find English speakers and my French has improved enormously.

You don%26#39;t say when you are going but the weather is generally warmer than in Leamington, but can be cold and wet in winter with the rain coming off the mountains.

Here%26#39;s a good website for the seasonal weather averages and current conditions

www.weatheronline.co.uk/France/Toulouse.htm

Paris has a reputation of surliness towards all those not from Paris, let alone anyone from further afield. Miserable lot they can be at times!

Hope that helps.

|||

%26lt;%26lt;How open/friendly are the people of Toulouse towards foreigners, as we definitely look Asians.%26gt;%26gt;

The people of Toulouse have their own individual concerns and do not really care where you are from.

%26lt;%26lt;I heard it%26#39;s very bad in Paris but I understand that it is unwise to judge the same to the whole nation.%26gt;%26gt;

The only thing that%26#39;s bad in Paris is the present currency exchange rate.

|||

%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;Paris has a reputation of surliness towards all those not from Paris, let alone anyone from further afield. Miserable lot they can be at times!%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

Like all stereotypes this one has very little truth to it. On an international travel forum it would probably be better if such stereotypes were not given a wider audience. This would seem to be particularly necessary in a thread where the OP is asking if his/her party will be stereotyped when they are in Toulouse.

You answer the OP by saying basically: %26quot;I don%26#39;t know the answer to the question about whether you will be stereotyped. However I am willing to reinforce with nothing more than hearsay evidence, a stereotype that you apparently already hold with nothing more than hearsay evidence.%26quot;

Good work, cubsur!

|||

Prim -

I would ask you to come to the Paris forum and ask about how Asian and other visitors who look very non-European are treated there. I can immediately think of several people who fall into those categories who have recently returned home from trips to Paris who speak glowingly of the way they were accepted and the kindnesses they received while they were there.

Of course not everyone in Paris is polite and friendly and even those who normally are can have a day when they don%26#39;t like anybody very much and let it show. To state that %26quot;Parisians are a miserable lot%26quot; has no more basis in fact than would almost any similar statement about Asians.

And I hope one day you will visit Paris. It is a beautiful city.

|||

I can%26#39;t help on how you%26#39;ll come across in Toulouse, as I%26#39;m not Asian, nor have I visited Toulouse. But many people speak English there, as they do in Carcassonne, which is very busy with people from UK, USA etc. You%26#39;ll probably find a lot less English in places like Albi.

However, French people are as friendly/unfriendly as you%26#39;ll find anywhere else. If you approach with a smile and try to commnicate, it can get you a long way. When are you going? If there%26#39;s time, try to learn a few basic phrases. Remember the French are generally very polite, so lots of madame/monsieur and merci always helps. The fact that you%26#39;re trying to find out about this in advance probably means you%26#39;ll get on Ok, I think

As mentioned bove, there are fairly recent posts where concerns such as yours have been mentioned, but the posters had a great time.

Hope you have a lovely trip,

GG

|||

Hello and thank you for the helpful replies!

I am glad to know that Toulouse is quite an international city :) I will of course, learn a few phrases as that%26#39;s what I usually do when I travel abroad, so thank you for the suggestion!

Regarding Paris, I think you should know IrishRovr that I am well aware that many experience great time in Paris, including my (Asian) family and friends. I actually help planned my mom and sister%26#39;s visit to Paris last year, now that can%26#39;t be an antipathy towards the city!

I am however, also well aware of the recent news that Paris lost 16% of tourists due the the %26#39;unfriendly%26#39; reputation alone. I understand that Parisians are perhaps a bit tired of tourists, similar to Londoners towards the swarming of tourists (I used to live in London for almost a year so I experienced it myself).

Personally when I travel I don%26#39;t want to think too much about these things that%26#39;s why I usually opt for places which openness is well known such as Amsterdam or Istanbul.

Now enough about Paris and back to TOULOUSE :)

|||

%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;I am however, also well aware of the recent news that Paris lost 16% of tourists due the the %26#39;unfriendly%26#39; reputation alone.%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

I have no idea where you got this information but I%26#39;m afraid I do not believe a word of it. I%26#39;m sure Paris has lost visitors recently due to the severe shrinkage of the world economy, as has every country to which tourists go in large numbers. I have no idea how anyone would arrive at the conclusion that it (or any other city) had lost any percentage of its visitors %26quot;due to the unfriendly reputation alone.%26quot; By whom was the research carried out? HJow? What questions were asked? Of whom?

The fact is that Paris is the single most visited city in the world, year after year, and attracts visitors of every ethnicity from every continent and probably almost every country in the world. It could hardly continue to do so year after year if it were, as you suggest, unfriendly to tourists.

i really wish people would stop passing on vague and unfounded statements about the people of countries or cities with whom they have no familiarity. If you have a source to which you could point us from which you gleaned your information I would appreciate it if you would pass it along.

|||

news.com.au/couriermail/…00.html

www.travelmole.com/stories/1137611.php…

This was discussed on Tripadvisor facebook fan page a while ago if you%26#39;re interested please go to the related page.

|||

%26quot;I am glad to know that Toulouse is quite an international city :)%26quot;

Well it is. It is a large University town and the home of the European Airbus Industry.

|||

My impression of Paris was not hearsay. For many years I visited Paris both on business and as a tourist. I do agree with those who say that in many towns and cities the inhabitants can become weary of tourists and for me that includes London and Albufeira, where I now live.

Any back to Toulouse which is a very agreeable city and well worth a visit.