How Europeans Really Feel About American Tourists [2025 Survey]

How do Europeans really feel about American tourists? It’s a question that comes up often, especially as people from the U.S. plan increasing numbers of trips abroad. To find out if the obnoxious, overly patriotic American tourist is a reality or just something we like to joke about, we surveyed over 3,000 people across Europe and the U.S.

We looked at how Europeans view American travelers, how Americans think they’re perceived, and whether politics has changed any of it. From the countries most likely to roll their eyes to the states blamed for the worst tourist behavior, here’s what our study found.

1 in 4 Europeans Have a Negative View of American Tourists

American tourists have long been a topic of conversation — not just at home but around the world. To find out how Europeans really feel and how that stacks up against what Americans themselves think, we surveyed more than 2,000 Europeans and over 1,000 Americans. The results reveal some clear trends in perceptions, a few surprises, and plenty for travelers to keep in mind this summer.

How Americans Think They’re Seen vs. How They’re Actually Seen

Before diving into European opinions, it’s worth looking at how Americans feel about their own reputation abroad. We found:

• Over half of Americans (54%) worry at least a little about how they’re perceived when traveling internationally.
• Nearly three-quarters (73%) believe Americans have a bad reputation overseas.

The European view, while not quite as harsh, is still not glowing. We found:

• More than 1 in 4 Europeans (27%) say they have a generally negative opinion of American tourists.
• About 1 in 3 Europeans (36%) think Americans behave worse than other tourists, which closely matches the 40% of Americans who believe Europeans see them that way.

The Traits That Stand Out

When we asked both groups what traits they most associate with American tourists, the similarities and gaps were telling.

• Loud: 70% of Europeans said this was typical of American tourists, almost identical to the 69% of Americans who agreed.
• Friendly: Europeans were more generous here, with 64% saying U.S. tourists are often friendly, compared to just 44% of Americans who agreed.
• Curious: 42% of Europeans see American tourists this way, versus 31% of Americans. Now, we can’t be certain whether respondents meant curious as inquisitive or odd, but it’s probably fair to assume a bit of both.
• Arrogant: Americans were far more likely to think they’re viewed as arrogant while traveling (53%) than how Europeans actually view them (27%).
• Rude: Americans again rated themselves more harshly, with 40% selecting rudeness as a trait they often demonstrate, while just 12% of Europeans agreed.

Americans often assume the worst about how they come off, while Europeans see a more balanced, though definitely still loud, picture.

The Impact of Politics and Stereotypes

Politics can shape perceptions, but maybe not as much as many Americans fear.

• Just 1 in 5 Europeans say recent political events, like tariff news, have changed their view of American tourists.
• By contrast, 80% of Americans think those sorts of political issues have impacted how Europeans see them.

When it comes to enduring stereotypes, Europeans pointed to some of the usual suspects:

• 64% say Americans are loud.
• 61% believe they expect everyone to speak English.
• 33% say they’re overly friendly.
• 30% think Americans often ignore local customs.

Which States Get the Worst Reputation?

Europeans didn’t hold back when asked which U.S. states produce the worst tourists: Texas (33%) topped the list, followed by Florida (21%) and California (14%).

Now, you might think they just picked the states they knew, and that’s probably partially true, but the states Americans think produce the worst tourists matched fairly closely: Florida (23%) led the way, then Texas (21%), New York (19%), and California (15%).

Overall, Americans may think they’re perceived more negatively abroad than they actually are, but there’s no denying some of the stereotypes stick — especially around being loud and expecting English everywhere. Next, we’ll break down how these perceptions shift from country to country across Europe.

France Tops the List of Countries Least Welcoming to American Tourists

While Europeans as a whole have a mixed — though often more generous than expected — view of American tourists, some countries stand out for being a bit less enthusiastic. We broke down responses across Europe to see where Americans might feel most or least welcome and where opinions have shifted in recent years.

Where Europeans Say Their Countries Are Least Welcoming

We asked Europeans if they’d describe their country as generally unwelcoming to American tourists. Here’s how that stacked up:

• France led the way at 15%, making it the country most likely to call itself unwelcoming to Americans.
• Hungary (8.7%), Norway (8%), Denmark (7.5%), and Spain (6.9%) rounded out the top 5.

On the flip side, some countries pushed back on the idea that Americans wouldn’t be greeted with open arms:

• Belgium (1.9%) and Italy (2%) had the lowest shares saying their country was unwelcoming.
• Estonia, the Netherlands, Finland, and Poland all came in at a modest 3%.

Americans seemed to agree on at least 1 point. When asked which countries they thought viewed them least favorably, 47% picked France. Turns out they were right.

Who Gets Annoyed by American Tourists?

Not all reactions were about welcoming committees. Some Europeans were candid about how they feel when they actually spot American tourists.

• Portugal (18.8%) and Belgium (18.3%) topped the list of countries where locals said they feel annoyed by American tourists.
• Ireland (17.4%), the Netherlands (14.9%), and Denmark (14.8%) followed closely.

Meanwhile, plenty of countries seemed less bothered:

• Poland (7%), Spain (7.8%), the U.K. (8.8%), Greece (8.8%), and Latvia (9.6%) reported the lowest annoyance levels.

Overall Opinions: The Most and Least Negative

When it comes to general opinions of American tourists, some countries leaned more negatively than others.

• Nearly 40% in the Netherlands and about 38% in Portugal and Belgium said they have a negative view of American tourists.
• Denmark (37%) and Sweden (36.9%) weren’t far behind.

Several countries stood out for having fewer negative impressions:

• Poland (15%), Hungary (17.5%), Czechia (17.8%), Ireland (18.3%), and the U.K. (20.6%) reported the lowest shares of holding negative opinions.

How Politics Have Changed Perceptions

We also asked Europeans if the 2024 U.S. presidential election changed how they view American tourists. Scandinavian countries stood out the most when looking at our results:

• Norway topped the list at 44% saying the election has impacted how they view American travelers, followed by Estonia (35%), Sweden (31%), Denmark (30%), and Finland (29%).

Elsewhere, politics didn’t seem to move the needle much:

• Hungary (8%), Slovenia (14%), the U.K. (17%), Poland (17%), and France (17%) were the least likely to say their views had changed since the election.

These findings show that while France stands out as the country most likely to be unwelcoming of American tourists, views vary widely across Europe. Many countries still see Americans in a largely neutral or even friendly light, while others do take a more generally negative view, especially with recent political events in the U.S.

Methodology

To explore how Europeans see American travelers in 2025, we surveyed more than 2,200 people across 22 European countries. We asked about their general views of American tourists, what shapes those opinions, and whether recent political events have had any impact.

We also surveyed over 1,000 frequent American travelers to see how they believe they’re perceived abroad, what experiences have influenced those views, and if they think politics play a role.

Final Thoughts

Whether it’s being labeled loud or friendly, American tourists often leave an impression across Europe. Our survey showed a wide range of opinions, from countries that admit to being less welcoming to those that hardly give American visitors a second thought.

Still, most Europeans aren’t put off by American travelers. In fact, 72% said they’re open to interacting with American tourists; conversely, just 8% would be reluctant to do so. That’s good news for anyone planning a trip abroad.

Wherever your travels take you, Upgraded Points is here to help you make the most of every journey — from finding the best flights to maximizing your rewards along the way.