kleeblatt

The American tourists are back in Europe.

Everywhere I turn, I seem to hear American accents. At the next table located in a small village, walking along the quay in Brunnen, walking through Lucerne, and even on off the beaten path mountains.. the American tourist seems to have reached Europe first as after our Covid lockdown.

MinnBeef

Some of us never stopped traveling. During the past 2 1/2 years I traveled to Croatia, Guatemala, Italy, central Mexico, Panama, Prague and Budapest. With probably a dozen COVID brain scrapes as the price of admission. Life’s too short to live in one’s basement wearing a mask 24/7.

You’re welcome.

Ingo

Not in my region (yet). Only a few.

whitehall

We arrived in Umbria at the end of last August. Rome was empty. We spent a month traveling the entire region, dipping into a bit of Tuscany. We saw many Italians, who were also staying close to home. Almost no Americans. As in four or five all month, including the busiest places. By the end of September, when we returned to Rome, the city was packed, and it seemed like a quarter of them were Americans. Although Brits, and others, were still being denied entry to Italy at that time, that signaled to us the end of the lockdown for many. It may have been jarring for some to need to show vaccination papers to even get into MacDonalds, but Americans returned to the skies last fall.

Melnq8

We returned to Switzerland in October 2021 and are headed that way again in late September. I only heard one set of Americans that I'm aware of and that's because they were annoying loud southerners and hard to miss.

Portugal in late March and April was PACKED. Lots of Spaniards and Brits, not sure how many were Yanks, but people are people and there were waaay too many of them.

janisj

I was in London in early December and there were very few tourists anywhere. Felt like I had the city to myself. I’m there again just now and the difference is night and day. Everything is absolutely packed. Had to walk across Westminster bridge to get to Waterloo station and I’ve never ever seen the bridge so crowded

laurieco

We were in Greece in September 2021 and there were quite a few tourists, including Americans. Santorini was ridiculously crowded, and the only place where vaccination cards were not checked and masks were not worn. I did not feel safe there at all. It was my third time in Santorini, and my last. We were in England and Scotland in April-May and there were a lot of tourists and Americans in London, not as many in other areas.

Tulips

I heard hardly any American accents in Genoa this week. It was mostly Italian on the streets and in restaurants. Genoa is beautiful, the Palazzo's and churches we visited had very few other visitors. There's an event around art from the Baroque period, with stunning paintings from Genoese and many Flemish painters including some beautiful Van Dyck portraits. We walked into gorgeous churches, where we were the only people inside.
I think tourists maybe tend to go to the same famous places, but there is so much to see in Italy that is not crowded.
Anyway, put Genoa on your list!

J62

Note to myself... I need to get back to your region.. it's been at least 10 years, and I no longer travel there for business.... I have some dear friends I need to go see.

RubyTwins

Are you painting Americans with a broad brush? I can't tell the tone...

I try to be patient as I walk down the street trying to get somewhere in my city and "tourists" are gawking and walking slowly looking at the tall buildings--or when I go to a museum exhibit that I want to see and it's packed with "tourists". Heck... we are all tourists sometime. So I have to share my great city with the world which so many people want to visit.

I plan in October to come to Italy and meet some relatives--I hope I won't be sneered at for visiting because I actually did stay in the house for two years to protect family and neighbors from Covid. It has been a trying time for us here with our crazy political landscape. So please cut me some slack for being an American who also wants to see the world and meet my elderly Italian Aunts before they pass. I hope others are willing to share their cities the way we in NYC share ours.

Ingo

Oh yes, J62, it is about time after 10 years. The city is waiting for you ;-)

Tulips

There's no criticism in the original post, it's just an observation. For those of us who live in Europe, it is noticeable that there are American tourists again. The past two years many people stayed close to home.

RubyTwins

Good to hear: "the Americans are back "almost sounded like a pestilence returned.

Percy

Those darn Americans

Oh Oh !!!!, I'm in deep trouble and my delete key does not work. !!

HappyTrvlr

You’re forgiven Percy!🇨🇦🇱🇷

joannyc

This American is staying home again this year! Rising Covid numbers and airport chaos is keeping me home.

Hopefully, you’ll have to put up with me next year.

TDudette

MinnBeef, I read that you were swabbed (did that hurt?) but were there countries that just wouldn't allow you in? Or times when your country wouldn't allow you back? Sincere question... no snark.

MinnBeef

Not sure I understand where you are going with those questions or what the point is. It does feel like snark.

dfourh

Snark me up Scotty. I was in Brescia for two days and they have the perfect number of tourists there: one.

It was beautiful, casual, and elegant. The waiter at the trattoria seemed genuinely relieved that I didn't cause a scene, but instead could order in quasi-Italian, and behave myself. It was different in Desenzano on Lago di Garda. There the waiter insisted on speaking Germany to me, because I have fair hair, and all the frickin' tourists they ever see are German.

On the trains though between Milan and Venice just now, everybody was speaking English. But with an Irish accent.

BritishCaicos

At the current exchange rates the Americans must think they are having a free vacation in Britain.

i shudder to think about the costs in San Francisco for the trip we cancelled in April 2020. I can’t see us doing long haul this year just because of the Covid and hassle issues.

90 minutes on Ryanair is suiting us well and the wine Bordeaux is marginally better than that in Napa.

I’m off !