The 10 most annoying things British tourists do on holiday

Telegraph

3 days ago

No nudity, no beers on the street, and please keep the noise down: these are just some of the new laws greeting British visitors to Portofino this summer. Fed up with tourists' rowdy antics, the Italian town has pledged to impose fines of up to €500 (£435) on those who don't behave – and it's not alone. In July, the Spanish city of Malaga announced its own rules, pleading visitors to 'be respectful of heritage', 'be kind to workers', and not 'attract attention' in public.
It's all common sense, surely? Not according to those who actually live in Europe's tourism hotspots. We asked them to name tourists ' bad, mad and disgusting behaviours, and the list is lengthy – with many saying that British visitors are the worst offenders.
From tiny bugbears to 'culture-killing' actions, read on to discover the capers that earn us our rock-bottom reputation.
Getting naked – and randy
'In winter, Malia is a sleepy little town, but as soon as the British arrive, the place is an unholy mess, with girls in thongs strutting down the sidewalk, guys with bare torsos and people vomiting – or even having sex – outside the bars,' says travel writer Heidi Fuller-Love, who has lived in Crete for 15 years. Malia is notorious for its popularity with young British holidaymakers, as immortalised in cringe-tastic comedy The Inbetweeners Movie. '[I wish Britons] understood how offensive this behaviour is to Greeks for whom nudity is a no-no, and whose society is based on the respect of others.'
Being the worst type of drunk
British tourists' notorious drinking habits are spilling out of the resorts and into the cities, says Paris resident Sara. 'Inebriated young Britons become boisterous, vulgar and often bother women in a really unpleasant way. In Paris, they gravitate to areas like Montmartre, Pigalle or the Latin Quarter, thus annoying not just the locals but also fellow visitors.' There is a small mercy, says Sara: 'because they are in central Paris, at least they won't drink and drive'.
Hogging the golf course
Not only are Britons usually terrible golfers, but we monopolise the course unashamedly, says Martin Rosenberg, founder of travel booking site overseasinfo.tv and a resident of Belek in Antalya, Turkey, which has several championship courses. 'They act as if they've bought the entire golf course for their week, and their pace of play is so slow. If they're in a group of two or three, they couldn't possibly be paired up with anyone else to make a four-ball – but there's no way they're paying extra to block off the spare places. After 20 years I have less and less to do with Brits on holiday as I find them rude, arrogant and selfish.'
Rushing the sights – and forgetting the rest
Stop trying to squeeze Venice into just one day, says Italy travel writer Demi Anter – it's destroying the city. 'The magic of Venice is not to be found when rushing through the 'sights' as a daytripper,' she insists. 'Overtourism is killing the city's culture: in 2009 activists staged a funeral for Venice, marking the drop in the island's population from 170,000 in the fifties to under 60,000 that year. It's now around 50,000. Don't avoid visiting, but take a week or more, and spend money locally.'
Complaining it's 'not like home'
'You'd never hear a French, Dutch or German tourist say 'Where's the fish and chip shop?', or 'Where can a man get a decent pint around here?' – but these are the most common things a Brit will comment on in Spain,' says TK Smith, a Briton who has lived in the country for more than 20 years. 'That's why places like Fuengirola and Benalmadena look more like Clacton-on-Sea than the Costa del Sol. It appears the most horrifying thing to a British tourist is that a destination has its own history, culture, food and personality.'
Embarrassing ourselves on 'beer bikes'
Popular with stag and hen groups, 'beer bikes' are basically city tours on a giant pedal-powered vehicle, with an open bar at its heart. 'They clog up Lisbon's cycle paths and come along one after another,' says Christopher Fitch, author of Wild Cities, who has lived in Lisbon for five years. 'It should be the city's responsibility to ban them as they did in Amsterdam. Either way, it's always British accents that I hear as I'm squeezing my bike past…'
Ignoring the local language
'It might sound like a small thing, but in Versailles we have a problem with British tourists disrespecting the local bakery shops,' says resident Jean Cooper. 'They barge in demanding the locals speak English, and it's so frustrating for us because going to the bakery is a big part of our daily lives. A word or two in French can make the interaction a lot better! I just wish they were more respectful.'
Staying in rental apartments
British travellers commonly eschew hotels for rental properties, says Barcelona journalist Pablo Castaño, but doing so only exacerbates the city's infamous overtourism woes. 'Many rental apartments are illegal and those that are legal are a great problem for the city, because they expel residents from their neighbourhoods and increase housing prices.' If hotels are too expensive, consider a hostel instead – and avoid staying in peak season between May and September.
Ordering the wrong type of coffee
'You can spot Brits at an Italian coffee bar because they're the ones hanging around in clusters, waiting to order 'large' cappuccinos – but we only have one size,' says Kenny Dunn. A long-term Rome resident and founder of Eating Europe food tours, he's well-versed in Italy's coffee culture, unlike most Britons. 'When in Rome, don't queue for the barista to take your order: stroll in confidently, and order the right coffee for the time of day at the counter, which means no cappuccino after 11am. After dinner, opt for an espresso – and yes, it's espresso not expresso.'
Driving too slowly
While speeding on road trips is obviously a no-no, slowing to a snail's pace is a guaranteed way to get locals riled up. 'Tourists drive like they've never seen a bend before,' says Lake District-based travel writer Monique Gadella. 'On a road where I drive 50mph, they do 30mph AND break for every bend – even the most shallow ones. It's so frustrating! If people just let go of the accelerator they'll slow down enough to [take the] corner.'