Opinion Rotten Greetings: The World's Most Unwelcoming Cities According to Seasoned Travellers

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Rotten Greetings: The World's Most Unwelcoming Cities According to Seasoned Travellers

 

Not every city welcomes you with open arms and warm smiles. In fact, for some intrepid travel writers, a journey abroad has felt more like running a gauntlet of indifference, contempt, or outright hostility. Ten Telegraph Travel contributors recently shared their personal experiences in the cities they found the least friendly — where the vibe was more “go away” than “good day.”

 

Annabel Fenwick Elliott recalls the cold sting of Berlin’s infamous club culture and frosty social norms. “If you aren’t left wing and unapproachable, you aren’t cool,” she writes. The city’s energy left her feeling flat, her most memorable moment being slapped with a €1,500 fine for not wearing a mask at a deserted train station during the waning days of the pandemic. “I didn’t pay it, and I won’t be going back,” she concludes.

 

 

In Riga, Gavin Haines found himself plunged into a sub-zero atmosphere that went far beyond the weather. “If you think Parisian waiters are surly, go to Riga – they take it to another level,” he says. From eye-rolling taxi drivers to sigh-laden service, he felt like every interaction was steeped in Soviet-era hangover grump.

 

 

Chris Leadbeater’s 2017 trip to Moscow confirmed long-held stereotypes. Even when using the local “spasiba,” he was met with blank stares or grunts. “Moscow did not feel particularly welcoming to this particular Western tourist,” he said, contrasting it with his more enjoyable experiences in St Petersburg.

 

 

Geneva, surrounded by majestic mountains, proved equally chilly for Anna Richards. Her attempt to pay a brunch bill ended in a financial sting, and a brief train misstep led to accusations of fare dodging. “The rest of Switzerland is as warm and inviting as a vat of fondue, but I’ve learnt to skip this city,” she wrote.

 

 

Amsterdam’s frosty reception was more subtle, but no less alienating. Despite an invite to a boat party, one writer felt practically invisible. “I recall being more or less ignored for the entire day,” she said. The Dutch were described as “busy, direct, and a little slower to warm up” than other Europeans.

 

 

 

Then there’s New Orleans, a city full of contradictions. One writer describes it as “hostile,” despite being one of her favorites. From aggressive tipping culture to urban decay and crime, she wrote, “New Orleans parties like it’s possessed, and perhaps it is.”

 

 

New York, never one to sugar-coat things, served up a quintessentially abrasive experience. One contributor was schooled by a pizza server who barked, “You gotta loiyn to tawk ENGLISH!” and refused to serve him until he Americanized his accent. “Welcome to New York. Now screw you!” summed up the experience.

 

 

In Quito, Heidi Fuller-Love was met with friendliness from locals — at first. But then came the infamous “bird poop trick” robbery attempt, a knife-point mugging, and random verbal abuse. “S— on, shouted at and almost stabbed: that seems like the definition of unfriendly to me,” she said.

 

 

Monaco’s snobbery wore thin for one writer who attended a climate-friendly motorsport event. “Monaco is where billionaires are courted and everyone else is merely tolerated,” he concluded after enduring sneers from doormen and grumbling from underpaid French waiters.

 

 

Finally, Djibouti City provided the least welcome of all. One writer found himself accused of being a CIA agent while photographing a cat in the market. “The real low point came when I had an onion lobbed at my head,” he said. “I took solace in the fact it wasn’t watermelon season.”

 

 

From icy glares to flying vegetables, these accounts offer an eye-opening reminder: not all travel experiences are warm and fuzzy. Sometimes, the journey comes with a scowl — and maybe a side of onion.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Telegraph  2025-06-27

 

 

[SAFETY FIRST]

18 minutes ago, Social Media said:

Geneva, surrounded by majestic mountains

Don't forget Saudi Arabia, there are many cities surrounded by rugged country side resembling the surface of Mars. 🤢

 

[Chomper Higgot]

1 hour ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Don't forget Saudi Arabia, there are many cities surrounded by rugged country side resembling the surface of Mars. 🤢

 

Saudi Arabia is among the places I’ve lived and worked, way higher on the ‘would I go again’ than some other places I‘ve lived and worked.

My time in Jeddah in particular was a very positive experience.

 

 

[EVENKEEL]

I've been to Djibouti briefly twice. The most depressing place I ever visited. 

[SAFETY FIRST]

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

My time in Jeddah in particular was a very positive experience.

Yeah, Jeddah was great fun travelling to and from during Hajj. 😂

 

I worked for Saudi Aramco for a few years, we flew an Aramco jet from Dammam to the west coast (Red Sea), I visited most towns Tabuk, Duba and all the way down past Jeddah.......5hit hole. 

 

[kevozman1]

Just a low IQ list compiled by some herp derp cretins, nothing to see here. Especially Geneva and Amsterdam. I am sure those highly visited cities rank alongside others in the world where kidnapping and being deleted is common.

[bkk6060]

Los Angeles sucks. Very unfriendly and lazy people the smell of weed and laziness everywhere. 

[TedG]

1 minute ago, bkk6060 said:

Los Angeles sucks. Very unfriendly and lazy people the smell of weed and laziness everywhere. 

Why would anyone would visit LA?

[JonnyF]

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Saudi Arabia is among the places I’ve lived and worked, way higher on the ‘would I go again’ than some other places I‘ve lived and worked.

My time in Jeddah in particular was a very positive experience.

 

 

 

I can see why you'd feel at home in a deeply authoritarian, undemocratic state like Saudi Arabia. 

[JonnyF]

4 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Los Angeles sucks. Very unfriendly and lazy people the smell of weed and laziness everywhere. 

 

I almost got into a fight within an hour of landing in LA because the rude, unhelpful taxi driver deemed my tip insufficient after I had unloaded my own bags from the boot of his smelly car.

 

Like most of California, ruined by "Progressives".  

[impulse]

My experience traveling...  Wherever you go, there you are. 

 

Some people drag their crappy attitude and dark cloud around with them.

 

[spidermike007]

My number one city on the list is Paris, having been there several times I always find the people to be smug, arrogant, rude, obnoxious, and very dismissive. Even people who speak fluent French tell me that they have the same experience. 

 

I would only visit Moscow if I was paid $75,000 by a sponsor. No thanks. 

 

The thing people don't understand about New York is that the people are very very cool, however they tend to be quite gruff on the surface, you have to have a sense of humor and you have to have thick skin. Snowflakes will never understand NYC. The beauty of New Yorkers is that if you engage them, you can get below that crusty surface very easily and what lies beneath is alot of depth. 

[Watawattana]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

My number one city on the list is Paris, having been there several times I always find the people to be smug, arrogant, rude, obnoxious, and very dismissive. Even people who speak fluent French tell me that they have the same experience. 

 

I would only visit Moscow if I was paid $75,000 by a sponsor. No thanks. 

 

The thing people don't understand about New York is that the people are very very cool, however they tend to be quite gruff on the surface, you have to have a sense of humor and you have to have thick skin. Snowflakes will never understand NYC. The beauty of New Yorkers is that if you engage them, you can get below that crusty surface very easily and what lies beneath is alot of depth. 

Yeah, been to NYC twice.  The first time I didn't get it.  2nd time I had learnt from my first time, and loved it.  Met plenty of friendly decent people.  

 

Been to LA twice, disliked it both times.   In total I've been to 42 of the 50 States, generally loved all of them especially when I could get out of the cities into smaller town and countryside.

 

As for the rest of the world my least favourite have been Sao Paulo & Rio in Brazil (crime-ridden dangerous places), Cape Town (same reason, but saved by the sheer number of unofficial police and security guards).  Best cities are generally in Asia, plus Sydney & Melbourne.

[impulse]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

I would only visit Moscow if I was paid $75,000 by a sponsor. No thanks. 

 

I've been a couple of times on business and found it fascinating, though colder than a witch's left one because it was winter both times.  I visited at the invitation of one of the lesser oligarchs whose staff shunned me for being an American.  But the locals were fine and the city is amazing.  I passed on the invites to the famous nightlife (Night Flight seems familiar?)  since I don't drink.  I was more interested in the historical venues.  I'd go back in a heartbeat.

 

[PETERTHEEATER]

6 hours ago, TedG said:

Why would anyone would visit LA?

To go where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars?😀

[candide]

Some places are obviously scarry, but I would assume that most of those bad assessments also have to do with the travellers' own attitude and behavior.

 

And also with the lack of understanding of local habits and culture. For example  Russians don't look friendly. The main reason is that Russians usually don't smile to people they don't know. Once you've been introduced  they can be quite friendly.

[WDSmart]

I've traveled all over the world, and the city I'd put at the top of my list for unwelcoming would be New Delhi, India. 

[Nick Carter icp]

11 hours ago, Social Media said:

Not every city welcomes you with open arms and warm smiles

 

   I went to Medina in Saudi Arabia .

Well, I untended to go there .

On the bus journey there the  police boarded the bus

Asked whether I was a Muslim .,

I said that I wasn't and they threw me off the bus

Only Muslims can visit the town of Medina 

 

[NickyLouie]

5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Snowflakes will never understand NYC. 

 

You probably never once been to the outer boroughs, i.e the real NYC .....

 

 

[bendejo]

17 hours ago, NickyLouie said:

 

You probably never once been to the outer boroughs, i.e the real NYC .....

 

A cool, poser type would say "Why would I want to?"  It's right up there with being too cool to go above 14th Street.

Just about everyone I've met who says they've been to Amsterdam tells of getting sick there.  It even comes up in a few songs.

Getting mugged in Ecuador?  Not at all surprising, unless you don't read up on where you are going or refuse to believe bad news.

Never been to Riga, but I have seen some beautiful Latvian women.

 

Someone mentioned Sao Paolo: lived in Brazil for a while, hated SP.  People up the coast say that Paolistas (sp?) are not really Brazilians.  Only had to deal with staying there once.  There is an airport there that has a gas station right in front of the entrance.  Fascinating.

 

On the other hand I would avoid places that overdo the welcoming.  Like Pattaya.

 

[blaze master]

On 6/26/2025 at 9:03 PM, JonnyF said:

 

I can see why you'd feel at home in a deeply authoritarian, undemocratic state like Saudi Arabia. 

 

Champion for all thats good and free. 

[spidermike007]

18 hours ago, NickyLouie said:

 

You probably never once been to the outer boroughs, i.e the real NYC .....

 

 

I was born in Brooklyn and I've traveled all over the boroughs, including Harlem and the Bronx, so I know New York well. Lived there for many years. No question that New York can be a rough place, there are some very rough areas, but in general New Yorkers are amazing. 

[fredwiggy]

On 6/27/2025 at 10:01 AM, spidermike007 said:

My number one city on the list is Paris, having been there several times I always find the people to be smug, arrogant, rude, obnoxious, and very dismissive. Even people who speak fluent French tell me that they have the same experience. 

 

I would only visit Moscow if I was paid $75,000 by a sponsor. No thanks. 

 

The thing people don't understand about New York is that the people are very very cool, however they tend to be quite gruff on the surface, you have to have a sense of humor and you have to have thick skin. Snowflakes will never understand NYC. The beauty of New Yorkers is that if you engage them, you can get below that crusty surface very easily and what lies beneath is alot of depth. 

True, many think a lot of Americans are the same way because they never took the time to get to know them. When they recognize you as a friend, they'll let you in. My parents and brother were born in Brooklyn, and I had family in Queens and NYC. Them and their friends were all close to people they let into their circle. Not snobs like some who haven't lived there imagine. 

[fredwiggy]

12 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

I was born in Brooklyn and I've traveled all over the boroughs, including Harlem and the Bronx, so I know New York well. Lived there for many years. No question that New York can be a rough place, there are some very rough areas, but in general New Yorkers are amazing. 

Parents and brother were from Prospect Park West

[spidermike007]

18 hours ago, WDSmart said:

I've traveled all over the world, and the city I'd put at the top of my list for unwelcoming would be New Delhi, India. 

I lived in work in New Delhi for quite some time and I would have to say that it's certainly one of the ugliest cities I've ever been to, and one of the most filthy both in terms of the air and the ground. It's also one of the most pretentious cities I've ever been to, and rivals Los Angeles in terms of superficiality. However in general I love India, especially Mumbai, but Delhi would be the last place in the world I would want to spend time if I were visiting India. Having said that there are a lot of amazing people in Delhi, but you really have no opportunity of getting to know them unless you're introduced by Indian friends. 

[Old Croc]

Two cities starting with  J where I will never return.

 

Jakarta - a group of us from a cruise ship were followed by a gang of ugly men for several miles, Felt very dangerous. Several of we larger guys had to position ourselves to shield the girls in our group.

 

Johannesberg, there for nearly a year when 20-21. Life threatened several times, saw more dead people than I've seen anywhere before or since. 

 

[fredwiggy]

33 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Parents and brother were from Prospect Park West

I got a thumbs down for saying where my family was born  lol  Adult forum, teen aged angst. 

[proton]

On 6/27/2025 at 6:16 AM, Chomper Higgot said:

Saudi Arabia is among the places I’ve lived and worked, way higher on the ‘would I go again’ than some other places I‘ve lived and worked.

My time in Jeddah in particular was a very positive experience.

 

 

 

No surprise here at all 😁

[NickyLouie]

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I've traveled all over the boroughs, including Harlem and the Bronx, 

 

 

LOL , Bro a real OG 

 

She's been to 110th and 5th ....

 

 

[spidermike007]

9 minutes ago, NickyLouie said:

 

 

LOL , Bro a real OG 

 

She's been to 110th and 5th ....

 

 

How about 127th and Lennox? Ever been there? I was. No idea how I made it out alive, but I was there. And that was back in the 1980s, way before gentrification went north of 110th Street.