Prague Latest Magnet for Misbehaving Brits

Travel Blog  •  Julia Ross  •  08.06.07 | 12:30 PM ET

imageIs Eastern Europe under siege by badly behaving Brits? We’ve heard about kilt-wearing, buttocks-baring Scots in Poland and sex tourists in Latvia. Now Prague is attracting attention for out-of-control “stag and hen parties” thrown by UK weekenders. A report released last week by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office says the Czech Republic sees a higher proportion of traveling Brits requiring consular assistance than any other country, citing stag night revellers for much of the mischief.

Incidents range from lost passports and arrests to hospitalizations, many apparently linked to overindulgence.

In a Guardian story, one British diplomat in Prague describes a stag-nighter who recently appeared at the embassy draped in a bed sheet: “He had somehow lost all his clothes while frolicking about in the middle of Prague and couldn’t remember what happened to them.”

While embassy staff can’t be too happy with being dragged out of bed in the wee hours, what’s more worrisome for some is the long-term impact on Britain’s image. Responding to the UK report, several expats living in Eastern Europe let loose on The Guardian’s travel blog, calling out the revellers for tarring all Brits with a boorish brush.

One commenter from Poland reported: “In Krakow now English speakers are shunned, refused entry to pubs and clubs. In Warsaw idiots parade about half naked, urinate on or near national war memorials, make sexually offensive comments to Polish women whether they are with young children or not. They are aggressive, rude and disrespectful to local people, customs here and an embarrassment to the UK.”

Even the caption for the above photo, taken in Prague, reads: “Maybe a new trend in Prague? About bloody time!!!!!!”

Yikes. We’d be interested to hear from British readers—is it really that bad?

Related on World Hum:
* Invasion of the Kilt-Wearing, Buttocks-Baring Scots!
* Happy Birthday, Prague’s Charles Bridge
* Latvia to Fight ‘Baltic Bangkok’ Image

Phot by skugga2shadow via Flickr, (Creative Commons).

Tags: Europe, Czech Republic, England

Julia Ross is a Washington, DC-based writer and frequent contributor to World Hum. She has lived in China and Taiwan, where she was a Fulbright scholar and Mandarin student. Her writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Time, Christian Science Monitor, Plenty and other publications. Her essay, Six Degrees of Vietnam, was shortlisted for "The Best American Travel Writing 2009."


7 Comments for Prague Latest Magnet for Misbehaving Brits

farley 08.06.07 | 2:04 PM ET

I’m not British, but I couldn’t help but weigh in here: yes, it’s really that bad. And it’s not necessarily a new development, a trend that came after Poland and Latvia. For the last four or five years—corresponding to the emergence of budget airlines—Prague has been inundated with regular swarms of obnoxious British lads, harrassing waitresses and locals, getting in fights, and urinating in public. It’s not so pleasing to see a place you love essentially get smacked (or sprinkled) in the face. On the positive side, as an American, it’s at least refreshing to see another nationality one-upping us on the traveler embarrassment scale.

Eva Holland 08.06.07 | 9:11 PM ET

I think in some cases it really is that bad, though obviously you don’t want to generalize too much… When I was studying in the UK last year our men’s rugby team went to Prague over the Easter holidays, and the story everyone was telling when they got back was about an attractive young woman they saw at a bus stop. One of them said, within earshot of her, assuming she didn’t speak English, “I’d like to _____ (use your imagination) on her face” and while all the guys were laughing one of them asked her if she spoke english. She said, “Yes, quite well, actually.”

Benji Lanyado 08.07.07 | 7:01 AM ET

erm…perhaps a point slightly missed here.  Prague was, in fact, one of the first places Brits started EasyStagging to…being one of the hardest pushed budget routes in the early days of the budget airlines.

ask any ex-pats there- Prague is/was the first Western city in Eastern Europe.

Elizabeth 10.18.07 | 1:52 PM ET

I spent my last semester of college at Charles University and witnessed first hand out of control Brits. It could be annoying at times but also quite humorous.  For once the Americans weren’t the most despised people in the bar!

Vitaliy 11.15.07 | 11:19 PM ET

I studied in Prague for three months, and yes, stag parties are quite annoying for locals.  Although watching stag parties from the sidelines was hilarious at times, I can understand why Czechs are so fed up.  I would be too.  There were different receptions from czech’s if one was American or a Brit: British guys were seen as potential problems more commonly than Americans.

travel to prague 02.21.08 | 10:28 AM ET

hi , great post , i like it !

Andrew 05.16.08 | 7:59 PM ET

I won’t bother going to Prague then I guess :)

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