The only dictionary you'll need abroad to help you get by

‘Wo ist die Toilette?’

travel quotes
(Image credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock)

‘Wo ist die Toilette?’

Embracing holidays for what they typically stand for – switching off, relaxation holidays and seeing the sights – doesn’t appear to be the case for many travellers.

When Booking.com questioned over 18,000 people worldwide on the top phrases they’d want to know immediately in the language of the country they’re visiting, results revealed that we’re holiday internet addicts, with ‘What’s the Wi-Fi password?’ one of the most popular. Once you've decided on a destination, snagged one of the best Black Friday holiday deals available and packed your bags, you're going to want to brush up on these handy phrases before you jet off.

The top 10 English phrases most in demand are:

1. ‘What’s the best way to get into town / the city centre?’ (46%) 2. ‘What’s the Wi-Fi password?’ (43%) 3. ‘What time is breakfast?’ (41%) 4. ‘Where can I get the best meal?’ (40%) 5. ‘Where’s the toilet?’ (25%) 6. ‘Take me somewhere awesome’ (22%) 7. ‘I need coffee’ (21%) 8. ‘I can’t remember my room number’ (11%) 9. ‘Can I request an early check in?’ (11%) 10. ‘Where’s the closest pharmacy?’ (10%)

When looking at gender preferences, we’re a predictable bunch, with women far more likely than men to want to know where the toilet is (29% of women to 21% of men), yet men are more keen to know what time the bar opens (13% of men versus 7% of women)!

Danish Phrases

1. ‘Hvordan kommer man nemmest ind til byen/centrum?’ (46%) 2. ‘Hvad er wi-fi-adgangskoden?’ (43%) 3. ‘Hvornår er der morgenmad?’ (41%) 4. ‘Hvor finder jeg det bedste måltid?’ (40%) 5. ‘Hvor er toilettet?’ (25%) 6. ‘Tag mig til et fantastisk sted’ (22%) 7. ‘Jeg vil gerne have kaffe’ (21%) 8. ‘Jeg kan ikke huske mit værelsesnummer’ (11%) 9. ‘Kan jeg tjekke ind tidligere?’ (11%) 10. ‘Hvor ligger det nærmeste apotek?’ (10%)

German Phrases

1. ‘Wie kommt man am besten in die Stadt/ins Stadtzentrum?’ (46%) 2. ‘Was ist das WLAN-Passwort?’ (43%) 3. ‘Um wieviel Uhr gibt es Frühstück?’ (41%) 4. ‘Wo kann man gut essen?’ (40%) 5. ‘Wo ist die Toilette?’ (25%) 6. ‘Bringen Sie mich an einen tollen Ort’ (22%) 7. ‘Ich brauche Kaffee’ (21%) 8. ‘Ich habe meine Zimmernummer vergessen’ (11%) 9. ‘Kann ich früher einchecken?’ (11%) 10. ‘Wo ist die nächste Apotheke?’ (10%)

Russian Phrases

1. «Как добраться до города / центра города?» (46%) 2. «Какой пароль от Wi-Fi?» (43%) 3. «В какое время завтрак?» (41%) 4. «Где я могу попробовать самую вкусную еду?» (40%) 5. «Где находится туалет?» (25%) 6. «Отвезите меня в какое-нибудь классное место» (22%) 7. «Я бы хотел кофе» (21%) 8. «Я не помню номер своей комнаты» (11%) 9. «Могу я запросить ранний заезд?» (11%) 10. «Где находится ближайшая аптека?» (10%)

Dutch Phrases

1. ‘Wat is de beste manier om in de stad/in het centrum te komen?’ (46%) 2. ‘Wat is het WiFi-wachtwoord?’ (43%) 3. ‘Hoe laat is het ontbijt?’ (41%) 4. ‘Waar kan ik het lekkerst eten?’ (40%) 5. ‘Waar is het toilet?’ (25%) 6. ‘Neem me mee naar een geweldige plek’ (22%) 7. ‘Ik heb koffie nodig’ (21%) 8. ‘Ik weet mijn kamernummer niet meer’ (11%) 9. ‘Kan ik een vroeg inchecken aanvragen?’ (11%) 10. ‘Waar is de dichtstbijzijnde apotheek?’ (10%)

Italian Phrases

1. ‘Qual è il modo migliore per raggiungere la città/il centro città?’ (46%) 2. ‘Qual è la password del WiFi’ (43%) 3. ‘A che ora è la colazione?’ (41%) 4. ‘Qual è il posto migliore per mangiare?’ (40%) 5. ‘Dov’è il bagno?’ (25%) 6. ‘Voglio vedere un bel posto’ (22%) 7. ‘Ho bisogno di un caffè’ (21%) 8. ‘Non ricordo il numero della mia camera’ (11%) 9. ‘Vorrei richiedere il check-in anticipato’ (11%) 10. ‘Dov’è la farmacia più vicina?’ (10%)

Spanish Phrases

1. ¿Cuál es la mejor manera de llegar al centro? (46%) 2. ¿Cuál es la contraseña del WiFi? (43%) 3. ¿A qué hora es el desayuno? (41%) 4. ¿Dónde se come mejor? (40%) 5. ¿Dónde está el baño? (25%) 6. Llévame a un lugar increíble (22%) 7. Necesito un café (21%) 8. No recuerdo el número de mi habitación (11%) 9. ¿Podría hacer el check-in antes? (11%) 10. ¿Dónde está la farmacia más cercana? (10%)

French Phrases

1. « Quel est le meilleur moyen de se rendre en ville / en centre-ville ? » (46 %) 2. « Quel est le mot de passe du Wi-Fi ? » (43 %) 3. « À quelle heure est servi le petit-déjeuner ? » (41 %) 4. « Où mange-t-on le mieux ? » (40 %) 5. « Où sont les toilettes ? » (25 %) 6. « Indiquez-moi un endroit magnifique. » (22 %) 7. « Il me faut un café ! » (21 %) 8. « J’ai oublié mon numéro de chambre. » (11 %) 9. « Est-il possible d’arriver plus tôt ? » (11 %) 10. « Où se trouve la pharmacie la plus proche ? » (10 %)

Chinese Phrases

1. ‘前往城镇/市中心的最佳方式是什么’46% 2. ‘WiFi密码是多少’43% 3. ‘几点开放早餐’41% 4. ‘哪里可以吃到美食’40% 5. ‘洗手间怎么走’25% 6. ‘带我去好地方’22% 7. ‘我想要咖啡’21% 8. ‘我忘记房间号了’11% 9. ‘我可以提前入住吗’11% 10. ‘最近的药店在哪里’10%

Swedish Phrases

1. ‘Hur tar man sig lättast in till stan/centrum?’ (46 %) 2. ‘Vad är lösenordet till WiFi:n?’ (43 %) 3. ‘Vilken tid är det frukost?’ (41 %) 4. ‘Var hittar jag den bästa maten?’ (40 %) 5. ‘Var ligger toaletten?’ (25 %) 6. ‘Ta mig till ett fantastiskt ställe’ (22 %) 7. ‘Jag vill ha kaffe’ (21 %) 8. ‘Jag kommer inte ihåg mitt rumsnummer’ (11 %) 9. ‘Kan jag få checka in tidigare?’ (11 %) 10. ‘Var ligger närmaste apotek?’ (10 %)

Portuguese / Brazilian Phrases

1. ‘Qual é o melhor jeito para chegar à cidade/ao centro da cidade?’ (46%) 2. ‘Qual é a senha do Wi-Fi?’ (43%) 3. ‘A que horas é o café da manhã?’ (41%) 4. ‘Onde posso provar a melhor comida?’ (40%) 5. ‘Onde é o banheiro?’ (25%) 6. ‘Me leve para algum lugar legal’ (22%) 7. ‘Preciso de café’ (21%) 8. ‘Não consigo lembrar o número do meu quarto’ (11%) 9. ‘Posso fazer check-in antecipado?’ (11%) 10. ‘Onde é a farmácia mais próxima?’ (10%)

Japanese Phrases

1. 都心にはどうアクセスしたらいいですか (46%) 2. Wi-Fiのパスワードは何ですか (43%) 3. 朝食の時間は何時ですか (41%) 4. 一番美味しいレストランを教えてください (40%) 5. お手洗いはどこですか (25%) 6. おすすめの場所に連れていってほしい (22%) 7. コーヒーをください (21%) 8. 部屋番号を忘れてしまいました (11%) 9. アーリー・チェックインはできますか (11%) 10. 最寄りのドラッグストアはどこですか (10%)

Croatian Phrases

1. ‘Kako najbrže doći do grada/centra?’ (46%) 2. ‘Koja je lozinka za WiFi?’ (43%) 3. ‘Kad je doručak?’ (41%) 4. ‘Koji su najbolji restorani?’ (40%) 5. ‘Gdje je WC?’ (25%) 6. ‘Odvedite me na neko prekrasno mjesto’ (22%) 7. ‘Trebam kavu’ (21%) 8. ‘Ne sjećam se broja sobe’ (11%) 9. ‘Mogu li se ranije prijaviti u objekt?’ (11%) 10. ‘Gdje je najbliža ljekarna?’ (10%)

Indonesian Phrases

1. ‘Bagaimana caranya ke kota/ke pusat kota?’ (46%) 2. ‘Apa kata sandi WiFi-nya?’ (43%) 3. ‘Kapan sarapan?’ (41%) 4. ‘Dimana yang makanannya enak?’ (40%) 5. ‘Dimana toiletnya?’ (25%) 6. ‘Antar saya ke tempat yang bagus’ (22%) 7. ‘Saya butuh kopi’ (21%) 8. ‘Saya tidak ingat nomor kamar saya’ (11%) 9. ‘Bisakah saya minta check-in lebih awal’ (11%) 10. ‘Dimana apotek terdekat?’ (10%)

The leading destination for fashion, beauty, shopping and finger-on-the-pulse views on the latest issues. Marie Claire's travel content helps you delight in discovering new destinations around the globe, offering a unique – and sometimes unchartered – travel experience. From new hotel openings to the destinations tipped to take over our travel calendars, this iconic name has it covered.