It's true that French people's English proficiency has come a long way, *BUT* they are still the least proficient in Western Europe. You can get by with English in big cities, but you'll struggle even in large-ish towns (which is not the case in Germany).
Whoa now. Is Italy not Western Europe?
IIRC in the most recent survey of English proficiency Italy actually came slightly above France!
How does France compare with Spain, especially the non-Castillian parts? (Unless English proficiency is higher in (cities in) the latter areas as a neutral option between Catalan/Basque/Galician and Spanish?)
Spain is a bit higher than Italy in the rankings. I couldn't tell you about differences within Spain though, it's one of the few countries in Western Europe I haven't visited!
