In Europe, it seems the further south and the further east you go, the more difficult it is to get by with English. In the Netherlands, just about everyone is fluent in English and it's cosmopolitan enough that people are unlikely to give you any attitude about not being able to speak Dutch.

I've heard Italy can be a challenge and Poland certainly is. In France and Germany, most people know English but, as others have pointed out, you will be much better received if you greet people in their language and then politely ask if they speak English. I only know the most basic French and didn't find Paris to be any ruder than any other big city and even managed to have a couple of friendly encounters with English-speaking locals.