27-05-2025
Europe's tourist cons and how to avoid them
Last month, Paris cafes were caught cheating unsuspecting tourists out of good-quality wine. The scam is simple: bistro visitors order, say, a glass of Chablis, costing around €9 (£7.65). The wine arrives, and all seems well.
But sommeliers working for Le Parisien, a French newspaper, discovered that the wine being served was actually the cheapest on the menu – a €5 (£4.25) sauvignon. It's an amusing undercover mission, but reveals how cunning rip-offs target tourists in Montmartre and beyond.
It pays to have your wits about you – t hese are some of the worst tourist cons, scams and rip-offs in Europe (and how to avoid them).
Ice cream in Rome
Similar trickery occurs in Rome 's many, many ice cream shops. No one can blame the tired tourist for wanting a treat after wandering from the Pantheon to the Spanish Steps, or exploring the vast squares of the Vatican. Gelato-sellers know this, too.
And, according to locals, those tempting tubs full of fluffed-up, mountainous swirls of ice cream are not the real deal. An authentic gelato should be dense and flat – it's made of churned milk, not cream, and should not be overly aerated.
It also should not be brightly coloured – if the banana option is exceedingly yellow, or the mint positively luminous, it's likely that the vendor is using artificial colouring. If you're a purist about desserts, research the best places to eat before visiting to avoid being sold an inferior snack.
Pedicabs in London
Since the pandemic, a certain kind of transport has become prevalent in London. Blaring loud pop hits and fringed with pink fur, the pedicab – bicycle in the front, covered bench in the back – is now unavoidable. Riders congregate around busy Soho pavements, or try to lure passengers around Green Park. While the cynical Londoner is most likely to give them a wide berth, tourists, it seems, are getting hoodwinked. Perhaps it's understandable – their ridiculousness gives them a sense of novelty, and the city centre can be hard to navigate. Most, however, probably don't anticipate the price.
This is something that one Belgian tourist found to her detriment. After riding in a pedicab for all of seven minutes, she was promptly charged £450 for the pleasure. It's as a result of these sorts of incidents that Transport for London has, finally, moved to regulate the group – requiring them to be licenced as taxis are. Whether the measures will stop tourists being ripped off in the meantime remains to be seen.
Flamenco outside of Andalusia
It's not a scam, exactly, but whether flamenco outside of Andalusia is 'authentic' has long been a bone of contention. The origins of the popular, much-marketed dance form are fraught: most are sure that it began in the south of the country and has, in the centuries since its inception, spread northwards. It's so vital to Spain 's identity that it has been listed as an example of 'intangible cultural heritage' by Unesco.
For many years, however, it was seen as a 'vulgar' form of dance, practised by ostracised members of society and far too passionate for more conservative Spaniards. Conversely, many modern iterations – particularly those outside of flamenco's Andalusian strongholds – are decried as a sanitised, tourist-friendly version of something much more vibrant.
The idea of a 'true' art form is a complicated one, but Seville and Granada are the places to head to if you want to discover a scene alive for its own sake, not just for tourists. Real fans should visit Seville during the Flamenco Biennial, when a series of performances, talks and courses take over the city.
Bad buskers in Athens
Athens 's 'bad buskers' are almost humorous (unless you're the one getting caught out by them). The would-be musicians place clear plastic cups, full of petty cash, far in front of them.
They then begin to play their instruments – often badly, as the aim of their endeavour is not to secure a record deal. In fact, there's some speculation that the musicianship is poor on purpose, to lure unsuspecting tourists into looking at them.
The point is, those not-in-the-know are distracted and knock into that tiny cup. Tourists bend down, attempt to steady the flow of coins, and are told the amount is much reduced by their actions – they must pay the busker more as a sort of compensation.
To avoid it, make sure you keep your wits about you (and watch where you're walking). And if you do knock over the collection, don't feel compelled to give away any cash.
Cup and ball games, across Europe
As old as tourism itself, the cup and ball game – or versions thereof – is a classic trap. Again, the aim is distraction. On a side street, or in a main square, a table will be set up, and visitors will be beckoned over.
The particulars of the game might vary, but usually the promise is that the tourist can win money if they correctly predict which cup the ball is under.
There may, or may not, be a ball. It doesn't really matter. What does matter is that accomplices of the one playing the game are often planning to pickpocket the distracted tourists, taking phones, cash or other valuables without anyone noticing.
It's found across the continent (and indeed the globe). The remedy? Don't get drawn in, no matter how good the odds seem – it's not really about the game at all.
