Destinations › Italy › Florence › Scams
Florence, Italy
10 reported scam patterns travellers run into in Florence, what they look like, and how to sidestep them.
Touts near the major galleries selling 'skip the line' entry that is the standard timed ticket at a large markup, or is invalid.
Restaurants near the main squares adding a coperto and a service charge on top, plus items not ordered, with menus that do not show either.
Pickpocketing in the queues for the major galleries and on the crowded bridges during peak hours.
Bracelet sellers around the cathedral and the main squares tying a band on and then demanding payment, holding the wrist until it is given.
Short-let apartments taking deposits for properties that are unlicensed and unavailable on arrival.
Dynamic currency conversion at card terminals and independent cash machines at unfavourable rates.
Rose and trinket sellers pressing an item into a hand and then demanding payment, working restaurant terraces in the evening.
Unlicensed guides at the cathedral and gallery entrances charging for commentary and access that is already ticketed.
Counterfeit leather goods sold as Florentine-made at market stalls, and 'genuine leather' items that are bonded or synthetic.
Drivers taking extended routes around the restricted-traffic zone and applying surcharges that do not apply.
