Venice Pickpockets & Tourist Scams - What Can You Do?

Hey there fellow travelers. Mark here with Walter's World. Today we're in Venice, Italy and today we're going to talk about are some of the scams and tourist traps that travelers might deal with when they come here to Venice because this is such a popular tourist destination. There are a number of tourist traps and there are some scams you need to be aware of and I want to start with a souvenir and it's not necessarily a scam, it's something you should The cheap masks like you'll see the Venetian masks all over the place. Okay, there's different varieties you'll see. But you're going to see a ton of them out there whether they're big, huge ones, they're little cheap ones that are like in every single souvenir store. I want you to be aware that maybe just maybe not all of them are made in Italy. Okay, and if you think you want a real Venetian mask, you want to make sure you're getting a real Venetian mask. That's why if you go for the cheap one, most likely one, it'll probably fall apart. And it's probably not made in Italy. But also it might not be made to be worn. Now if you're not going to wear it, it's no big deal, but you need to be aware of that. And so if you want to get a real mask, like you can get a real mask, and they go up in price. Take my word for it, okay? I collect them. I have four on my wall at home, okay? That's my thing. When I travel, we get our paintings, and I get masks, right? And so I have four from here. And the thing is, you want to go to a shop that just sells masks. They just have masks, like tons and tons of different masks. More likely you're going to get the real deal when you're there and what's cool is you can actually do like workshops to learn how they make the mask so it could be something as well like an entertainment thing and get a cool mask out of it but if you do want to get the cheap mask it's okay but just know you probably could have ordered it you know off of Amazon or Alibaba probably cheaper than what you paid here even on the cheap ones now a big thing you need to realize is when you come here to Venice you know the old attention on the pickpocket lady that's all was all over the over the internet. Look, I think she does like three quarters of her content here in In Venice, because there's so many tourists and when there's so many tourists, there's going to be so many pickpockets. So you do need to pay attention here. Okay, you're not walking around with all your stuff. You're not taking everything with you when you go out for the day. Leave your stuff in your hotel, put your passport yourself in your you know, in the in the safe in your hotel. You don't need to take it with you. Okay, you can't even take big bags into some of the places here. So you're not going to take a lot of stuff, you know, so be aware of that. But Pack accordingly, put your wallet in your front pocket, use your money belt, and be aware of when they strike. They're all over town, but where you're gonna see the most, any place there's a crowd of tourists going, so you think about it like Piazza San Marco, there's gonna be probably some there. If you're going to the Accademia, seeing all the artwork, that could be there. On the Rialto Bridge, we all come in and we all wanna get our pictures and stuff, we're focusing on that beautiful picture, and out on our wallet, you wanna be careful with that. But also on the Vaporetto, the water buses that go around, On there, you want to be careful, but also when you're just waiting to get on, because you're like, oh, I'm going to get on the bus, I don't want to trip, I don't want to fall in the water, what's going to go on? And you're not paying attention, that's when they might go in and get you. I mean, that's the best ones, the only pickpocket lady gets, is when she gets them when they're literally in the line, you know, getting on the Vaporetto, so do be aware of that, okay? So just have your heads up in any crowded area. When there's a lot of tourists, so when you're going off the side roads, you go off that tourist trail, it's not as much of a deal, but if you're on that tourist trail, just know you've got to pay attention, okay? Now, when you go around, another thing you need to realize is if you see people dressed up, like they're dressed up for the carnival balls with the masks on and the dresses, it is really cool. Like, they are really cool. But realize, um, They're not doing that for fun, they're doing that to make some money. Okay, so if you take pictures of them, if you get pictures with them, they will expect you to tip them. Okay, so make sure you have that. It's not necessarily a scam or a tourist trap, but just something you should know. Now, if it is during Carnival time, well, that's different than the people are dressed up and it's totally fine. But that is one thing I think people get upset because they get a picture of them and they're like, hey, money or like, well, I just took a picture. Just be ready for that to happen. Okay, now another kind of scammy thing or tourist trappy thing I want you to be aware of that you could do, but you could do it a way to avoid the touristy trappiness of it, are the Murano glass tours. You know, you go out to Murano Island, you go see them blow glass and make this beautiful artwork with the glass. It's really, really cool. It's worth going to see the glass blowing. But when you do the free tour, what they do is they take you out there, you see the 20 minutes of glass blowing, and then they put you in the gift shop for like an hour. and they're trying to get you to buy stuff because of course they probably get a little kickback little commission kind of stuff but it is kind of like wait this is like a 20 minute thing but i'm wasting two hours of my day because you want me to sit in the gift shop for an hour and that's why if you're going to be doing it but take one of the water taxis out there to Murano on your own and explore the island's cool by itself so you can explore the island, see the glass blowing and you're not stuck in the gift shop for an hour Now, another thing I want you to be aware of, and this is something that you'll see in all the really busy areas in Italy, it's not just a Venice thing, is the overly friendly person. You know, the, my friend, my friend, hey, what time is it? Hey, where are you from? You know, trying to buddy-buddy up with you. And then, of course, they're eventually going to maybe offer you a bracelet or tie something on you or offer you a rose or whatever. Any of those freebie things, there's never anything free. Like, I can't say this enough, there is no free bracelet, there is no free rose, there's no free anything, there's no free friendship here. They're usually going to ask you for something afterwards. And if you don't want to give them things afterwards, or you're like, oh, but I gave you the rose, they'll make a scene and it's, you know, they do it to make you embarrassed. So you give them money, so you leave them alone. Just don't interact with them. Just walk by. Okay, there'll be other tourists who want to harass aside from you. Alright, so be aware of that. Also, when you are here, you might notice there are beggars here and the government will tell you don't give to the beggars. A lot of working organized groups and they're probably doing better than you are, you know, so you want to be aware of that. So you want to be careful with that. You can give I'm not saying not to give the beggars if you don't want to, but just be aware of that. Especially if it's like kids. I mean, there's kid beggars, there's kid pickpockets, you gotta be you know, on your toes when you are here because of all these things that are going on. And sometimes those beggars aren't who you think they are. Like, it's not necessarily the person on the corner, it could be the fake tourists. You know, You know, people are like, oh, I was here, and they pick. Pickpocketing me, but I gotta get back to the airport because I got my flight back to Manchester later today Could you hook me up with like 20 euros so I can get out there. I got my ticket already, see? You know, they'll show you like their boarding pass or whatever. Look, just know that... Most likely, it's not an actual thing that happened, okay? Now, another thing that people think is a tourist trap or a scam on tourists but isn't is paying extra when you sit down at a cafe. Look, you want to get your espresso. You're in Italy. You have espresso. But the thing is, if you stand up, you notice all the locals are standing up, right, having their espresso. Because it's cheaper when you're standing up. When you sit down, then they're going to charge you more. So be aware of that. Now, I know the espresso might be priced differently on the cafe sitting versus standing. But also, I want to say this, is make sure you do look and check your bill to make sure everything's okay. Because in tourist spots, with lots of tourists going, especially in the summer times when it's all busy and hectic and you want to go get things. You have it hot and all that. Sometimes, maybe an extra Spritz Select showed up on there or something else was on there. Just check, because sometimes it accidentally happens. They might put a little extra thing on your bill. So it's always a good idea to read through. Don't just give them your credit card. Always check the bill first. I mean, you'll see Italians do that as well. They'll check their bill to make sure it's okay. And be like, hey, we didn't have, you know, four bacalas. We only had two. What's going on here? And they'll adjust. It's no big deal. But just be aware of that, okay? Now, another thing that some people think is a tourist trap, but I'll be honest with you, it's not really a tourist trap. It is part of Italy, but it's part of Venetian culture, are the gondola rides. Now, the gondola rides, they're not cheap. I mean, it's not a tourist trap. It's not a scam. They're expensive to go on, okay? So if you want to go on them, you know, maybe get some other people with you, you know, and you can split the price that way. But it is part of coming here, and it's part of the thing. But, I mean, when the prices start to push near the 100-euro mark with tip and everything and with singing as well, Some people feel it is a tourist trap, but it's not. It's part of the culture here. But be aware that you're going to pay for that culture, all right? Now, there's a tourist trap thing you're going to have to deal with when you're here. It doesn't matter how good of a tourist you are, how much you like to travel, how in sync you are with the culture. The tourist trap restaurants are a part of life here in Venice. Look, if you're on the tourist trail, you're the long walk from... uh Santa Lucia to San Marcos there's tons of restaurants along the way that is the tourist trail and there's a lot of tourist trap restaurants there and the thing is is if you're on there I mean some of the restaurants are actually okay it's not a big deal but it's you're going to notice the tourist trappiness when you're there that's what I'm going to say if you're looking for a tourist trap restaurant if they have big pictures of the food probably tourist trap restaurants if there's like 19 languages on there probably a tourist trap restaurant okay also the biggest The biggest giveaway for me is if it has like 20 different pastas on offer and none of them are like spaghetti al vongole or none of them have the black uh the black cuttlefish ink in them okay because what happens is there's so many tourists that come here and they're they're from all over Italy and they're all over the world they would have Italian food because sometimes it's the only city they go to they'll have pasta from all parts of Italy but not necessarily from Venice okay so usually in Italian restaurants they only have a few pasta dishes that's from that region whereas here you if you have a ton of them yeah it's It's probably a tourist trap restaurant, okay? The thing is, since there's so many more tourists here than locals, it's hard not to go to tourist trap restaurants. So one thing I would say to recommend to you is look at the reviews. Don't go to any place under four stars. If you got four up, you should be fine, but obviously higher is better. But below four, there's too many other options for you to do. But one thing I like to do is literally just walk like three blocks or four blocks into the island, basically off of that tourist trail. and you got a better chance to find something local that's there and eat some of those local foods when you are here. Get the Branzino, the sea bass, you want to have that. Get the Spaghetti al vongole, get the risotto with the cuttlefish ink in it. I mean you have those things that you can really enjoy and maybe get away from the higher prices but also the touristiness and maybe actually meet some of the locals when you're here because a lot of you don't realize the actual the people from Venice are actually pretty cool it's just that they get so overrun by the tourists sometimes they get a little frustrated all right. Oh and when you go to the restaurant I know I mentioned the branzino, But if you're going to get fish, it's not a scam, But just something I want to be aware of is make sure you look at the prices because sometimes the fish is priced per gram and you don't know how many grams it is. So do be aware of that. Okay. Now, another thing that's a true tourist thing to do, but a tourist thing you're going to pay for. So it's not really a tourist trap or scam. It's just a fact of life. That is having your spritz, having your gelato. on Piazza San Marco. Look, it is the best view in the entire city. It is gorgeous. I've actually sat there before. Jocelyn's birthday one year. We went there and sat because it was a special occasion. And wow, my wallet said this better be a special occasion because you will pay a lot more for that view. So do be aware of that. It's not a scam, but it's something you will really pay for, okay? And that's the thing is the location where things are really can dictate the price. That's why I would not recommend, you know, shopping on the Rialto Bridge because the The same souvenirs you see on the Rialto, You'll find other places around town, and it'll be a lot more affordable. And when you're on the Rialto with all the steps and all the tourists trying to take the pictures and all this kind of stuff, and it's kind of, you know, thinner than the street itself, that's also a pickpocket location, so do be aware of that, okay? Now... Some other things I do want to make you aware of is realize that there are some of the usual tourist scams like everywhere else. Those distraction scams here where you say hey what's over there and there your bags are already gone. Things like the bird poop scam because you have the pigeons that are around here okay and the seagulls oh man don't feed the seagulls you just don't want to deal with those or oops I got some gelato on you let me help you and basically what it is they'll get something on you. right like poop or like white stuff or gelato like i'm sorry then you you know i just have my little bag here i just put it down and then they help me get cleaned up hey you have a good day and then they're on their way and your bag's gone they're not the one who stole it he's like i don't have it i didn't do it i was just a helpful person helping this tourist that got gelato on them and their friends already gone with your bag okay if that does happen those kind of things you know report it to the police but i would say is look up and down the streets where you notice it happened look in the trash cans there because a lot of times what they're doing doing, especially it's like wallets or something they're trying to find you know something valuable and they throw away the rest because then they could get caught with the bag or if you have your wallet you know they'll be caught with your credit cards they can't say oops but if it's cash there's no proof that it was not theirs now there are some other kind of tourist rules i think are important to mention um because some people feel they're a scam or you feel it's like a trap or you're getting ripped off or something but it's actually things you need to realize that some of the fines you can get when you're here remember Guys, you can't take your shirt off when you're walking around town It doesn't matter how hot it is or how buff you are I mean, I've seen people do this. You can be fined for that Feeding the pigeons, you can be fined for that, okay? You know, sitting in some of the spots and blocking people on the Rialto Bridge, you can be fined for that It doesn't happen a lot, but it's something you should be aware of when you are here. You're just like, why am I getting fined for this? Because it is part of it. And the tourists... Day tax, you know, the day trip tax, you do have to pay that sometimes. It's not every day. There's certainly certain days you actually have to pay it. And, you know, it's usually in peak season. But it's something you need to be aware of. Oh, and if you're staying at a hotel here, you don't have to worry about the day trip tax because it's already included in your taxes you pay with your hotel room. So you don't have to worry about those things, all right? The thing is, I've gone through all these bad things about vans, But I'll be honest with you, most of these things you're not going to deal with when you are here, except for the tourist trap restaurants. I'm not going to lie to you. That's one thing you're definitely going to deal with. But I just want you to have an idea of what to expect when you come here so you can have a safer, better visit. There's so many tourists coming here to Venice, and I want them at the best time possible. And if you want to learn more about Venice, the don'ts of coming to Venice, mistakes tourists make in Venice, what to eat when you're here in Venice, check us out on our website at waltersworld.com. And I wish you all the best. I want to say a special thank you to all of our members and patrons who help make these videos possible. You all are awesome. Bye from here in Venice.