Europe Tourist Traps

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Most Viewed Tourist Traps in Europe

1.

Eiffel Tower   Paris

Eiffel Tower, Paris

 61 Reviews  The most elaborated scam I've seen (on me!) in Paris, when someone passing through you simulates catching an gold ring and then try to give it yo you saying it was the destiny and you should keep it... 

 See All 509 Tourist Traps in Paris

2.

Madame Tussauds and Planetarium   London

Madame Tussauds and Planetarium, London

 37 Reviews  If you want to look at a load of lifeless dummies, then why not visit the House of Commons ? or Luton. I fail to understand how this attraction is still at the top of many tourists "Must see"... 

 See All 510 Tourist Traps in London

3.

Red Light District   Amsterdam

Red Light District, Amsterdam

 23 Reviews  In the summer this place is heaving with tourists and where there are lots of tourists there are lots of undesirables such as heroin junkies, aggressive beggars, pickpockets and some real ugly looking... 

 See All 259 Tourist Traps in Amsterdam

4.

Places To Avoid   Barcelona

Places To Avoid, Barcelona

 35 Reviews  Poble Espanyol (touted as a "one hour" way to get to know Spain) is just a couple of fake buildings, some with painted on windows, and fake artisan workshops. There is one interesting contemporary art... 

 See All 227 Tourist Traps in Barcelona

5.

Gondole   Venice

Gondole, Venice

 82 Reviews  I need to explain something about gondola service in Venice! The Gondola isn't a public transport, but a private traditional tour with "round trip" (alternative routes are almost impossible) , isn't... 

 See All 298 Tourist Traps in Venice

6.

Areas of Berlin   Berlin

Areas of Berlin, Berlin

 10 Reviews  Someone else has already mentioned it, but there are turkish or some eastern european men working the system here. They are close to or near the cathedral, the TV Tower or Unter den Linden. You will... 

 See All 137 Tourist Traps in Berlin

7.

Temple Bar   Dublin

Temple Bar, Dublin

 23 Reviews  Nice area with plenty of shops, pubs and restaurants but definitely aimed at tourists & hence pretty expensive. Go & see it but if you want souvenirs, food or drink there's plenty of other places to... 

 See All 110 Tourist Traps in Dublin

8.

Eating & drinking   Madrid

Eating & drinking, Madrid

 15 Reviews  When you are at the Plaza Mayor you may find it nice to have a bite at one of the many terraces they have, they all look so nice and you can be in the sun... beware however that these restaurants are... 

 See All 70 Tourist Traps in Madrid

9.

Restaurants around Grand' Place   Brussels

Restaurants around Grand' Place, Brussels

 44 Reviews  It's no secret that rue des Bouchers is a big scam! As a local I feel sorry for all those tourists disappointed by their meals! As a foreigner-looking person also I'm used to waiters trying to get me... 

 See All 131 Tourist Traps in Brussels

10.

Little Mermaid   Copenhagen

Little Mermaid, Copenhagen

 31 Reviews  Who would think to check if an icon of the city was still there? 45 min walk to find a rock with a hole in it and a video screen (which is useless when the sun is on it). I didn't care about it but... 

 See All 75 Tourist Traps in Copenhagen

11.

Glockenspiel at the New Town Hall   Munich

Glockenspiel at the New Town Hall, Munich

 10 Reviews  Glockenspiel has it's own tower that now takes you by elevator to the top. Wonderful view but nothing compared with the view from St. Peter's tower of the Glockenspiel Clock in action. A magnificent... 

 See All 74 Tourist Traps in Munich

12.

Taxi rip-offs   Lisbon

Taxi rip-offs, Lisbon

 9 Reviews  I'm ashamed to say that in my own city, in the place where I've been in countless times (airport), and in the service I've used many times in the past, I or rather, we (as I was with my husband when... 

 See All 75 Tourist Traps in Lisbon

13.

Nightlife   Stockholm

Nightlife, Stockholm

 7 Reviews  It will be you and other tourist if there are any in there at the same time as you. It is a small bar and they give you coats and gloves to wear. I cant remember but I think it was like $30 to get in... 

 See All 66 Tourist Traps in Stockholm

14.

The Duomo   Milan

The Duomo, Milan

 17 Reviews  Be very careful with guys who come up to you and thrust corn into your hands to feed the pigeons in from on the Dumo. Even though this makes a fantastic picture with the dones eating from your palm...... 

 See All 77 Tourist Traps in Milan

15.

Taxis   Athens

Taxis, Athens

 26 Reviews  To put it bluntly they are ba#%$^%&'s Rude, over bearing, arrogant, and out to prise every cent out of you they can. I found it best by far to NOT ask a price or bargin, but just to get in and get... 

 See All 90 Tourist Traps in Athens

16.

Tourist prices   Moscow

Tourist prices, Moscow

 15 Reviews  Russia still has a sort of dual-pricing system, according to which foreigners are charged often 3 to 10 times more at theatres, museums or sights than Russian citizens. This price system is a relic... 

 See All 84 Tourist Traps in Moscow

17.

Wieliczka Salt Mine   Krakow

Wieliczka Salt Mine, Krakow

 7 Reviews  Wieliczka caters to about 1 000 000 tourists a year (thats a VERY large amount) - during the summer months they average about 6000 tourists a day... by my rough calculations that equates to about... 

 See All 68 Tourist Traps in Krakow

18.

Kiasma (The Museum of Contemporary Art)   Helsinki

Kiasma (The Museum of Contemporary Art), Helsinki

 2 Reviews  This might be a nice modern building, but a waste of money and time if you will get to the exhibitions inside. In the summer, just sit at the terrace café, nice and peaceful place pointing to the west... 

 See All 50 Tourist Traps in Helsinki

19.

Tours Etc.   Edinburgh

Tours Etc., Edinburgh

 13 Reviews  It was quite entertaining but wasn't exactly what I expected. The first 20 minutes were spent listening to a funny but fairly inaccurate history of Scotland. From there we went to Greyfriars Kirkyard.... 

 See All 70 Tourist Traps in Edinburgh

20.

Not all that glitters is gold, don't pay too much!   Antwerp

Not all that glitters is gold, don't pay too much!, Antwerp

 6 Reviews  Beware of the jewellery stores situated under Central Station along the Pelikaanstraat. Not all shops are kosher. Prices may look interesting but if you are not an expert you might pay what you think... 

 See All 31 Tourist Traps in Antwerp

21.

Restaurants too expensive.   Brugge

Restaurants too expensive., Brugge

 7 Reviews  Hi, I live in Brugge and have noticed all the negative comments on restaurant prices in the market. You´re right - you pay way too much for the market view. So here are some places that we who live... 

 See All 52 Tourist Traps in Brugge

22.

Taxis   Warsaw

Taxis, Warsaw

 6 Reviews  If I had to point a few very positive things in Poland, I would definetly consider the taxis. of course if you know the rules such as don't pick up a taxi from those guys waiting at the exit of the... 

 See All 41 Tourist Traps in Warsaw

23.

Prices Old Town   Tallinn

Prices Old Town, Tallinn

 3 Reviews  Raekoja plats is the place to be if you want to grab a beer, relax and watch people pass by. Unfortunately, the pubowners have understood this, so they charge ridiculous amounts for drinks that... 

 See All 13 Tourist Traps in Tallinn

24.

Old Trafford   Manchester

Old Trafford, Manchester

 4 Reviews  If you travel to Manchester, a sight worth seeing is the Manchester United Stadium, although there have been reports of tourists beeing robbed in this area. If taking photographs do not allow anyone... 

 See All 18 Tourist Traps in Manchester

25.

Flamenco   Sevilla

Flamenco, Sevilla

 5 Reviews  Even though the flamenco show is meant for tourists, it features excellent bailaores, guitarists, and cantaores. The food is acceptable. What is not acceptable is that our camera with more than 300... 

 See All 29 Tourist Traps in Sevilla

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Ryanair & the Frankfurt HAHN - TRICK

by globetrott

Airport Frankfurt HAHN is 116km from Frankfurt/Main!!!The Airport Frankfurt Hahn might cause a lot of dangerous confusion, because you might expect it to be at least close to Frankfurt am Main. In fact it is in a distance of 116 km and driving from one to the other might take 2-3 hours depending on the way of transportation and the trafic-situation because you will go over highways and country-roads !But at least Frankfurt/Hahn is the BEST airport for travels in the Mosel-valley and partly also the Rhine-valley!!The counters of Ryanair at Frankfurt / Hahn will open 2 hours before and close already 40 min before departure !! ---------------------------------------------How to go from Hahn to the real Frankfurt:There is a daily and direct bus between Frankfurt Hahn airport and Frankfurt am Main Airport and Hauptbahnhof : it takes 1:45 hours, when trafic is no problem, a Single ticket is...

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Sleep overs....

by Maryimelda

This is more a suggestion than a warning about a tourist trap, but this seemed the best place to put it.People complain a lot about places in Europe that are too "touristy" (how I hate that word.) In any event, most complaints are based on, amongst other things, the fact that when there are large numbers of tourists in a particular place, the lines are longer and it makes it more difficult to get around to see what you want to see. One solution to this problem, especially in the case of towns that are very popular destinations for day trippers, is to stay overnight. Have a sleep over, because when the hoardes leave town (usually about 4pm,) you have the whole place to yourself (just about!). This applies very especially to places like Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Dinkelsbuehl, Assisi, Fuessen, Colmar, Lauterbrunnen and Hallstatt to name but a few.

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It pays to find the alternative

by Maryimelda

All too often we head for the more well known, bigger (if you like) places to use as a base for our travels in a particular area. We fall for the trap of paying more for accommodation than we need to, when just nearby there will be a smaller place that has cheapr accommodation and is just as well located for the sights we want to see.A prime example of this is the Jungfrau region of Switzerland. It is widely believed that to see the Jungfrau, one must stay in Interlaken, which although a very attractive little city can be quite expensive when it comes to accommodation. Twenty minutes away lies a beautiful little town called Lauterbrunnen, which has several hotels which are markedly cheaper than those in Interlaken. It is also twenty minutes closer to the Jungfrau and is connected by train and/or cable car to several other villages which could serve the same purpose. These include Wengen,...

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THE ETERNAL SHAME OF AKROTIRI (SANTORINI, GREECE)

by DAO

To be somewhat fair the local authorities, the last Tourist to visit was killed on site. A protective roof structure was being erected to protect the ancient ruins in 2005. Unfortunately part of it collapsed and killed a tourist. Fair enough, but they estimated it would be open by now. It’s been 5 years! I have been here twice and have only seen the closed sign (pictured). Every tourist map lists the ‘Excavations at Akrotiri and several Travel Agent websites actually list it as an activity – mentioning at the end that it is not currently open. It was supposed to open soon in2007. And in 2010. The crazy thing is several tour companies will tell you the closing time each day (3pm), the entry fee (3 Euros) and the parking situation. They even offer transport. THE PLACE IS CLOSED!!! HAS BEEN FOR 5 YEARS !!! Why is it so important? Akrotiri is the Pompeii of Santorini. The volcano covered,...

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Railpass as a tourist trap in Europe (2010)

by GyuriFT

Most people think, that all passes for Europe are either Interrail or Eurail - which is not the case and few passes are even making sense. These are Swiss Rail Pass varieties and certain (only certain!) forms of German Rail Pass.So to clarify with everyone:1) Some (a tiny minority) of passes are worth to consider under most circumstances. None of them is designed by RailEurope - but they are marketed by RailEurope, which adds to confusion.2) The EuRail pass for young (under 26) designed by RailEurope is MAYBE worth to consider if someone travels ALONE. The price structure (in Euro) in 2010 is roughly:- 340 Euro for 15 days- 440 Euro for 22 days- 550 Euro for one month- 780 Euro for two months- 950 Euro for three monthsHowever, we of course have the instant proof, that even these prices are inflated since the equivalent product called "Interrail" - but for European residents costs (I...

Benelux Rail passes offered overseas: a rip-off!

by GyuriFT

Any railpass involving Benelux and offered overseas (typically Eurail passes) are a major rip-off, even the "youth" passes.The proof... Let's imagine, you buy an international ticket between Amsterdam and Aachen (border point, till Aachen city it's 2.20 Euro extra). But at the same time you would like to visit:- Amsterdam- Leiden- Den Haag- Antwerpen- Gent- Brugge- BruxellesThe best solution is in such case to buy one-month international routing ticket covering all these cities.The picture of such routing ticket is here:http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/1061/screenshot20100724at114.pngWhat it really covers and how wicked is the route can be traced here:http://www.bueker.net/trainspotting/map.php?file=maps/benelux/benelux.gifAnd yes, the total is 51.80 Euro.With such prices who needs Benelux railpasses with few limited days and starting at $147?Spend 51.80 Euro and travel 30 days in a...

point-to-point tickets: potential high rip-off!

by GyuriFT

Be aware: the so-often mentioned "point-to-point" international train tickets in Europe and Asia are in the reality "relation-tickets": train tickets allowing the bearer travel the relation fixed in the ticket for extended period of time and with unlimited stop-overs."True" point-to-point international tickets do exist - but Europeans use them only if there is a substantial discount. Typically, long-distance tickets costing 29, 39, 49 Euros in couch or 39, 49, 59, 79 (etc.) Euros in sleeper or couchette are indeed strictly airline-like "point-to-point" tickets: they are bound to particular train(s), valid only on a certain date and like with an airplane, the bearer is expected to enter the train at the start station and exit at the end.Such tickets are usually sold over the Internet or sometimes in grocery stores(!!!). But regular international tickets or regularly discounted...

P is for Prancers of Paris

by sourbugger

If ever there was a place that was living off past glories, it is the Moulin rouge.It does however still have a steady trade, relying on hoardes of rich tourists to fill up the theatre seats. For about 150 euros each they get a somewhat average meal from Seven O'clock and then a show from Nine O'clock, always featureing a bunch of East European Lovelies, with legs up to their armpits, pretending to be turn-of-the-century french courtesans dancing the can-can.It all seems to staid and formulaic compare to the "Va Va Vroom" expressed in the film "Moulin Rouge" where senses tingled with anticipation at a night spent here. In a similar night out in Lincolnshire UK, it will cost you about 12 quid. A quick meal at Wetherspoons (£5.50 for two), A bootle of Cava From ASDA (£1.99) and entry to a dodgy nightclub (£3 at after dark) to watch a bunch of long-legged Latvian strutt their stuff.

Don't get carried away when planning a trip

by deeper_blue

Europe is full of gems, some famous some not, just be careful not to overstretch yourself, when planning your itinerary. Sometimes it is better to focus on a specific region if you have limited time, otherwise you will be travelling all the time and spending very little time sightseeing. Have loads of money and time.

GROSS STUPIDITY – LONDON GATWICK AIRPORT

by DAO

“You are not welcome here Johnny Foreigner”! Well, they might as well put up a sign in the baggage claim area at Gatwick. I just recently returned to Gatwick from outside the EU and went to go use one of the free baggage trolleys for the bags in the baggage claim area. Problem is, they are not quite free anymore. In fact, it’s worse than that. You have to have a British One Pound Coin to free the chained trolleys. What do you mean you don’t have British One Pound coins in your pocket you Tourist from abroad? Oh well, you can use a 1 Euro Coin or a 25 Cent US Coin. Rest of the world – tough. Of course there is NO way to get said coins in this secure area. So you are stuffed. Welcome to Britain, go get some coins. Of course you cannot return to this area once you leave! What genius thought this was a good idea? Did this person or person work on Heathrow Terminal 5 as well?Well, if you do...

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Questions and Answers

TheChiefHarry profile photo

Q:  Hey, This summer I have about a month out and id like to travel around the EU, I come from the UK so Visa's and the like are... 

K_V_B profile photo

A: If you're a student and live in the UK the option you want to look at is a thing called "interrail". Just google it. Be mindfull however of the following caveats: - In... 

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