Europe Warnings and Dangers

  Slippery when wet!
by suvanki
  • Slippery when wet!
      Slippery when wet!
    by suvanki
  • ZTL sign in Gubbio (Via Savelli)
      ZTL sign in Gubbio (Via Savelli)
    by Trekki
  • Green Peace chuggers at Sheffield Station 07/08/12
      Green Peace chuggers at Sheffield...
    by suvanki
  • Read the sign!
      Read the sign!
    by toonsarah
  • Love This Sign!
      Love This Sign!
    by johngayton

Most Viewed Warnings and Dangers in Europe

1.

Pick-Pockets   Paris

Pick-Pockets, Paris

 181 Reviews  Paris is no better or worse than any other large city when it comes to pickpockets and scams, they do exist so don't make yourself a target. Keep an eye on your valuables when riding the metro and if... 

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2.

Pickpockets, Beggars, Crime and Scams   London

Pickpockets, Beggars, Crime and Scams, London

 142 Reviews   London is a huge, busy city that is always full of people. Play it safe and don’t walk around in large crowds talking on your mobile phone. While you are not paying attention you become a target for... 

 See All 644 Warnings and Dangers in London

3.

Drug dealers / Junkies   Amsterdam

Drug dealers / Junkies, Amsterdam

 50 Reviews  I saw tips that you should not buy drugs at all (except the coffeeshops and smartshops) and that it's illegal. That's true. But that's not the mentality of giving tips and information as we are used... 

 See All 488 Warnings and Dangers in Amsterdam

4.

Pickpockets and Purse-Snatchers   Rome

Pickpockets and Purse-Snatchers, Rome

 163 Reviews   Pickpockets are everywhere, especially where tourists like to hang out – so take common sense precautions as you travel in Rome. - Don’t flash your valuables around – expensive camera equipment,... 

 See All 506 Warnings and Dangers in Rome

5.

Pickpockets   Barcelona

Pickpockets, Barcelona

 116 Reviews  Please be very wary when getting the train from the airport into Barcelona Sants station as it appears to be a big pickpocket target. You've just arrived from the airport for your holiday and with... 

 See All 357 Warnings and Dangers in Barcelona

6.

Acqua Alta   Venice

Acqua Alta, Venice

 36 Reviews  Acqua alta or high water is a phenomenon which generally takes place in Venice in automn or winter time and is due to a combination of tidal water and strong winds from the south. If you visit Venice... 

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7.

Public Transport   Berlin

Public Transport, Berlin

 17 Reviews  When I travelled from Berlin Schoenefeld Airport to the city centre by S-Bahn, I was approached by a woman outside the station who tried to get me to buy a used rail ticket. I had heard of this scam... 

 See All 126 Warnings and Dangers in Berlin

8.

Pickpockets   Prague

Pickpockets, Prague

 117 Reviews  There is good police presence in Old Town Square, it is perhaps less noticeable throughout the city. But beware, when you visit Old Town Square and are staring up at the clock tower to see the... 

 See All 449 Warnings and Dangers in Prague

9.

Pickpockets   Florence

Pickpockets, Florence

 44 Reviews   Pickpockets are everywhere, especially where tourists like to hang out – so take common sense precautions as you travel in Florence. - Don’t flash your valuables around – expensive camera equipment,... 

 See All 151 Warnings and Dangers in Florence

10.

Cyclists & bicycle paths   Copenhagen

Cyclists & bicycle paths, Copenhagen

 15 Reviews  Many residents of Copenhagen have chosen the bicycle as their preferred mode of transport. The city has a significant network of cycle paths and most roads have a cycle lane. This can be challenging... 

 See All 74 Warnings and Dangers in Copenhagen

11.

Street crime   Lisbon

Street crime, Lisbon

 50 Reviews  This route is purely for tourist and passes Castelo Sao Jorge, skirts the narrow streets of Alfama, the high view point of the river Tejo and charming district of Graça and the historic district of... 

 See All 169 Warnings and Dangers in Lisbon

12.

Safety   Stockholm

Safety, Stockholm

 16 Reviews  Stockholm's public transport terminus appears to be the chosen hang out for the city's homeless, mainly because the subterranean platforms for the tube, retain warmth, even during winter. Upon arrival... 

 See All 88 Warnings and Dangers in Stockholm

13.

Safe City   Munich

Safe City, Munich

 17 Reviews  Munich is the city safer than ever I have visited. It is very normal to see high times of the night by the stations of u-bahn to police, either the national, or the own one of u-bahn. Single a danger,... 

 See All 91 Warnings and Dangers in Munich

14.

Around Dublin   Dublin

Around Dublin, Dublin

 48 Reviews  Use caution when you're withdrawing money from ATM machines. Crime, like any city is rampant in Dublin especailly when it comes to withdrawing money from cash machines. Make sure no one is peeping... 

 See All 98 Warnings and Dangers in Dublin

15.

Avoid at Night   Brussels

Avoid at Night, Brussels

 23 Reviews  It is always possible to write that nothing bad happens in Brussels. Brussels politicians were especially strong in telling people that everything is fine and when criminals shoot at police with an AK... 

 See All 146 Warnings and Dangers in Brussels

16.

Security   Madrid

Security, Madrid

 75 Reviews  When I got my Euro before I left home I was given lots of 100 and 50 euro notes. I thought it would be easy to change them when I arrived but wasnt. Even going to train stations and buying tickets and... 

 See All 142 Warnings and Dangers in Madrid

17.

Central Station   Milan

Central Station, Milan

 15 Reviews  I've had to travel through Milan quite a few times now. I've been to Italy many times, I know the level of criminality is high but I've noticed Milano Centrale seems to attract so many criminals. I... 

 See All 99 Warnings and Dangers in Milan

18.

Areas to avoid   Athens

Areas to avoid, Athens

 23 Reviews  Athens is way less dangerous than it gets credit for. It sells to talk s--- about the city lately, so oh well. You can be on tourist mode for as long as you want, it's just not a very good idea if... 

 See All 179 Warnings and Dangers in Athens

19.

Local police & Documents   Moscow

Local police & Documents, Moscow

 46 Reviews  Foreigners applying for work permits must now undergo tests for HIV/AIDS, leprosy, syphilis, chlamydia and all those other nasty things your Drill Sergeant and your mother warned you about. Tests... 

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20.

Roads and Driving   Santorini Island

Roads and Driving, Santorini Island

 13 Reviews  About 4,000 people a year, die, as a result of Quad, Motor Bikes and Cycles in Greece every single year. On Santorini alone, at least 20 tourist a season are killed on the roads. In Greece it is law,... 

 See All 56 Warnings and Dangers in Santorini Island

21.

Driving on Crete   Crete Island

Driving on Crete, Crete Island

 9 Reviews  We drove about 1000 km on the eastern part of Crete in a Peugeot 107, thank you Sixt. The roads were overall rather good, even the small ones. Sometimes there was suddenly a clearly new surface. None... 

 See All 41 Warnings and Dangers in Crete Island

22.

Beware Pickpockets   Palma de Mallorca

Beware Pickpockets, Palma de Mallorca

 9 Reviews  An awful experience on a Palma city centre bus, during our journey into the centre of Palma, the bus we were travelling on became very busy. I was very aware the whole time we were in Palma of the... 

 See All 22 Warnings and Dangers in Palma de Mallorca

23.

The Finnish drivers   Helsinki

The Finnish drivers, Helsinki

 6 Reviews  Having just returned from Helsinki I didn't realize cars driving extraordinarily fast, and I felt safe on pedestrian crossings. I really don't understand what the people below experienced. Only the... 

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24.

Eating too many Chocolates and Frites etc.   Brugge

Eating too many Chocolates and Frites etc., Brugge

 9 Reviews  A very few Chocolate shops in Brugge DO NOT allow you to ' look around ' and will chuck you out into the street if you do go in without knowing what you want! Check the door signs before you look. The... 

 See All 40 Warnings and Dangers in Brugge

25.

Protect yourself   Salzburg

Protect yourself, Salzburg

 3 Reviews  Werfen Ice Caves, Nr. Salzburg - Ok these might be spectacular, but lets put reality into them. They are approx 5628 ft up a cliff face. From what I can remember the peak of the Jungfrau in... 

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Comments

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Not everything in Europe is BIG

by Maryimelda

One of the facts about Europe that I found I had to accept rather than let it spoil my trips, was the size of some hotel rooms and especially the bathrooms.More often than not if you are staying in a one, two or three star hotel, which by the way are usually perfectly fine, you will find yourself in a very small room with a bathroom not much bigger than a wardrobe. It is not always the case , but for the most part, the centuries old buildings whill have been refurbished to fit rooms in wherever possible. The upside of this is that quite often, no two rooms in one hotel will be the same and I feel that this fact adds to the charm of these establishments. If you learn to expect it, you will not be disappointed and sometimes, you might even fluke a room of a decent size with a good sized bathroom. I will always remember my room in Freiburg im Breisgau in Germany. The room itself, was small...

My cute little room in Lauterbrunnen
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Beggars on the streets

by Maryimelda

In many cities and towns all over Europe, you will probably come across beggars. This is always a difficult one for me, because some of them really do tear at your heartstrings. The lady in my photo is a prime example. It is very hard to distinguish who is genuine and who is not at times. They will do anything to convince the tourists that they are in dire need of help. Some will be nursing babies, some will be very elderly and will not think twice of making themselves appear to be as pitiful as they can.I am in no position to judge these people nor do I purport for one single moment to give advice on this sad part of the European culture. Rule of thumb for me personally is to carry small change in my pocket so that if I feel that they are genuine, I can get it quickly, (if the pickpockets haven't found it already that is) give it to them and move on. Otherwise I try to pass them by...

Sad sight
lost passport or credit card!

by alsacekid

There is a new travel website out there. Called touristmayday.com and is an assistance website for travelers after having lost passport or credit card, connecting you easy to the credit card companies phone numbers and websites and the embassy for canceling documents and cards. Also got some nice info about how to save money etc.

FOR AUSSIE'S..........

by balhannah

The warning is for Australian's..................Do not do what you think the sign says in Aussie lingo!It means EXIT We had many a laugh about the difference in language's on our travels around Europe, I'm sure you will too!

EARLY RISER'S!

by balhannah

As we come from Australia, we are used to early starts to the day. Shops, Tourist attraction's and most things are open from 9am or much earlier.In Europe, we found it very different. Our early starts [we were awake and ready to go] meant lovely morning countryside and village views, this was a plus in the tourist places, as quite often I had the small village mainly to myself, long before the Tourist Coaches arrived!The downside was, a lot of the Attraction's, including most of the Castles did not open until 10am or even 11am, and most closed by 5pm, some even at 4pm. This really made it difficult to see all that we wanted to!Be aware of this when planning your trip, and pick out the main points of interest you wish to see.Check the opening and closing times, this is important

TRACTOR'S

by balhannah

Tractor's, well, they did become a joke with us!Travelling around Europe and passing through many Countries, practically every day, at some point,we were caught behind a Tractor. We were travelling through the smaller villages, so it was to be expected, but we also came across them on the main roads. The problem with this, is they are slow, and they don't pull off the road to let the traffic past, and as a result, you lose a lot of time, especially if you meet more than one on a day.So when you prepare your timetable for the days travel, remember, this is one of the least expected time delays that you may come across.We called them "OUR FRIENDLY FARMER," AND WE ALWAYS HAD A LAUGH!

Friendly Farmer
Schengen Agreement

by balhannah

The "Schengen Agreement" is an important agreement that traveller's from outside of Europe should be aware of. Perhaps you have used a travel agent previously, and they did all the ground work for you, or perhaps you aren't aware of the agreement.It can be quite a "pain" if you wish to travel these European countries for longer than the 3months [90days] allowed.As I am Australian, I checked out the http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/travelbulletins/Europe_SchengenI found, if I was travelling for less than 90 days (within a six month period) in the 'Schengen area' I did not require visas for countries which are parties to the Schengen Convention. The best is to read all about it on the website listed below, and check out which countries are and aren't affected by it. Check out your countries website on oversea's travel.The good side was passing through country after country...

Drive across the border from country to country
European „liquid“ harrassment when flying

by Trekki

I'll double this one and also place it under "transport". Be fair to the system and if, only rate it once.A very serious word for travellers who fly into Europe from a non-EU country and change planes in a European country; e.g. coming from Singapore, change planes in Frankfurt to go to anywhere (EU and non-EU).Since November 2006, Europe is hysterial about the liquids which are being carried in hand luggage. Well, this is the case in other countries are as well, but Europe topped it with a speciality about the real liquids, like alcohol and also perfumes etc. Apart from the max. 50 ml of liquids like tootpaste, cream etc, which should be packed into a sealable transparent bag (e.g. the bags we use for freezing), you are not allowed to take any liquid past security. This includes water. You cannot take water, even not a 1 l sealed water bottle, across security. You can buy a water bottle...

Security bag for liquids, bought at Duty Free
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Counterfeited banknotes – check twice

by Trekki

Since January 1st, 2002, the currency in many European country is the Euro. And since then the counterfeiters are active. On a regular base, ECB publishes their biannual statistics, here the one of July 2011 and it shows that the most popular denominations are 50 €, 20 € and 100 €. The discussion about safety of the Euro banknotes against counterfeiting is as old as the Euro itself, but as always it is a question of information and education. European Central Bank and the Euro country national banks do publish the security features in extended length even with videos and it does help a lot to carefully read these and remember the three words: feel – look – tilt. So it is impossible to counterfeit the banknotes 100%, as these features just cannot be copied to 100%. It is us (and the cashiers) who have this 100% in our hands and are frauded or not when we don’t know how to detect the...

50 ? banknote - reverse side
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Dont count too much on the shelter-huts

by globetrott

On your hiking maps you might find plenty of shelter-huts in the mountains, BUT don't count on them too much ! Most of them might be good for a short break in nasty weather, BUT as a place to spend the night they will mostly be totally out of question :1) the interior is made in a way that makes sleeping there almost impossible : narrow, rough and simple benches will make it impossible to spend the night there.2)Most of these huts will also be used as toilets by sheep and cows and there is a terrible smell inside3)You never know, how many hikers had the same idea to rest inside the hut you are heading toI saw various such shelter-huts and only close to bachalpsee there were a few that had a door-system that would no animals enable to walk inside of them.The hut on my main picture had a perfect view - see my other picture - BUT it was totally open at the other side and used as toilet not...

a shelterhut with a great view, but quite windy
4 more images

Top 3 Hotels in Europe

Four Seasons George V Paris  Paris

 5 Reviews and 727 Opinions  The Four Seasons George V is truly one of the world's great hotels. I really, really love to stay... 

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The Montague On The Gardens  London

 5 Reviews and 1487 Opinions  The concierge was fabulous, the hotel very grand, and despite the rooms being small they were... 

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Albergo Del Senato  Rome

 5 Reviews and 1472 Opinions  The Pantheon is my favorite building in Rome and might be my favorite building in the world. The... 

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Europe Warnings and Dangers

Reviews and photos of Europe warnings and dangers posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Europe sightseeing.
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