Destinations › Portugal › Porto › Scams
Porto, Portugal
10 reported scam patterns travellers run into in Porto, what they look like, and how to sidestep them.
Riverside restaurants placing bread, olives and cheese on the table unordered and charging a couvert for them. They can be refused.
Pickpocketing on the historic tram routes and the funicular, where the crush and the scenery combine to make bags easy to work.
Bag theft at riverside cafe tables, where bags hung on chair backs are taken from behind.
Short-let apartment listings taking deposits for properties unlicensed for holiday letting and unavailable on arrival.
Dynamic currency conversion offered at card terminals and cash machines at poor rates. Always choose to be charged in euro.
Free walking tour guides applying heavy pressure for a minimum tip at the end, framed as compulsory.
Counterfeit port and 'vintage' bottles sold in tourist-facing shops with fabricated labelling.
Drivers taking extended routes from the airport and applying luggage or night surcharges outside the hours they apply.
Port cellar 'tours' sold by street agents that duplicate the free or cheaper tour bookable at the door.
Resold attraction and river-cruise tickets that are already used or invalid.
