Tourist Scams in Portugal
Вставка
- Опубліковано 2 чер 2024
- Are you heading to Portugal and worried about your safety or any travel scams? Well in general you do not have to worry too much. Portugal is an incredibly safe country, however there are a few scams and not scams that you should be aware of if you are heading to Lisbon, Porto, or the Algarve.
Filmed in Lisbon, Portugal
Join this channel to get access to perks:
/ @woltersworld
#travelscams #portugal #lisbon
Copyright Mark Wolters 2024
Learn how to plan your travels like we do with our Travel Planning 101 Course: www.brighttrip.com/woltersworld
Grab some Wolters World travel gear www.woltersworld.store
Help Us Keep Make More Honest Travel Videos: / woltersworld
Hey There Fellow Travelers! Thank you for watching our honest travel vlogs from all over this wonderful world. If you would like to get in contact with us please follow us & send us a message via our social media channels below. Also, if you like our travel videos please feel free to share them with other fellow travelers.
You can find us all over the internet:
Travel Advice & Destinations: / woltersworld
Food Travel Videos: / woltersworldeats
Travel Tips: / woltersworldshorts
Business Education: / professorwolters
Tiktok: / woltersworld
Instagram: / woltersworld
Jocelyn's Instagram: / jocelynwoltersworld
Facebook: / woltersworld
Twitter: / woltersworld
Linkedin: / wolters-world-travel-c...
When I studied in Spain a few years ago, I remembered the advice you gave about always accepting the charge in Euros, and I’ve always done that for the two months I was there.
Pickpocketing is heavy. A beautiful city in a beautiful country.
But who on earth carries paper currency these days?
Beware of pickpockets on public transportation, especially the trollies. I caught a guy purloining my cell phone as I was trying to exit a packed trolley. Of course he dropped it and denied doing it.
I had a guy try the ‘I’ve lost my passport and money’ thing in Greece, and that was 40 years ago!
He's probably still there pulling the same trick.
Tell him to go to his embassy.
In Portugal, I once ordered a steak, eggs, rice and fries for 9 euro, sat down, and then asked the restaurant explicitly how much the bread cost when the server tried to give it to me. And then I asked for whatever drink cost less than 1 euro (a diluted orange-flavoured drink apparently fit the bill). I only had 10 euros cash and ordered a 9 euro item on the menu. The server referred to the owner/manager who then gave me the bread for free. The price of non-alcoholic drinks or extras was not listed on the menu.
About the toll, on a business trip I made the mistake not to have it included and used the pay road once. Then 2 years later got a mail from Sweden from a company in UK to pay for the toll in Portugal. Yeah they find you :D
Oh they so find you 😀
FYI, never pay those companies. They tried it on with me. I told them where to go, twice, even got some law firm in Germany last year threatening me with court. I told them to GFYS and bring on it. Then sent an email a month later telling me that they dropped the case.
Saying that the couvert costs €10 and is often more than the dishes is a gross exaggeration. Depending on the kind of restaurant, the couvert is often just a few euros. In fancier places it will be more expensive but so are the dishes. At all times, it should be clear that nobody has to touch the couvert and you can ask for it to be sent back.
I believe he's saying the overcharging can possibly happen in some "tourist trap" place, but it's not the norm in Portuguese restaurants.
@@lulubelle0bresil You are wrong: he clearly says right from the start that it's just how (the restaurant) business works here. He's right.
Just to make some things more clear and help out:
-1st tip about the entries on the table: if you dont want to pay them, dont touch them, you only pay for what you eat.
-about the haxiche guys: just say "não obrigado" (no thank you) and they dont insist and leave you alone, if you buy from them 1 time, they might remember your face and always ask you.
I once got anti-scammed by a taxi driver. normally and as per google maps there was a way to go down and then left and then up again. it cost like 7 €. Once a taxi driver went a route unknown to me and not the regular route (probably crossing some closed roads etc) so that i was faster there and it only cost 4 €.
I always say this is what you’re getting. Save time and money by saying anything left is your tip. I’ve rarely had anyone sacrifice their tip!
About the "entradas" (entry dishes): by law, you may refuse them (or just not touch them), in which case the restaurant should not charge for them.
But be aware that if you touch *one* piece of it, you may be charged the whole thing (even if it is an array of totally different things, like several types of bread, olives, ham, cheeses, etc.), because the restaurant may have a fixed price for the whole "couvert" and not a separate price for each individual item.
As soon I see a couvert I say "No, thanks" and the waiter takes it away.
"Accidental kidnap by aliens insurance" 🤣
Key for my donts of visiting Mars 😉
Always great advice. Thanks!
thanks JEff!
Thank you, so so true.
Great tips! Thank you!
thank you
I am strictly no bread policy: when I sit down I ask them to take bread away, because they might accidentally charge me etc. Those street sellers actually follow me around everywhere. So, I always had a company. Never lonely in Lisbon.
i always ask for bread and olives and i do not mind paying for them as long as the price is reasonable, for me they are an essencial part of my meal just as my coffee afterwards, wich is also charged ( unless it is all part of a "dairio" in a casa do pasto where bread, olives, dessert and coffee are usually part of the set )
About the street sellers, really? For me that's quite strange because as a Portuguese I've been to Lisbon so many times (alone most of the times) and the last time I saw a street seller was probably a decade ago. It seems they don't even care about asking Portuguese people to buy their "goods" because they know they're not ever going to buy anything from them.
@@diogorodrigues747 Yeah, why they focus on me ? Plenty of other tourists around.
@@travelvideosmaybe because you are a too obvious tourist? Blonde blue eyes coloured shorts and distracted looking everywhere for not missing a thing? 😅 Sorry yeah it happens sometimes. I look completely Portuguese and I am so those guys don’t follow me. Oh, I am also ugly 😜
@@josealvesmerello
He probably needs a tan and plain shorts
5:19 Mark I listened to you about the conversion at an atm. I made a note of how much they would have charged me. Then I looked at my banks app to see that I saved $60 by having my bank so the conversion. A super tip!
yep. they nail you on that conversion.
Hey Mark, awesome video
thanks tobi!
Pastel De Natas are dangerously tasty! You wont ever just have one!
You are not wrong 😀 very dangerous ... yummy!
1 - pastel de nata
2 or more - pastéis de nata
Enjoy and welcome. 😊
Waiving the rental car insurance for use of a VISA card may give the attendant carte blanche for "surprise scratches" when returning the vehicle. It happened to us in Porto with Hertz. We paid the bill and dealt with it upon returning home.
Apart from that we had a fantastic time in their beautiful country.
Guys, fish in Portugal priced by the gram includes larger fish FROM THE SEA. Fish priced per fish e.g. Dourada, ribalo etc (with the exception of sardines) are factory farmed and easy to spot as they are all the same (same) size.I avoid facrory-farmed fish because of the crap they feed them. Been living in the East Algarve for 20 years now.
20 years on Algarve and you dont know how to write "robalo" yet...
The biggest scam is having a meal or buying a souvenir in tourist hotspots. Visit the city centre but have your meals away from the city centre.
On the note of pickpocketing- be very alert in the tourist busy area. I was in Lisbon Alfama area. I felt a sudden bump from behind, turned around right away. Two women pretended to be tourists quickly passing by. I looked down. My purse was half open and my wallet was half way out. I took my phone to grab pictures of them. They turned away and pretended to sight seeing and taking pictures. They must spotted me and my wallet when I bought ice cream a few stores back.
I went to Lisbon, Portugal last year in March. I got scam buying postcards. I got charged double the price buying from Pakistani Bangladesh people. Buy from the tourist area instead.
Pakistani tend to ask whatever they wish
I remember quite a few years ago now, we got a bus from the airport to the city centre and before we got off the last step of the bus some guy came up to us and asked if we wanted hashish. That was a record for us!😂
ive spent quite a bit of time in Lisbon and i have to say, i have never ran into any scams there. not one shady person at all. i love this place and will be returning for a couple months this summer. amazing city.
that is awesome. I lived there for 5 years and go back almost yearly for extended periods of time and I always have to deal with them. My students I take there too. It really is hit and miss though.
@@woltersworld ...if you're there this July, id love to buy you a cup of coffee!?!?
Thanks for the video my friend. I’m brazilian going to visit for the first time Portugal in May. I don’t want to get disappointed. 😮
you will love it :)
capricha no "com licença, se faz favor e obrigado" e não tem erro. Eles são mais polidos e mais formais do que os brasileiros, eu passei vergonha vendo outros brasileiros sendo mal educados e redobrei na gentileza e fui muito bem tratada! boa viagem!
@@lulubelle0bresil Pois é. Eu detesto a má educação brasileira. Nosso povo é folgado demais. Eu tbm detesto isso.
Using Taxi at airport is probably the biggest scam. Check the GPS for sure. that can charge 100 or 200 euros for a tour of Lisbon. And you didn't see nothing in detail. If you use the subway is 2 euros to go to the center of Lisbon in 30 minutes from the airport
Uber or bolt
holy moly! for 200 euros you should get a tour of the whole country :)
The couvert thing is actually very commun in pretty much all restaurants. A few years ago the law in Portugal changed regardin of the couverts (or other itens) that are brought to the table but you never asked for. If you never asked for something, by law, you have no obligation to pay for it. As a portuguese myself i can say that even the law states that, we all pay for it, if we don't want to pay for it we just don't eat it, but still make sure if it doesn't come in the bill. The only situation I would see myself making a fuss about that was if the price was outrageous (scam).
We live in Portugal. We would tell the waiter/waitress to take the couvert away, this way I don’t have to deal with the bill.
Please do ONE video on tipping in various European countries restaurants…. From cafe, to casual restaurant, to expensive place. Love your videos by the way.
The couvert in Portugal used to be free some years back. Now according to law, you ought to get a couvert only when you do order it. Be aware.
i remember restaurants charging for the couvert 40 years ago !
@@stafscheers9692 there was a time when couvert was free in some places
Where it was free? As a Portuguese I never saw any free couvert ever, and I went to many restaurants in my life.
The main thing is be aware, be alert. I am trying to have my pocket picked in Paris. It has not happened. But in Honolulu it was picked. You don’t expect it in your own city. Now, I am aware and alert. Good words my friend. 🌴🌴 Aloha
3:44 Someone did this to me in Spain (Madrid?) at the airport 8 years ago! I almost believed her--she was crying. I called my bf who said it was a scam... She said she flew into the wrong airport and needed $ to get the bus to the other one for her connection... so I asked to see the boarding pass.
She seemd confused and took 3 mins and showed me on in her email. Almost believed her...
But then saw the ticket was dated for the year prior!
I told her and in 0.1 secs she stopped crying and spun 160° around, and speed walked to another sucker. I was shook 😮
Muito bom. Você acertou em cheio em tudo, e foi justo nas suas apreciações.
obrigado!
Had someone steal my wallet in the Lisbon airport, the police did find it and the person who stole it, and sent it to me.
Love Portugal.
I’m actually scared to go now , I was super excited but now I just feel like it’s a bad idea 😢
Don't be scared, Lisbon is super safe. I'm a local and tour guide and you just have to be careful as in every country in the touristic areas.
was curious about the dogs/puppies on chains in the center of lisbon. often seemed as though the puppies were drugged & super sleepy & with a sign something about help save the dogs. Know anything about this??
livro de reclamações - complaints book, is a very serious thing, a place can be closed due to the severity of the complaint, or if there is several minor complaints about the same thing and the problem wasnt fixed, specially if the complaint is about health and safety. Dont use it just because you have a case of grumpy while hungry.
I’ve been in Lisbon recently. Uber drivers I’ve met were brilliant, to the point where one told me a cheaper and easy way to come back from visiting „Jesus”, than taking an uber back to the main square (but uber also was good value for the distance traveler - much better than in UK). Had a good chat with the drivers as well.
And a heroina/cocaina scammer made my gf stomach hurt… from laughter - he was so bad at being a scammer. 😂
Overall a brilliant short city break.
Going in November - thanks Mark!!!
have fun! light jacket is helpful
All is true
We've been all over Portugal and the only scam we experienced was false advertising of a hotel in Quarteira, Algarve. We paid $950 for four nights at a hotel with an ocean view, and turned out the hallway to our room smelled like bug spray, the room was like a dorm room, and the towels were rags. We left and lost the money.
I’ve had the guys trying to sell drugs approach me from time to time, when I’m in the big cities, like Lisbon. It’s always been when I’m by myself and never when I’m with my wife. They can be a bit annoying.
About the marijuana guys they DO approach locals. Restaurant scams are a hit too.
I think Lissabon is a great place. We had a blast. Sintra is also nice to visit and the little wooden tram is worth every penny. Constantly being on the lookout of getting scammed must be very tiring and must take the fun away of your trip. I think Portugal has a very open society, and besides the tuktukcams I think it's a great place. Taxi's are a great way to go around. And when you want to visit the statueof Christ, for Godsake DO take a tuktuk. After the ferry that is.
You are always right on time!! Going in August ❤
So if you don't eat the food on a table before ordering, does it get knocked off the bill?
Yes, just make sure you say loud and clear that you don't want the couvert and that they can take it off the table. Very often it's also not on the table right away but they will bring it once you sit down or when you order and you are free to say you don't want it.
exactly
Sometimes they "forgot" to remove it from the bill, but it's just a matter of checking it at the end and ask to remove it.
picanha although originally from Brasil is served all over Portugal and eaten by the locals, just as moambe ( originally from Angola)
It is not traditional nor is a favourite among the native population.
05:59 Wait, are really some tourists falling on that "traditional Portuguese paella"?! Clearly they don't know anything about Portugal then. LOL
There is no traditional Portuguese paella, paella is from Valencia, Spain. It's not even traditional of all of Spain...
Portugal was one of my favorite countries the only "scam" I ran into was a restaurant was literally selling fries from the McDonald's across the street for double the price😅 it was pretty funny because the food was bad except for the fries
I’ve been watching a guy from Portugal react to some of your videos, I’m thinking I’ll see him react to this one before the end of the day ! I ❤ your Channel btw ! From Missouri…
Great video, I visited Portugal after seeing your recommendation. I spent time in the Algarve and enjoyed it a lot. Next time, I'd like to visit Porto.
what r gr8 life u have
Lisbon local here - the haxixe, cocaína guys talk to everyone, even with locals, regardless of their age. I was walking with my grandma around Baixa one time and they had the audacity to offer her as well 😂Obviously, it's fake all drugs, it's usually Knorr chicken cubes or bay leaves they are attempting to sell. But they're usually chill, just walk away and say nothing or just say "no, thank you" and you'll be fine.
Really? The last time I saw a guy trying to sell drugs was a decade ago, I've never seen them for a long time and I go many times to Lisbon.
It's a scam if they are giving you something you didn't ask for and then charge you.
Everyone wants to paint Portugal as some kind of paradise on earth. Crime is up, as well as the number of dishonest people.
Thanks for calling out the scams.
Most people in Portugal are kind and friendly.However;there are scammers and dishonest people everywhere. One Swallow doesn't make a summer.People take advantage of your good will everywhere
Most of the scammers are not portuguese.
Yeah if you see a large conglomerate of men with gel in their hair and leather jackets, don’t interact with them. Pretend you have earbuds in and “take” a Bluetooth call.
I've been going to Portugal several times a year for a long time and it has been illegal to bring out a couvert without it being asked for from the menu for a good few years now.
I've only seen the fish sold by weight in awful tourist spots like Albufeira, so go inland and avoid the tourist traps and cities or go to the east of the Algarve or head north towards the Alentejo and score some excellent wine and wild meat in the mountains like boar and venison.
Um, they bring out the couvert all the time without asking. Its just now the prices are prominent in the menus for the olives et al.
Selling fish by weight is pretty standard at established fish & seafood restaurants across Portugal.
Usually they ask you if you want the couvert. When they bring it without asking, usually it's sealed/wrapped. If you unseal it, you'll pay for it.
We had soooo many scams in Barcelona when I worked there. They just assumed( incorrectly) that none of us were fluent in Spanish ( sometimes Catalan) but guessed WRONG. The worst was at a very nice restaurant, ordered some type of soup and what we thought was rice was actually a bowl of ALIVE maggots . My fluent friend complained and then in Spanish they threatened to throw her in jail?! It was really scary. She switched to Spanish and told them off and we got out quick no money back , just a bowl of lies ( haha) and then!!! Outside there was a man who all of a sudden fell over. Everyone thought heart attack looked bad. Then the owner ran out and in Spanish yelled,” ok Lazarus , you can get up now, you’re not getting any money from us.” We all went home and literally hid in our appts for three days. It was crazyville. But we had many incredible experiences as well. But trust me learn some of the language is possible
Barcelona can turn into a nightmare. While I was there I saw two men fighting, early in the morning, one of them had his face covered with blood. What a terrible way of starting the day. I never felt safe in that city, yet there is something special about it.
The first time we were offered coke my wife didn't believe me. Not two seconds later I was proven correct.
3 kg fish would be 30 times the 100 g value and not 3 times... Americans and the metric system... 😂 couldn't resist, but love your channel!
He was just randomly coming up with numbers, not trying to be mathematically accurate.
@@forgingstrength6119 sure, nice save
We wish 3 Kg fish will be charged 3 times of the fish priced at 0.1Kg/price. The customer will get the last laugh.
Stay blessed 🫡🙏❤️
Question...are there any European countries that have limitations or bans on any certain adult beverages such as beer, wine or spirits?
LOL
Is there an equivalent of Monoprix in Lisbon? TY
What is hashish Cana?
Those africans selling knockoffs are not a scam.
No one thinks they are getting a 5k bag for $100.
Those sunglass people are so annoying!
The hasish guys are selling oregano. The police know aboutnthem but let them carry on. Makes no sense
The police let them carry on because selling oregano, laurel or broth cubes is... legal...
I understand that but they are a nuisance and should be dealt with
@@toddl.3454 You're right, but you can not arrest someone for doing something that isn't illegal. You can not arrest people for selling legal stuff. They are a nuisance, very, very true, but here you can't just arrest people "just because"...
Tried my best to enjoy the Portuguese food but still prefer food in italy 😊
I like Portuguese food, Italian food, sometimes I’m in a mood for Thai food, sometimes, sometimes I feel just having some junk American food! Variety is good!
Ah, one correction: even if you're okay with knock-offs, it's NOT okay, because you aren't allowed to import those knock-offs into your own countries, so you might be committing a CRIME and when caught by the customs officers there will be no mercy.
You think customs officers know the difference or care?
Thanks Dad
Thank you, Mr. self righteous.
Off to bed, son. @@fidgetspinner343
Customs what customs
Can’t vacation almost anywhere 😢
🤣
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I want to visit Lisbon. When I eventually do, I hope to see the South Africa lady. I'll approach HER asking for money before she can ask me.
It’s not fair to say so. I am kind of a new migrant living in Portugal for a few years now, Portuguese people are pretty honest all in all, you can always refuse or ask the servers to take those side dishes off without hassle, price in tourist areas is always dear all over world, pickpocketing business is targeting to tourists that’s a common sense regardless of countries. Speaking of which, security in Portugal is by far the safest in Europe , many of the nasty things happening in the crowds are not done by locals except for their driving manner I would say😂
3:27 Aaaaaah j'ai un problème
Using Uber in Lisbon is amazing
A policia tem que limpar as ruas !! Para o bem de todos !!
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
The hashish, cocaine guys are so annoying, two 37 year old British males we can't walk 5 minutes without being propositioned.
To much tourism is destroying this city..
No very assertive on all the themes. Easy to see you don’t know very well the Portuguese culture! First study, then come to give opinions….
Which continent has the most scams?
From many online reviews, it seems like the country of Egypt comes pretty high on the upset list!
What’s marijuana what’s cocina?
This is why I avoid Southern Europe in general. They try to squeeze tourists as much as possible.
Great! And we like to avoid tourist like yourself who oversimplify and generalise without the slightest notion and lack of appreciation for the nuances, variety and richness of the different Southern European cultures.
@@user-zu3fj2vc4q
Half the price ? It is cheaper to fly to Switzerland on a legacy airline than to fly to most Spanish cities on a low cost crap box.
lol! 😂 If you go to big capital cities in Europe such as London, you have the same problem. Even worst! There are fraudsters everywhere!
The scam is Portugal. Don't come, portuguese restaurant don't even exist anymore, not good ones, and almost none that are actually portuguese.
The biggest scam must be you, Ramos. You have no idea what you're talking about. There are many good restaurants in Portugal.
Sounds like a country filled with scam artists. No thanks, I’d rather not have a headache.
You’re missing out it’s very easy to travel there
I love the hasjies and cocaine guy