Common Tourist Scams in Lisbon (and How to Avoid Them)
Tram 28 — Europe's most-pickpocketed tourist tram
Tram 28 is the iconic vintage tram that climbs Alfama, passes the cathedral, then loops through Graça. It's also the most-pickpocketed tram line in Europe.
- Pickpocket teams board at Praça Martim Moniz (the lower terminus) where the queue is longest. They work in cells of 3-4: one bumps you, one reaches in, one screens.
- The cabin is small and crowded — designed for ~20 standing passengers, often holds 40+ at peak hours. Standing pressed against strangers is the operating environment.
- Phone in your front pocket. Daypack on your front, zipped, hand on the zipper. Don't carry anything in a back pocket.
- Alternative: the regular E12 or E15 trams cover similar routes with fewer tourists. Or walk Alfama's streets — that's where the photographs are anyway.
- Tram 28 ticket: €3 single. PSP (Portuguese police) work the platform but the volume is too high to enforce.
Street drug touts — the constant hash and cocaine pitches
Walking through Baixa, Rossio, or the streets up to Bairro Alto, you'll get approached by men whispering "hash? marijuana? cocaine?" every block or two. This is consistent enough that it's a Lisbon trip-report cliché.
- Almost none of what they sell is real. The "hash" is typically dyed soap or henna; the "cocaine" is whatever cheap powder they have. Hospital reports of bad-reaction emergencies are common.
- It's a low-grade industrial scam, not a violent threat. A polite "no, thank you" and a continued walk works. They move on to the next foreign-looking person.
- Real cannabis: Portugal decriminalised personal possession of all drugs in 2001. Possession of small amounts isn't prosecuted. Sale is still illegal.
- If you do want to buy: don't on the street. Use established channels through your hotel or local contacts.
- The cathedral steps and Largo do Carmo are the densest tout zones.
FAQ
- What's with the drug-dealer touts on Lisbon's streets?
- Quirky to first-time visitors but generally harmless. Lisbon decriminalised personal drug use in 2001 + the well-known Baixa/Chiado/Cais do Sodré street touts approach tourists with fast-talked 'cocaine, hashish, MDMA, ecstasy' offers. The substances are almost always fake (often herbal teas + paracetamol). Decline + walk past — the touts won't follow.
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