Common Tourist Scams in Naples (and How to Avoid Them)
Pickpockets and tourist-area scams
- Pickpocket density: Stazione Centrale, Piazza Garibaldi, the funicolare to Vomero, the metro line 1 at major stations.
- "Mustard / coffee" distraction theft: same as Rome and Madrid. Don't let strangers approach to "help" with a stain.
- Restaurant tourist menus immediately around Spaccanapoli: prices double those one block away.
- "Free" pizza shop pitch: a guy hands you a pizza menu, walks you to "his cousin's place." Walk away — the real pizza icons (Da Michele, Sorbillo, Da Concettina) are findable on Google.
- Taxi flat-fee scams: agree before getting in. Fares from Centrale to most central addresses €15-20.
- "Ferry to Capri" touts at the Beverello port: only buy at the official ticket office.
FAQ
- What's the biggest scam to avoid in Naples?
- Scooter-borne bag-snatch on Via Toledo and Spaccanapoli — two-person teams on a scooter, the passenger reaches and rips a shoulder bag in passing. Wear bags cross-body on the wall side, not the road side. Other recurring patterns: the 'free pizza menu / let me take you to my cousin's place' walk-in funnel (decline; the real icons like Da Michele, Sorbillo, Da Concettina are findable on Google); 'mustard or coffee' distraction theft (don't let strangers approach to clean a stain — partner picks your pocket); taxi flat-fee scams (Capodichino Airport to centre is the €23 fixed-rate, agree on this before getting in); fake 'Capri ferry' touts at Beverello port (only buy at the official Caremar/NLG/SNAV ticket office); and tourist menus around Spaccanapoli charging double the rate one block away.
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