Florence Scams to Avoid in 2026 (Italy)
Florence's Piazza del Duomo and Uffizi area see fake bracelet sellers, aggressive restaurant promoters offering free wine then charging cover fees, and pickpockets on crowded buses.
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Last updated: April 2, 2026
Aggressive Bracelet Sellers Outside Uffizi
Men near the Uffizi Gallery and Ponte Vecchio force bracelets onto tourists' wrists or hold their hand, claiming it is a gift or blessing. Once on, they demand €10–20 and become hostile if refused.
📍The queue line outside the Uffizi Gallery and the surrounding Piazzale degli Uffizi courtyard. Also near the Galleria dell'Accademia entrance queue where the David is housed.
How to avoid: Keep walking and do not make eye contact with bracelet sellers. If someone grabs your wrist, pull back immediately and firmly say "no." You are not obligated to accept any item pressed upon you.
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High Risk
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Medium Risk
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Low Risk
Florence · Italy · Europe
Open map →📍Where These Scams Are Most Active in Florence
Specific areas and landmarks with the highest concentration of documented incidents.
Aggressive Bracelet Sellers Outside Uffizi
The queue line outside the Uffizi Gallery and the surrounding Piazzale degli Uffizi courtyard. Also near the Galleria dell'Accademia entrance queue where the David is housed.
Fake Uffizi and Accademia Ticket Websites
Online — targets visitors searching "Uffizi tickets" or "Accademia skip the line" on Google before or during their trip
ATM Skimming at Historic Centre Cashpoints
Piazza del Duomo ATMs, Via dei Servi cashpoints, standalone ATMs inside tabacchi shops near Santa Croce and the Mercato Centrale
Accademia and Uffizi Ticket Touts
Outside the Galleria dell'Accademia (housing Michelangelo's David) and the Uffizi Gallery — both of which routinely have long queues. Touts position themselves near the queue entry points.
Restaurant Tout with Hidden Cover Charges
Restaurants on the tourist streets immediately surrounding the Duomo, near the Accademia Gallery, and along the Ponte Vecchio approach. Touts are most active during lunch hours when tourist foot traffic is highest.
Fake Leather Market Goods
The San Lorenzo leather market (Mercato di San Lorenzo) and surrounding streets. Also in leather shops along Via de' Tornabuoni and near the Santa Croce market. Florence is famous for leather, making tourists assume all local leather is authentic.
These areas are safe to visit — knowing the setups in advance makes them far easier to recognize and avoid.
How it works
Men near the Uffizi Gallery and Ponte Vecchio force bracelets onto tourists' wrists or hold their hand, claiming it is a gift or blessing. Once on, they demand €10–20 and become hostile if refused.
How it works
Dozens of unofficial websites mimic the official Uffizi ticketing portal (uffizi.it) using near-identical domain names and layouts — e.g. "uffizi-tickets.com", "book-uffizi.com" — charging €40–70 for tickets priced officially at €20–25. Some sites deliver real tickets sourced through third-party resellers at markup; others collect payment and send nothing. The fake sites rank in search results via paid ads above the official site.
How it works
Card skimming devices are periodically fitted to ATMs in tourist-heavy zones around the Piazza del Duomo and along Via dei Servi. The devices capture card data and PINs; victims typically notice fraudulent withdrawals only after leaving Florence. Independent ATMs inside tabacchi shops and small exchange offices carry higher risk than those embedded in bank facades.
How it works
Scalpers outside the Uffizi and Accademia galleries sell timed-entry tickets at inflated prices (€40–60 vs the official €20–25), claiming all online slots are sold out. Some sell entirely fake printed tickets.
How it works
Promoters outside tourist-area restaurants near the Duomo offer free wine or special menus to draw tourists in. Once seated, cover charges, service fees, and premium pricing appear on the bill not visible on the promoted menu.
How it works
The San Lorenzo market is filled with vendors claiming to sell "genuine Florentine leather." Much of what is sold is low-quality bonded leather or plastic disguised as genuine article, often at genuine leather prices.
How it works
Some unofficial taxis outside Santa Maria Novella station offer flat rates to popular destinations that are double or triple the metered fare, particularly for tourists carrying obvious luggage.
How it works
On and around Piazza della Repubblica and the pedestrian stretch of Via dei Cerretani, small crews run three-card monte and shell-game tables using a folding board or suitcase top. Planted accomplices in the crowd place winning bets loudly to draw real tourists in. The game is rigged — the target never wins — and losses of €20–100 per round are common. A lookout monitors for police and the crew disperses in seconds.
How it works
Restaurants in the historic centre — especially near the Duomo — routinely add coperto (cover charge) of €3–8 per person, plus a bread charge. These appear at the bottom of bills and are rarely disclosed upfront.
How it works
Young people posing as art students invite tourists to a private gallery showing of their work and then pressure them into buying overpriced prints or paintings, implying famous local artists are involved.
How it works
In the Piazza della Signoria and at the entrance to the Uffizi colonnade, individuals advertise free walking tours of Florence's historic centre. The tours are genuinely free to join but guides apply intense social pressure at the end for tips of €20–30 per person, becoming confrontational with tourists who give less. A separate variation involves guides who begin a tour but abandon the group midway unless payment is made upfront.
Florence Safety — Frequently Asked Questions
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Editorial note: Scam warnings for Florence are compiled from government travel advisories (US State Dept, UK FCDO, Australian DFAT), verified news sources, travel community reports, and traveler-submitted incidents. All entries are reviewed for accuracy and local specificity before publication. Read our full methodology →