Tour & Activity Scams in Florence, Italy
Unlicensed guides, fake tickets, bait-and-switch excursions, and ticket scalping. Below are the tour & activities scams reported in Florence — how they work and how to avoid them.
For broader context, compare this scam type with nearby destinations like Mykonos, Barcelona, and Krakow.
Last updated: April 2, 2026
2
Tour & Activities Scams
11
Total in Florence
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
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.
See all scams in Florence
11 total warnings across all categories