We’ve been to Greece four times now, well mainly Zante but we have visited other islands on trips. We’ve noticed a couple of things that don’t sit right with us, scams in Greece as we like to call them and we thought it would make sense to put these in a post for our readers so you know what to look out for.
Some of the things on this list might seem like common sense but not all of them. Plus when you’re on holiday you’re not looking out for the next person who’s going to scam you! Or at least I’m not and I’m just trying to enjoy myself! I might not have all the scams out there in this post so if I have missed anything, let me know in the comments!
Greek Restaurant Scams
The Greek Bread Scam!
You heard me, bread! We’ve experienced this a few times, we’ll go to a restaurant and then they will put a basket of bread on the table. Now you might be thinking this is a complimentary thing and they’re just being polite, nope! In fact, at the end of your meal the bread will appear on your bill and most of the time it will be overpriced and you’ll feel ripped off.
If you don’t want the bread, politely say no thank you and ask them to take it away which is what we always do. Storytime, we went on a trip and we stopped at a restaurant and a lot of people on the trip ate in there as did we. The restaurant put bread on the tables and we said no thanks, getting some funny looks from people around us. At the end, when the bills were given out, people had funny looks on their faces but because of their bill and not our actions!
Toy Scam!!
You touch it, you buy it. When you’re having a meal you might notice that people wander into the restaurant and put things on the table such as toys or flowers. DO NOT TAKE THESE, DO NOT EVEN PICK THEM UP! In most cases, if you pick up these items then you’re agreeing to buy them and they will expect you to pay and trust me, they’re not cheap!
You might think it’s super annoying and they shouldn’t be allowed. Most restaurants do not allow this and if they see it they will throw the person would, rightly so. However, some restaurants will get a kickback on whatever is sold, so they allow these people into the restaurant. Firstly this really annoys me because it totally spoils a nice meal and secondly any restaurant that does this, we never return to!
Zante Nightlife Scams
Zante Fake Trips
We don’t do many nightlight adventures when we go to Zante, however, there are a few Zante partying scams you will need to look out for! There are various establishments in Laganas that sell fake trips, sometimes they’ll be overpriced and other times they’ll be so cheap it’s too good to be true, it normally is.
Zante Free Bar
If you’re looking to have a nice night out in Zante, don’t get fooled by the fake bars! If a tour guide or anyone is trying to sell you tickets with the inclusion of a free bar, it’s not real. There is no such thing, you will not find a free bar in Zante and this is a total Zante scam! The Zante free bar does not exist!
You can read more about these scams in the Zante nightlife guide but the jist is, do your homework! Always take a look online and do your research on anyone trying to sell you tickets! Go to TripAdvisor and other websites, and don’t look on social media because in the words of Trump, FAKE NEWS!
Zante Scams
Taxi Scams
Now, this probably isn’t just local to Greece as we had the same experience in Bangkok as well. So with this one keep an eye out everywhere. When arriving in Zante I would suggest booking your transfers beforehand and not getting a taxi at the airport.
Most taxis in Greece, especially Zante work for a company, however, you’ll have some that are independent and will cost you a fortune. I was scammed this way in Amsterdam several years ago and a taxi that should have cost around €25 cost me €60! So always book ahead of time.
Free Gift and Roses Scam
There will be people wandering around with buckets of roses and other items. You’ll see them giving them out to people and it will look fine, however, when they get to you they’ll give you something that of course you’ll happily accept but then they’ll expect you to pay for it.
You’ll also find that the single roses they give out will normally cost you around €5 each! That’s a lot especially if you’re looking to go on a budget holiday. This is one of the greek scams I hate the most. Flowers are nice but don’t be out of pocket for them!
Helpful Zante Tips – Other Zante Scams (but smaller)
There are a few things we’d suggest making sure you take note of. Just like if you break it, you buy it. If you damage it, you pay for it. It doesn’t matter if you’re on a party holiday in Zante or a family holiday in Zante if you break something you will have to pay for it and it won’t be cheap.
The other thing we suggest doing is doing research! Don’t look on social media for tips or trips, check Tripadvisor, review websites and find out what others have to say otherwise you might be out of pocket and it might end up a total disaster. I’d also say take a look at our things to do in Zante list for some cool recommendations.
