What scams should I watch out for in Athens?

Three scams dominate Athens and they are embarrassingly consistent. The first is the bracelet or rosemary ambush: someone on Monastiraki Square or near the Acropolis entrance presses a small item into your hand, declares it a gift, then demands payment or grabs your wrist for a "blessing" that ends with an aggressive request for cash. Walk away without engaging. The second is the bar hustle in Psiri and around Syntagma, where a friendly English-speaking local invites you for a drink, steers you to a specific bar, and you end up with a fabricated bill of 80 to 200 euros enforced by a doorman. Never follow a stranger to a bar they choose. The third is taxi overcharging from the airport and Piraeus port: insist on the meter, or know that the fixed rate from Athens International Airport to the city center is roughly 40 euros during the day and 54 euros at night. These three cover roughly 90 percent of tourist losses in the city.

Trip Friend knows Athens cold.

Plan a real trip there, and Trip Friend can answer every follow-up — with your dates, your style, and your places baked into the conversation.

• Where do locals actually go for aperitivo in Athens?
• Where do locals drink coffee in Athens?
• What does a local breakfast look like in Athens?
• Where is the street food in Athens actually good?
• Where can I eat after midnight in Athens?
• How do I get from the airport to the city in Athens?