Greece and Italy travel warning for UK tourists and 'you should be on guard'

Athens topped the list and ranking, followed by Florence, according to travel.alot.com.

A Greece and Italy travel warning has been issued to UK tourists – as the countries are named top of the table in a ranking of the worst cities in Europe for pickpocketing. Athens topped the list and ranking, followed by Florence, according to travel.alot.com.

The travel blog warned: “The Parthenon draws a record number of visitors. Where there are tourists, there are also pickpockets. Pay close attention to your purses and wallets when queuing for entry into attractions or while you’re distracted taking pictures of the lovely scenery.

“There’s not one particular area of Athens that’s more prone to pickpocketing than any of the others, so you’ll always want to be on guard about your purse or wallet. Whether you’re on public transit or at a tourist hotspot, it pays to be cautious about your belongings when traveling through the city.”

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And discussing Florence, it went on: “It’s also common for pickpockets in Florence to dress like tourists to make identifying them even more difficult for visitors. They’re especially common in places where people will be distracted—so always be on guard when you’re doing things like getting on or off public transit or visiting a tourist attraction.”

Amsterdam, Rome and Prague completed the top five. Madrid and Paris are also ranked sixth and seventh, with the blog explaining of the former how pickpocketing “danger zones” in the Spanish capital include Puerta del Sol, Palacio Real and the Sabatini Gardens.

The Vatican City and Barcelona also made the list, which takes into account countries outside Europe and is a global index. The Vatican is worse than in Rome, the travel website says, and writers go on to describe St Peter’s Square in the Holy City as “Ground Zero” for theft.

The final European city named was London in the UK.