Sadly, Venice (and Italy in general) has a reputation for underhand antics such as increasing prices for tourists and charging outrageous prices for simple things like coffee and ice cream. We couldn’t avoid discussing this – though we wish it wasn’t true. My sister-in-law told us to add this section because every time they pop off on their own they get ripped off.

After moving to Venice we soon learnt that we need to swiftly mention that we live here within  the first 10 minutes of entering a bar or restaurant in order to be given the best treatment; usually a good table, a chance to order specials that aren’t on the menu, the cover charge wavered, or sometimes even a discount off the bill. Otherwise, the waiters hear a man with a strong Roman dialect speaking English with a blonde woman and automatically thinks we’re tourists. Our kids’ Granny even makes the children order for her when they’re out together so that the waiter catches their Venetian accent. This may seem unfair but it’s just the Venetians’ way of looking out for each other, somehow trying to unite against the hoards of tourists who block our streets on the way to school or wake us up at night by dragging their noisy suitcases along the stone streets. 

I sometimes point out to our guests that getting ripped off happens in many other cities too – a glass of wine in Leicester square isn’t likely to be more of a bargain than one in Saint Mark’s square, and taxi drivers all over the world are renowned for pushing their prices up (whether they’re driving a car or boat!) 

 So how to deal with this? There are three main ways that tourists feel like they are being cheated in Venice. One is by being charged inflated prices. The second is feeling ripped off by extra charges for table service and cover charges. The third is the more underhand tactic of sneakily adding things on your bill or changing the prices when you pay.