dont buy the first one you see and other Rome, Italy Tourist Trap Tips

Please make sure you shop around for that "must have" souvenier. On our last trip to Rome, my daughter wanted a fan (she's only 10). The first place she saw this fan it was 9 euros. I thought this was very overpriced so I talked her into waiting, as it was still early in the day and I didnt want to carry it around all day. About an hour later she saw the exact same fan for 6 euros in a different store on a different street. She started to get the clue that she could get it for a lot less if she just looked around. In the end, she got it from a street vendor for 3 euros (after much haggeling). We all realized that no price is the final price when it comes to souveniers.

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At Least Do This: If you must buy something, at least tell the vendor of the price you saw offered at another shop and see if they will beat it. My sister did this with a small statue she had seen and the vendor beat the price by two euros. It doesnt hurt to try to haggle, just be realistic. You wont get a twenty dollar statue for 3 dollars but you dont have to pay 40 dollars for it either. Use your head and be willing to walk away. There are plenty of vendors who will come down in price in order to get your business becouse most venders sell the exact same things and are competing with each other for your tourist euro. Fix a price in your head that you will not go over and stick to it. If they don't make a reasonable offer or accept a reasonable offer, walk away and find your treasure at another store.
Alternative: If a vendor refuses to come down on the price and you see a second item you want, ask if they will give you a deal if you buy both. My sister did this with some purses she found. She got 20 euros taken off the price of 2 bags even though the vendor wouldn't discount just one. She left the store very happy. It never hurts to ask for a discount or lower price. I have found that street vendors are more likely to come down in price than shops but the shops will sometimes come down if you are tenacious and polite and buy several things, and it doesn't hurt to let them overhear you say "I'll just get it back on via cavour (substitute any street name). They had it for 2 euros less". Usually they will call you back and offer you the same deal (they don't have to know this is your first store of the afternoon).

One of the biggest tourist traps I've seen are the outside tables at restaurants. A lot of restaurants will offer tables outside so you can sit and enjoy the lovely view of whichever monument you happen to be closest to. It is quite a lovely experience to have a glass of wine and a plate of pasta while looking at the Pantheon, watching all the tourists oooh and aaaah over the sights while you just sip your wine and enjoy your dinner. Then.....the check comes! You're astounded that the bill is so high. The restaurants double and sometimes triple the prices when you take a table outside. It is sooo outreagous to pay these kind of prices. Years ago, on my first trips to Rome with my husband, we had dinner outside by Piazza Barberini. I had spagetti and he had some meat dish (can't remember what). The dinner was great, the view was great, the service was so-so, the bill almost made us choke. It was 135 euros!!!! For a plate of spagetti and a meat dish that only included one side of veggies! We were astounded. We asked the waiter if the check was correct, he said it was. We asked him to explain why it was so much, he said "for the outside service, is more."

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At Least Do This: If you want to eat at an outside restaurant to enjoy the view, by all means, do it. Just be prepared for an outreageous bill. As long as you are paying a premium for the seat, you might as well enjoy it. Order a bottle of wine and stay as long as you like. They won't get angry if you stay for hours, sipping wine and watching life in Rome. This is what you are paying for. Remember that Romans take very long lunches and dinners. They will sit for hours and catch up with friends and family. Meals can often last two or three hours. Just take your time and enjoy the view and the food.
Alternative: If you are on a budget or just simply cannot stomach paying that much per meal, there are things you can do. I always plan one nice, long meal per trip. The rest of the time is just food on the fly. I eat my large meal in the afternoon and a lighter meal at night. I will stop in at a local spot for the special of the day for lunch. Usually it is a three or four course meal with salad, veggie, meat and desert. At local spots (not the touristy restaurants) this will cost less than 10 euros and be quite good. Just follow the locals and order what they order. You will be amazed at the variety and quality of the food you will recieve. Also the portions are great. At night, I swing into a pizza stall and get my dinner to go. Fold your pizza in half and take it with you or stand by the counter and eat it there. Try to avoid the touristy places when it comes to food and you will save a lot of money and be happier with the food you will get.

This is starting to be a really common tourist trap. It begins when you go to an ATM machine, usually after the banks are closed for the night. You put your card into the slot and enter your pin...nothing happens. You try it again and nothing happens. At this point you try to cancel the transaction only to find that the machine has "eaten" your ATM card. More than likely, what has really happened is that theives have put a plastic "capture sleeve" into the card slot. This sleeve takes your card and won't give it back. Someone else is watching with binoculars or a telephoto lens to get your pin number. When you leave they come back and retrieve your card.

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At Least Do This: One of the main ways to avoid this happening to you is to use the ATM's only when the bank is open. If your card gets stuck have someone go inside to get help while someone stays with the machine. Try not to leave the machine alone if your card is stuck, that way no one can come by and take your card. Also, when typing in your pin number, make sure you hide the keypad from view as much as you can. If you have someone else with you have them help you shield the keypad. The more vigilant you are at hiding the keypad the less chance you have of someone seeing it. If you must use your card at night, after bank hours, make sure you have your bank phone number available to you. Before you insert your card check the card insert slot. I am told if you look for it you can usually spot it. If your card gets stuck, immediately contact your bank and cancel your card.

This scam is starting to be very common, so protect your pin number and use caution when using the ATM after hours.