Porto scams: what to watch for

Most reports in Porto fall into a handful of patterns. Knowing the pattern is enough to shut it down, because none of them survive a traveller who checks the price first and keeps a hand on their bag.

The single most common is the padded bill: a restaurant or bar on the Ribeira with no printed prices, or a 'couvert' of bread, olives and cheese brought unasked and charged at 8–15 EUR. In Portugal the couvert is legal only if it is on the menu and you can refuse it. Ask for the price list before you sit, or eat one street back from the river where the same food costs less.

Porto runs on contactless. Cafés, supermarkets, museums and the metro all take card or phone, and the Andante card for metro and buses is bought at machines in the stations. Cash is still useful for small bakeries and for the couvert you decide to accept.

For the classic sights, buy timed tickets online the day before rather than from anyone standing near the entrance. Livraria Lello, the Clérigos Tower and the port cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia all sell through their own sites or official counters. If a person on the street offers you a 'skip the line' ticket, it is either a resale at a markup or nothing at all.

The airport is 11 km north of the centre, reached by metro line E in about 30 minutes to Trindade or São Bento. Buy the Andante card at the airport machine; the taxi rank outside is metered and the app alternatives are usually cheaper. From Campanhã or São Bento, the historic centre is walkable, which is also why pickpockets work the stations rather than the streets.

On tram 1 and the funicular, board at the front and pay the driver or validate a card. On the Luís I Bridge, keep phones in pockets: the upper deck is narrow, busy and the classic place for a bump-and-grab. At night, the Ribeira and Aliados are well lit and busy; the quiet lanes up towards the Sé and the area behind São Bento are where you should simply stay alert and not walk alone with a phone out.