7 Tourist Scams in Rhodes

You arrive at Rhodes Airport and hop into a taxi for the 15-kilometer ride to your hotel in Rhodes Town. The driver starts the car and you notice the meter stays dark. When you ask about it, he waves his hand and says 'Meter broken, no problem — I give you good price.' He quotes you €35 for a ride that should cost around €20 on the meter. If you push back, he may claim all taxis from the airport charge a fixed price. Some drivers are even bolder — the meter runs, but the digits climb suspiciously fast, arriving at a fare far above what the distance warrants. This scam is extensively documented on TripAdvisor's Rhodes forum and GREtour.com's tourist trap guide. GREtour specifically notes that 'most taxi drivers in Rhodes don't use their taximeters' and advises travelers to always agree on the total fare before getting in. WelcomePickups.com confirms that while Rhodes taxis have meters installed, drivers routinely refuse to activate them for tourists. A separate variation involves pre-booked airport transfer drivers who pretend not to remember receiving your online payment and ask you to pay again at the end of the ride — GREtour calls these 'forgetful transfer drivers' and advises keeping receipts and booking confirmations on your phone.

You are strolling through the atmospheric streets of Rhodes Old Town when a friendly waiter beckons you to sit down at an outdoor table. The menu has no prices, or you are simply asked 'What would you like to drink?' without being shown one. You order a round of beers for the table. What arrives are enormous 3-litre boot-shaped glasses that you never asked for. The bill comes to €80 for what you thought were regular pints. At another establishment, a woman reported being charged €82 for eight soft drinks and €14 for one milkshake on a handwritten receipt with inconsistent pricing. TripAdvisor's Rhodes Town forum has an entire thread titled 'Be careful with Restaurants in Old Town' documenting this pattern. Reviewers of a place called The Gate describe a classic overcharge: soft drinks at different prices on the same handwritten bill, mysterious service charges, and a total that bore no relation to what was consumed. Another TripAdvisor review describes being charged €380 for a fish platter for three people, and when one customer challenged a €200 bill with extra charges, the waiters reluctantly reduced it to €180. Fodor's reports that Greece has been cracking down on scamming restaurants, but the practice persists in tourist-heavy areas like Rhodes Old Town. Roughly twelve bars and restaurants in the Old Town are known to deliberately hide prices.

You step off your cruise ship at Rhodes port and are immediately approached by a smiling young person holding scratch cards or conducting what appears to be a 'holiday survey.' They congratulate you on winning a prize and invite you to collect it at a nearby office. The 'prize collection' turns into a high-pressure timeshare presentation lasting several hours, during which you are pressured to sign up for a vacation club costing thousands of euros. TripAdvisor's Rhodes Forum has multiple threads about this scam, including one titled 'Time share scam' from Rhodes Town and another discussing 'Aegean Blue Vacations' — an operation that one poster described as being 'caught' in Rhodes Town and taken by motorcycle to Ilyssos for a long presentation. Tour operators now specifically warn their guests about timeshare reps and tell them to ignore them on day trips to Rhodes. The scratch cards always 'win' — the real product is the timeshare pitch that follows. Some victims report being unable to leave the presentation room easily, with staff using guilt tactics and promises of free holidays to keep them seated.

You are browsing the shops in Rhodes Old Town when a friendly shopkeeper invites you inside to see their 'handmade leather goods' or fur coats. The moment you step in, the door-side staff shift to block easy exit. You are offered Greek coffee and shown item after item while the price steadily climbs. When you try to leave, the salesperson becomes emotional, claiming you have insulted them by wasting their time, or offers a series of increasingly desperate 'final prices.' Some shops near the cruise port are specifically positioned to catch passengers on day excursions, with guides receiving commissions for bringing groups inside. Cruise Critic's Rhodes port reviews mention being 'followed from stall to stall' in gold and leather shops and feeling pressured to buy. The IQCruising Rhodes port guide warns about pushy locals near the cruise terminal area. Multiple TripAdvisor reviewers describe the experience of entering what seems like a friendly shop only to face aggressive high-pressure sales tactics. While not illegal, the tactics exploit tourists' politeness and discomfort with confrontation. The fur trade in Rhodes has a long history of targeting cruise passengers who have limited time on the island and feel pressured to make quick purchasing decisions.

You are at the Rhodes port preparing to board a ferry to Fethiye, Turkey. Before you reach the official boarding area, someone at a booth or with a clipboard tells you there is an additional 'port tax' or 'departure fee' that must be paid in cash before boarding. They hand you what looks like an official receipt. In reality, this fee either does not exist or has already been included in your ferry ticket price — the booth worker is pocketing the money. TripAdvisor's Rhodes Forum has a dedicated thread titled 'Beware Rhodes > Fethiye ferry port tax scam' where travelers specifically warn about this practice. One poster described being asked for a cash payment that was 'likely the booth worker getting some pocket money.' The scam works because ferry terminals can be confusing, and tourists assume any official-looking person asking for payment is legitimate. Legitimate port taxes for Greek ferries are always included in the ticket price when purchased from authorized sellers or online booking platforms.

You wander into the impressive circular building of the Nea Agora at Mandraki Harbor, expecting an authentic Greek market experience. Instead, you find a run-down interior filled with vendors selling mass-produced souvenirs — 'Greek' olive oil soaps made in China, 'handmade' ceramics from factory production lines, and sponges marketed as locally harvested from Rhodes waters that are actually synthetic imports. Prices are two to three times higher than identical items sold at small shops a few streets into town. GREtour.com's Rhodes tourist trap guide specifically calls out the New Market, describing it as 'dirty and in poor condition' with merchants selling 'highly priced and unauthentic items.' The guide notes that better shopping is available just minutes away in the downtown area where prices are lower and authenticity is higher. TripAdvisor's Rhodes forum also warns about fake goods in the New Market area. A separate thread titled 'Fake Goods in Rhodes' discusses how counterfeit items have dwindled in regular shops over the years but persist among street vendors and market stalls. The vendors rely on cruise ship passengers and first-time visitors who do not know the real prices or have time to comparison shop.

You rent a scooter or small car at a shop in Faliraki to explore the island. The rental agent does a quick walk-around, marks a few scratches on the form, and hands you the keys. You return the vehicle at the end of the day and the agent suddenly discovers a scratch on the bumper, a dent on the door, or a mark on the wheel rim that was there when you picked it up but was not documented. They demand €200-500 for repairs and threaten to charge your credit card on file. GREtour.com lists rental vehicle damage claims as one of the top tourist traps in Rhodes, noting that 'companies charge for pre-existing or non-existent vehicle damage.' The guide strongly advises photographing 'every inch of rental vehicles and registration documents before and after use.' TripAdvisor's Rhodes forum contains multiple reports of this scam at both car and scooter rental agencies. The problem is compounded by the fact that Rhodes roads — especially in rural areas — are rough and narrow, making minor scratches almost inevitable, which gives unscrupulous rental agencies plausible deniability.