A new ranking of Europe’s worst pickpocketing spots has been released by British travel insurers, Quotezone. Compiled by analysts who trawled review data for mentions of pickpocketing, the European Pickpocketing Index unsurprisingly reveals that holidaymakers are targeted at some of Europe’s most popular and therefore most distracting attractions, with thieves able to operate more “inconspicuously” among crowds, according to Quotezone’s CEO, Greg Wilson.
The Eiffel Tower in Paris, the red-light district in Amsterdam and the Brandenberg Gate in Berlin were all named and shamed, but the biggest disgrace once again goes to Italy.
Italy comes out worst
The UK team found that, as in 2023, Italy had the highest proportion of mentions of pickpocketing, pointing to 478 instances of pickpocketing for every million British visitors, a 3% increase on last year’s figure. Capital city Rome was among the worst offenders, with the Trevi Fountain and its throughput of 18,000 visitors an hour the site where the most thefts took place. The Colosseum and Pantheon followed close behind, and other Italian cities did not escape notice either. Milan’s Duomo and the iconic Gallerie Degli Uffizi in Florence were also on the blacklist for the highest volume of stolen goods.
France in second place
Unlike Italy, where the problem is shared, in France it is Paris where pickpocketing is concentrated, with 251 thefts per million visitors, according to the researchers. These occured mostly at the Eiffel Tower but also around the Arc de Triomphe, the Notre-Dame Cathedral and around popular art museums such as the Orsay and Louvre. The 2024 Olympics will only make more opportunities for pickpockets looking to lose themselves in crowds, so visitors are urged to remain vigilant with personal possessions.
Spain and Germany tie
Spain and Germany tie in third place on 111 thefts per million visitors, with Barcelona’s Las Ramblas taking the Iberian biscuit, while in Germany, the Brandenberg Gate heads the wanted list and is accompanied by the Reichstag Building, the area around the East Side Gallery and the Holocaust Memorial.
The Netherlands
The Netherlands, and especially Amsterdam comes next, with 100 thefts per million visitors. Again, it was areas with the heaviest tourist footfall that saw the highest concentration of incidents. Amsterdam’s notorious red-light district, the Anne Frank Museum and Rijksmuseum were all picked out as particularly dangerous spots.
The rest of the worst
Portugal, Türkiye, Greece, Poland and Ireland rounded out the top ten of shame. Quotezone’s Wilson said overall the results showed that “Theft can happen anywhere and tourist hotspots are convenient places for criminals to target holidaymakers’ wallets and purses whilst they are busy taking in the sites.” He urged holidaymakers to check travel insurance policy before departure, to leave valuable items safely locked away, to remain vigilant, and to always report a crime and to get an incident number to prove to insurers what has taken place.
