Most of our trip to Venice was great as we spent most of our 4 days with the all day pass to visit the islands. Burano and Murano, Tercero and Lido were positive experiences. But our trip was soured by the thieves and pickpockets that are present in the crowds. I thought I was careful but somehow, my front bag was twisted around behind me and poof! cash and credit card gone. It happens so fast. After that experience, I watched others in the crowded spaces and noticed groups of people of all ages, slide into tourists and bump against them and I bet they were pickpockets working the crowds. When I told our concierge at our hotel, he just shrugged and said that probably 60 or 70 people were stolen from every day in Venice. WHAT? My apologies if I offend anyone but this is the reality in Venice.

"My apologies if I offend anyone but this is the reality in Venice" . . . No different then in Rome or Florence, or Paris - one must be super vigilant in crowds in a LOT of places (and no, I'm not blaming the victim)

I just returned from Rome earlier this month and I caught one guy who was about to pickpocket me. He was eyeing my purse, and I looked him in the eyes and loudly said NO!! On another day I kicked a pickpocket in the Piazza Navona as he tried to run away. He was caught, and not too happy I kicked him while he was running. (I posted a thread about that, click my name to find it) I've known far too many people who have been pickpocketed in various parts of the world, including the US.

I absolutely do not blame you, I blame the pickpocket. I know this advice comes too late, but this is the reason I always carry a cross body bag with my purse in front of me. And I usually have a very tight grip on my purse, with the zipper closed. If a purse doesn't have a zipper, I don't buy it. My husband has a wallet with a chain that hooks to a belt loop. While nothing is ever fool proof, I think we are far less likely to be victims with these practices.

I'm sorry it happened to you. I wish I could have been there to kick him for you.

If I carry a purse like in ny I keep a death grip on it with the handle twisted around my wrist (and cross body tucked under my arm) In Europe I have a money bag snd put it down my panty hose! Or in a baggie inside my shoe.

You could read that another way... both ways work!

And yes, one must be vigilant always, even at home in the grocery store. I'm not victim-blaming, just stating a fact, but tourist hot spots are especially problematic.

Trophywife, I was a little slow to catch your drift, but that is very funny. I did not kick his Piazza or his Navonas. For the record, I was trying to trip him so the people chasing him could catch him, but it didn't work. Instead he got a good kick in the leg. They caught him and the victim got his stuff back. He said something to me as he walked away. I didn't understand him, but I don't think it was nice.

I was pickpocked in Paris just before Christmas '22. He got everything in my back pocket - which was only "The Fork" paper confirmation for the restaurant where we had just dined. I always keep my wallet in my front pocket, with my hand on it if there is heavy foot traffic around.

Stu Dudley

Too hot this trip for pantyhose!! I was super vigilant the first three days and that last boat trip I had my zipped and flapped purse in front but no grip on it so easy to whip it around and dig in! Fortunately my WISE card money has been reimbursed so I only lost about 40 Euro in cash. It's the invasion on your person that rankles that most.

Sorry this happened to you. Pickpockets are in a lot of big European cities but Venice seems to be thick with them. If you are on Instagram follow Cittadini Non Distratti to see how some Venetians try to warn people and call the pickpockets out. Sometimes they show a theft in action so you can see how they do it. Usually operating in teams of three. It would be satisfying to catch a hand in your bag and bend all the fingers backward.
Good for P_M for aiming a good kick at one.

..

I’ve known locals who got pickpocketed in Venice but in so many trips it never happened to me. And it still hasn’t, but it happened to a friend in early May and I was there! I still can’t believe I fell for this…

Three of us - me, and my friends, a married couple - were on the edge of the vaporetto by where the ropes for tying up to dock are. It was crowded and I warned my friends to watch their stuff. A woman - mousy, blonde, English accent, waving her IPhone around - pushed her way through us and grabbed on to the edge of the boat. She said she needed “something to hold on to.” She appeared to be a pushy tourist trying to get a better view. I was so annoyed and was looking at my friends like, who is this biyat**? There was a tall man behind my friend, who is also a pretty tall guy.

My friend’s wallet got nicked. It dawned on me later it was this ill-mannered tourist who was in on it.. now this is a diversion I’d not heard of or seen before. But it was a diversion nonetheless. I suppose I could be wrong and she really was just violently pushing her way through because she was afraid she’d fall down, but I doubt it.

Thankfully not much was lost but indeed it does feel like a violation. I asked my friend if it colored his view of Venice (his first time) and he said no, it could have happened anywhere. I learned a valuable lesson - thieves may not take the form you envision them in. The one you are not expecting is the one that’s gonna get you.

Pickpockets are one of the reasons we like to travel in winter. Our fall and winter coats have zipped inner pockets — with our wallets zipped in those and coats themselves zipped up to our throats, pickpocket access is trickier. So far no problems in 25 years of winter European travel and living. Traveling with a dog also seemed to be a deterrent.

It used to be that there were far fewer crowds in winter so pickpickets were easier to spot but cities like Paris do not have true low seasons anymore.

I saw pickpockets on the vaporetto. It was blatantly obvious - she was sticking her hand in a woman’s purse. The purse had no zipper or closure of any kind. The wallet was exposed.
edit: wouldn’t the world be a great place if we could trust like this?

I recall another pickpocket story. A guest in my hotel reported to the front desk that his Visa had been stolen. He wanted to go to the police. He was raging about the “thieves” in the city (this was Paris). As it turned out, he had had it in his back pocket and it had fallen out in the lounge.

That being said, I take extra precautions and worry about it a lot.

What struck me on the Instagram thread mentioned,. above, is how much like tourists the young girl theives resembled. They blend in so much that while you might be on the lookout for someone halfway shady looking (whatever that manes to you) those on the videos blended in so well. Who would be wary of a 20-year old girl in a t-shirt and shorts, freshly scrubbed..looking like any of us. So visual recognition is a moot point now..the only answer,, as stated above, is to either avoid all public transport, impossible in /v/enice and elsewhere, or be super diligent.

I've had one pickpocketing incident in my travels, and one assault with a weapon.

1. El Rastro in Madrid (early 1980s) shoulder bag slit from behind and Nikon camera and some money stolen...most cash and cards were in a waist "money bag." I felt nothing and did not even realize that leather bag was slit until late when a kind local pointed it out to me! Was able to gt is sewn back at local shoemaker for moderate cost....

2. Robbed in hotel lobby (Hotel Joli in Palermo) in early 2000s. Creep came in while I was in conversation with receptionist. Hotel empty case it was May 1 and also a Sunday.
Long story but thief brandished a butterknife (!!) (why was I shocked and dumb to be afraid of that??A butter knife!!)

This guy, (30s..nice checked linen shirt) proceeded to rob the cash in hotel register, rip off the abundant gold worn by the receptionist including ripping the earrings out of her ears.....we were both screaming but no employees came to the lobby. He grabbed a heavy gold cross on necklace and she was pleading with him not to take that gift from her dead Nonna....no luck...he stripped her of so much gold.

He then grabbed my wallet which I was stupidly still carrying in my hand (I guess I was so in shock; was holding it to get change to buy cigarettes from a machine, and we were in th midst of long discussion about which restaurants would be open and which were good, and then what are th best dishes to order in Palermo..).

All this time, partner is sound asleep on top floor and could not hear the screaming from the lobby.

The creep got the wallet and tried to exit hotel. I jumped on his back, scratching. Broke my finger (got a splint from local farmacia) but no more damage except that this happened an hour after arrival from the US, and he grabbed about 800 euro in cash (leftover from last trip to Italy) and my only 2 credit cards.

And ran out exit and through park with me screaming and running after him but soon stopping.

All this time a quartet of cigarette smoking, older men with Coppola caps and cardigans were observing from across the street but did nothing. (What could they do?). I think it amused them--all this drama.


Police came...put us in back seat of police car and turned one siren and proceeded to give us a whirlwind tour of Palermo!!!!! One of them, from Naples, told me we should have come to Naples cause Palermo was "like Falluja!" Then to precinct where I looked through huge books of photos of the local "drug addictos". Could not identify any.....preinct head in ratty cardigan with ashes dropping from his cigar onto the lookbooks....so much like a movie. Kept mumbling about the thieving "drogaddictos?SP) in Palermo.

American Express horrible..could get me new card in 7 days by then we would be back in NYC. Visa came through and delivered new card three days later in Siracusa. So apart from broken finger, all went well and I look at it like crazy memory, but admit that I was afraid to walk in crowded streets for the next 3 nights in Palermo and held on tight to partner when we went out at night. Worst loss was the beautiful (Italian) Berlutti wallet my Mom had given me for the trip.

Due to that, partner refused to return to Palermo even again (obviously silly) and, in fact, I've not been back since but certainly am not afraid to return as I saw very little of that great city.
So we've been in Catania a few times and will return late August.....ironic since Catania has a worse reputation but I loved it!!!! Love all of Sicily!!

End of stay, I had no money to pay for hotel stay....long story but I've gone on long enough here...sorry for the long detour!

Quite the story! Have a great and safe! time in Catalina!

ekscrunchy - girl, you're a wildcat.

I have a pair of passport socks. At the ankle there is a zipper and can fill it with money, cc and passport if needed. I also bought a scarf with a zippered pouch, so not everything is in my purse.

I always leave my passport in the hotel....why take it with you unless you do not trust hotel safe? I don't even use the safe..just hide it inside the room.
You never need it when you are out and about, I don't think...