British tourists heading over to one of the most popular cities in Europe have been warned over sly tactics many restaurants use to make foreigners spend more money
UK holidaymakers have been urged to watch out for sneaky fees that could end up wreaking havoc on their finances. Last year, a whopping 48.7 million tourists flocked to the French city of Paris and its surrounding areas – marking a two per cent increase compared to 2023. Unable to resist the charm of strolling along the Seine, watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle, and eating their body weight in pastries and cheese – the iconic city is expecting an even stronger tourism rebound this year.
As romantic and enchanting as Paris may be, there’s no denying it’s an expensive city – one that can easily break the bank if you’re not careful. Of course, avoiding fancy restaurants and luxury hotels may help keep the price down.
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However, there’s also a secret tourist tax that’s recently been unearthed. It comes after one local pretended to be a visitor from the United States to see whether dining out is really a set price for all.
Local media outlet Le Parisien sent two journalists to a well-known eatery in the city to see whether they’d be charged the same for their identical order. It comes after the publication spotted a slew of complaints from international tourists online, arguing that waiters use sly tactics to get them to pay more.
Writer Mathiew Hennequin was disguised as an American tourist, donned in a baseball cap and an Eiffel Tower t-shirt, while Marc (who uses the alias Radin Malin, pretended to be a domestic tourist. The pair requested the same order: a lasagna, soda, and water.
The ‘American tourist’ was offered Coke in ‘Medium’ or ‘Large’ size, but after choosing ‘Medium’ was given a huge pint of Coke for €9.50. He was also charged €6 for a bottle of water. However, the French guinea pig received a can of Coke for just €6.50 and was provided with a free carafe of water, paying €9.50 less than the fake Yankee.
In the same restaurant, the server offered the reporters ‘garlic bread’ without specifying that it was extra – but ended up charging the American €6 for the privilege. In another restaurant, the ‘American’ was told that service wasn’t included as part of the bill – which Franck Trouet of hotel and restaurant group GHR claims is ‘obviously false’.
The boss branded the findings a ‘disgrace’, adding: “You can’t even call these people waiters. You should know that in France, water and bread are free. One can refuse a bottle of water. The tip is to express thanks for the service if one is very satisfied: above all, it is not compulsory. This is not the United States.”
In both cases, the bill for the fake American tourist was 50 per cent more than that of the French customer. While this investigation didn’t use any reporters pretending to be British, it’s worth being careful when ordering food and drinks in the city to make sure you’re not being overcharged.
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