Urgent 'scam' warning to British tourists visiting holiday hotspot this summer

Tourists visiting Europe's most popular landmarks have been warned against a 'new scam' which has left many travelling Brits forking out for overpriced tickets to major attractions this summer.

Online marketplaces such as Viator, a TripAdvisor subsidiary, stand accused of charging over the odds to tourists, with some admission fees rising to three times more than official sources.

Historic sites across the continent, such as Rome's Colosseum, Athens' Acropolis and Paris' Eiffel Tower draw in millions of visitors each year, but prices have spiked recently.

Listings for the Viator marketplace's experience for the latter Eiffel Tower attraction can set buyers back £93, while the same ticket from the official Eiffel Tower site is just £31.

Elsewhere, Louvre tickets are sold for £40 on Viator, while the museum's official site offers them for £19, meaning many guests are having their pockets pinched before even arriving at the landmarks.

Viator boasts flexibility with its more than 300,000 available experiences, including free cancellation options and 24/7 customer support, though it has been questioned over its less-than-clear pricing system for in-demand visits.

Researchers at consumer watchdog Which? claim the site is offering sightseers the opportunity to be escorted to a lift by a guide to traverse the Eiffel Tower for the aforementioned £93 price tag.

But, after further investigation, Which? contends that these 'guides', offered by the Global Tours and Tickets vendor, based in Turkey, simply join visitors in a timed ticket queue before ascending a lift with the guests, eventually leaving on the second floor, before reaching the summit.

Elsewhere, a service purchased directly from La Tour Eiffel grants tourists lift access to the top at a third of the price.

Staying in the City of Love, the consumer watchdog reportedly uncovered a Slovakian-based company selling tickets to the Louvre in Paris for £40 on Viator, despite the museum's website listing them for £19.

Customers have logged several scathing reviews after falling victim to these shoddy services, with one writing, "Do not use this website. Total scam. Confirmed several items, received tickets. Then, 2 days before the event, they cancelled."

"[I] had to wait a week for my money to be put back into my account. Do not rely on them in any way to book an event," Another user posted.

A tourist frequenting Rome added to the reviews: 'Do not do this. It's a scam. You are better off booking through the official website.

"We were charged 150 Euro, and our friends bought the same ticket for 50 Euro, and we all went in together."

The Express has approached Viator for comment.