Newsroom
If you’re heading to Europe this summer, you might want to pack extra spending money, and not just for gelato. From Spain to Greece, tourist hotspots are slapping visitors with hefty fines for behavior that locals say they’ve had enough of.
Forget rowdy nightlife or public drunkenness; in some places, just wearing flip-flops while driving could cost you €320 (about $349). Slip into a bikini or swim trunks anywhere but the beach in Barcelona, Venice, Cannes, or parts of Portugal, and you might be looking at a fine of nearly $1,750.
The list of punishable “holiday sins” is long and oddly specific:
* In Greece, pocketing a seashell or pebble from the beach could mean a $1,165 penalty.
* In Venice, taking a dip in a canal comes with a $407 price tag.
* In Spain’s Balearic Islands, sipping alcohol on the street can cost up to $3,495.
* Even reserving your hotel pool lounger with a towel for too long could set you back nearly $300.
Authorities say the crackdown isn’t about being anti-tourist; it’s about protecting both the quality of life for locals and the experience of well-behaved visitors.
“Locals are fed up,” said tourism advocate Birgitta Spee-König. “These fines are signals that communities want to reclaim space.”
Cities are rolling out awareness campaigns to make sure no visitor can claim ignorance. In Malaga, a 10-point “Improve Your Stay” guide now greets travelers on buses and billboards, reminding them to dress respectfully, keep noise down, and skip reckless scooter rides, or face an $873 fine. In Portugal’s Albufeira, signs bluntly outline what’s banned in public, from cooking to camping to more X-rated activities.
