Tourists in Italy, Spain, and Croatia could face fines for wearing swimwear away from the beach, as local councils crack down on beachwear in public. Fines range from €50 in Italy to as much as €750 in Spain, and in Croatia, serious anti-social behaviour can lead to fines up to €4,000.
Italy: Cover Up in Coastal Towns and Cities
Italian destinations, including coastal towns, cities, and lakes, have strict laws about wearing swimwear in public. Tourists seen in shopping streets, city centres, piazzas, or cafés without being properly covered can face fines of between €50 and €200 (around £42 to £170).
Varenna, on the shores of Lake Como, has warned tourists they can only wear swimwear on the village’s beaches, piers, and boat docks. In other areas, they'll need to throw on a t-shirt or dress as they wander around.
Other fines in Italy's tourist hotspots include penalties for late night music and eating snacks on historic steps or close to monuments, in a crackdown on tourists eating in the street.
Spain: Strict Rules in Barcelona, Majorca, and Costa del Sol
Many Spanish tourist hotspots have put local laws in place to force holidaymakers to cover up. Barcelona has fines of up to €300 (£256) for those who wander away from the beach in their swimwear, while on the island of Majorca, fines can be up to €500 (around £427).
Costa del Sol gives the biggest fines, and in Malaga and Marbella entering the city centres in swimwear can mean fines from €300 to €750 (about £256 to £641). Meanwhile in Benidorm, fines of up to €750 can be levied for being shirtless or in swimwear away from beach zones.
Croatia: Fines for Swimwear and Bad Behaviour
Destinations including Dubrovnik, Split, and Hvar have cracked down on bare chested and bikini-clad tourists, with fines starting from €150 (around £128). Signs have been erected in a number of holiday hotspots across Croatia warning tourists to cover up, and you should be especially careful if visiting cathedrals or monuments.
Croatia has also been cracking down on bad behaviour as its tourist numbers grow. Fines for public drinking can cost you from €300 to €700, about £256 to £641, and getting involved in serious anti-social behaviour such as drunken brawls or heavy verbal abuse could see you end up with a fine of up to €4,000, about £3,420.
