Slowing Down the Speed of Our Wanderlust. This is how tourist fines ask us to pause.

You’ve heard the protests, seen the headlines, “The new tourist fines sweeping Europe”. 

But depending on who you ask, the new rollout of tourism rules and regulations can feel like a total killjoy or long-overdue protection against an industry that’s been eating itself alive. 

Reading the list below, it’s easy to roll our eyes when we’re the ones passing through. But how would you feel if the beach you grew up hearing the waves at night now echoes with drunk tourists music and drones overhead? That street you grew up on where you learned to ride your bike? It’s now blocked with selfie-stick traffic impeding your route to work. 

And your favourite café, the one that knows your order by heart? They tell you that you’ll have to wait longer because tables are being saved for tourists that tip better and stay all day. 

Through this lens, it’s easier to see that these new waves of tourist fines are less about punishing visitors, and more about meeting a destination and its locals on their own terms. So, presuming you want to be a conscientious traveller and not become enemy #1 in your chosen destination, here’s everything you need to know.

Flip-flops behind the wheel in Europe

Rule / Fine: Up to €200 if police deem your footwear unsafe, despite no outright ban.

In countries like Spain, drivers are expected to maintain proper control of the vehicle at all times. Loose footwear like flip-flops can jeopardize pedal control, so officers can fine you if they judge your sandals to compromise safety.

Traveller Tip: Always pack a pair of light sneakers or secure sandals to slip on when you hit the open road.

No Swimwear Off the Beach (Europe, including Barcelona, Sorrento, Albufeira, Cannes, Venice)

Rule / Fine: Up to €1,500 for walking around in swimwear outside beach zones. It's just polite, really!

Traveller Tip: Keep a lightweight cover-up handy — say, a breezy shirt or sarong — for when you step ashore and into town.

Public Drinking (Spain, UK, Baltic states, Canada & more)

Rule / Fine: Up to €3,000 for alcohol consumption in non-designated public areas.

Party hotspots like Ibiza and Mallorca in particular are trying to curb rowdy public behaviour by outlawing open-air drinking away from bars and restaurants. But beyond that, many countries or local authorities have blanket bans on carrying open containers of alcohol in public. 

Traveller Tip: Check the local laws at your destination before cracking open a nice cold beer. If in doubt, sip your sangria indoors, at a bar’s outdoor terrace, or in your hotel.

Sunbed Reservation Abuse (Spain)

Rule / Fine: Around €250 for reserving a sunbed with a towel and abandoning it.

Resorts are cracking down on the old 6am towel trick to keep things fair and tidy for all beach-goers.

Traveller Tip: We’re not sure what to say about this one… Don’t get lost? 

Collecting Shells or Pebbles (Greece & Sardinia)

Rule / Fine: Up to €1,000–€3,000 depending on location.

Coastal ecosystems are fragile. Pocketing natural souvenirs threatens biodiversity and local ecosystems.

Traveller Tip: A picture says a thousand words. Take one, take a thousand — just leave the shells be. 

Swimming in Venice’s Canals (Italy)

Rule / Fine: Around €350 fine — and up to €1,000 if other violations apply. 

Repeat after me, “Canals aren’t for swimming, they’re for boats and sewage!” Banning swims protects both visitors and historic waterways — and probably protects you from at least a dozen infectious diseases. 

Traveller Tip: Stick to gondolas, or head to the Lido if you must get your feet wet.

Entry Fee for Day-Trippers (Venice, Italy)

Rule / Fine: €5–€10 entry fee; failure to pay can lead to €300 fine.

Overwhelmed by mass day-trip tourism, Venice is trying to manage crowd flow and encourage longer stays by offering fee exemptions to hotel guests.

Traveller Tip: Book your visit in advance, or stay overnight, and keep your receipt handy.

Selfie Zones & No-Linger Spots (Portofino, Italy & Hallstatt, Austria)

Rule / Fine: Up to €275 for blocking walkways with a selfie; Hallstatt uses “selfie fences” to curb crowding. 

Europe’s quaint and cute villages are overloaded with visitors lining up for the same shot. This measure aims to restore flow and reduce stress for locals trying to get to work on time.

Traveller Tip: Capture your pic, then move on. Who knows, you might just find a hidden corner!

Beach Behaviour Campaigns (Spain & Portugal)

Rule / Fine: Ranging from €750 for public urination to €2,000 for beach smoking. Malaga’s Improve Your Stay campaign enforces up to €873 fines for bad conduct in the port city. 

Fines can be as high as €30,000 for anti-social behaviour like vandalism or street drinking; attending (or throwing!) unlicensed events can set you back a similar amount, while hitching a lift in an unlicensed taxi can result in penalties of €600. And before you decide to go for a nighttime dip Benidorm, just consider whether you have €1,000 to spare. 

Traveller Tip: Follow the local code snippets posted in your hotel lobby or on billboards, or simply ask a local. But let’s be honest — it’s always better to just find a toilet, smoke away from others, keep the noise down at night, and generally not be a nuisance.

Proof of Travel Insurance (Spain)

Rule / Fine: Fines for British travellers of up to €6,900 for not having proper travel health insurance documentation when entering Spain. 

To protect its healthcare system and keep tourists from becoming walking liabilities, Spain can now request proof of travel insurance at the border.

Traveller Tip: Buy travel insurance! And just in case your phone battery dies, pack a printed copy of your insurance documents so you can pull them out at passport control.

Visitor Caps in Europe’s Ancient Icons (Greece, Italy)

Rule / Fine: Acropolis (Athens) is capped at 20,000 visitors/day; pre-booking required, high heels banned with fines up to €900.
Pompeii (Italy): also limited to 20,000 visitors/day and the Colosseum (Rome): capped at 3,000 visitors at a time. 

These heritage sites want to stay standing, not crumbling under the footfall. Regulating access protects their history (and makes your visit more enjoyable).

Traveller Tip: Book your tickets for the first thing in the morning to avoid the rush, and leave the stilettos at home.

Tourism Balance (Japan)

Rule / Fine: Mount Fuji: ¥2,000 entry fee (£10/$13.50/€11.60) with a cap of 4,000 climbers/day. Kyoto: ¥10,000 fine for taking photos of geisha without permission; some alleys are even off-limits. Tokyo: A year-round ban on public drinking from 6pm-5am. 

Traveller Tip: Book early. Ask before snapping. Stick to bars and cafés, not the streets.

Hiking Restrictions (Machu Picchu)

Rule / Fine: Timed-slot tickets are now mandatory — no more spontaneous hikes to Machu Picchu!

Peru is slowing tourism to protect both the trail and the ancient ruins from overuse and degradation.

Traveller Tip: Book your slot online well in advance. Check out Flight Finder Lauren's top tips for visiting the site here.

Digital Arrival Card (Thailand)

Rule / Fine: As of May 2025, all foreign visitors must complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card at least within 72 hours before arrival. Earlier isn't possible.

This replaces the old paper form, and can be submitted online before you travel. You won't need to do this if you're just transiting in Thailand.

Traveller Tip: Set a reminder on your phone to do this 3 days before you arrive, save the confirmation, and breeze through immigration!

Eco-Tax (Iceland)

Rule / Fine: A nightly, per-room eco-tax is in place nationwide to support environmental conservation to protect its glaciers and geysers.

Traveller Tip: Factor this small extra (approx. $5-$8) into your hotel budget; you’re investing in the island’s future.

Follow these guidelines, and hopefully you won't find yourself stepping on any toes on your next trip.

Wear the right shoes in Cinque Terre, not because Italy wants to control your packing list, but because those paths are centuries old and prone to erosion. Skip the selfie in a geisha district, not because Kyoto wants to spoil your carefully curated feed, but because a working woman shouldn’t be turned into a prop or have her picture taken without consent. 

The result? A subtle but meaningful shift: travel is becoming less about extraction — how much you can see, collect, or post in a few days — and more about exchange: “You bring the curiosity and respect, we’ll reveal our truer selves beyond the tourist brochures.”

And if that feels restrictive, maybe the question isn’t whether the rules have gone too far, but whether the speed of our wanderlust has burned through the soul of the streets before we even noticed.