Wearing your swimwear in the wrong place could be a costly mistake this summer, as these destinations are cracking down on Brits wearing bikinis and board shorts in the streets, with huge fines for offenders
When you’re having a relaxed holiday in the sun, your clothing choices are often a little more bold than at home, and it’s not uncommon to see Brits abroad wandering around in beachwear.
But show too much skin and you could be facing a fine as local councils in holiday hotspots crack down on wearing swimwear in public. Three destinations in particular that are popular with Brits have added swimwear laws, sick of the sight of men wandering around shirtless and women in bikinis on their streets.
Italy
Italian destinations including coastal towns, cities, and lakes have strict laws around wearing swimwear in public. Tourists seen in shopping streets, city centres, piazzas, or cafés without being properly covered can end up with 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
Wander around holiday hotspots in Spain, especially those beloved by Brits, and it’s not unusual to see scantily clad tourists wandering along the promenade or even heading into town in not much more than a bikini.
But many tourist hotspots are fed up with the sight of too much flesh and 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 fines (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
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.
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