With the summer travel season bringing large tourist crowds to various cities and smaller destinations across Europe, an increasing number of them have begun setting new rules to combat visitors’ rowdiness and lack of decorum.
After a video of eight British men dancing naked in a bar in the Portuguese town of Albufeira went viral in the summer of 2024, local outcry prompted lawmakers to pass a bylaw whereby anyone caught undressed or wearing only a bathing suit outside a beach area can be hit with a fine of up to €1,800.
The rule quickly earned the nickname “bikini ban” and is now being implemented at other European locations that see high rates of tourist partying and misbehavior.
“Quality of life cannot be sacrificed on the altar of mass tourism”: Varenna’s new shirtless ban
A fishing village on Italy’s Lake Como known for its pastel-colored houses, Varenna has imposed a fine of up to €200 ($228 USD) for any tourist or local seen walking around town with a bare chest or only a bathing suit top for women.
“Varenna is a wonderful village, and we are proud to welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world every year,” Mayor Mauro Manzoni said in a statement announcing the new rule changes. “However, our residents’ quality of life cannot be sacrificed on the altar of mass tourism.”
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Varenna is home to a permanent population of just 650 residents but sees hundreds of thousands of visitors come to the region from other parts of Italy during the summer months.
Fines for a first offense would start at €50 and can go up to €200 for repeat offenders or anyone caught fully undressed. The rules do not apply to tourists who are swimming or spending time on beaches, piers, and docks.
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What the new “bikini ban” means for tourists traveling in Italy this year
Other changes voted in by the local council include limiting groups being led through the town on tours to 25 people and banning the use of loudspeakers by tour guides.
The new regulations have been updated in the town bylaws as “amendments to the urban police regulations” and went into effect on June 27.
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Also this year, Cinque Terre in the northern Italian region of Liguria passed new regulations, hitting visitors who wear flip flops or other loose sandals on the trail between the area’s hilly fishing villages with a fine ranging from €50 to €2,500.
The crackdown comes after an increase in tourists tripping on the rocky paths started to strain the rescue and medical services of towns that have a small permanent population.
Put in place over the risk of accidents and damage to the trail rather than fashion or public decency, the rules apply only to those hiking the pathway between the fishing towns of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore, rather than those visiting the towns themselves.
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