Traveling through Europe seems simple. You arrive at the airport, take your suitcase with wheels and go directly to the historic center of Rome? Paris? Athens?…to start taking photos. But what stops the world can end in a fine. And not exactly small.
Let’s look at some practical examples. or Portofino, Lugging a suitcase through certain areas can be expensive. In the Italian capital, going down or up with a suitcase on wheels through the Spanish Steps is prohibited by the rules of urban decorum. Penalties start at 250 euros and can reach 400 if damage occurs. The reason is not capricious: historic marble cannot withstand the continuous wear and tear of millions of wheels hitting its steps each year. Careful.
In Portofinothe problem is not just noise or damage, but congestion. The municipal regulations contemplate fines of up to 500 euros for those who remain in areas saturated with bulky luggage, something that especially affects those who arrive directly from the train or ferry and stay stopped in tourist spots. Everything fast. The fast food of tourism is already here.
Heels prohibited on the Acropolis
If the suitcase thing is surprising, the heels even more so. Pay attention to this. In Greeceaccess is prohibited with thin-heeled footwear to monuments such as the theater of Epidaurus. The penalty can reach 900 euros.
Acropolis, Athens, Greece
The reason is structural, or so they say: sharp heels generate microfractures in surfaces that are thousands of years old. It may seem exaggerated, but the cumulative impact of thousands of daily visitors causes a real deterioration in the archaeological heritage.
Flip flops at the wheel and bikinis in the city
Spain also has its share of prominence in little-known regulations. Driving with flip flops is not expressly prohibited, but The General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) allows sanctions of up to 200 euros if the agent considers that the footwear affects the control of the vehicle.
Y Then there’s the classic summer mistake: leaving the boardwalk in a bikini.. In cities like Barcelona, there has been an ordinance since 2011 that prohibits wearing a swimsuit off the beach, with fines of up to 300 euros. In Mallorca and the rest of the Balearic Islands The fine can reach 600 euros. In SorrentoItaly, the figure is around 500 euros. The rules apply to both men and women.
Nor feeding the pigeons in Venice
Feeding pigeons has been prohibited since 2008. The fine can reach 500 euros. The authorities argue that the excrement damages the marble facades and generates high cleaning costs.
Travel experts recommend not turning the first day into a tourist day if you are still carrying suitcases. Many of these sanctions are surprising because they affect behaviors that seem normal: walking with luggage, dressing for the beach or choosing elegant shoes.
Europe has tightened its rules of tourist behavior in recent years to protect heritage and reduce the impact of mass tourism. The problem is that many visitors discover it when it is too late.
Before leaving for your next destination, It is worth checking something more than the weather. Because the fine can arrive before the holidays even begin. And now there is a thing called the Internet where there is always someone who happened to it before it happened to you.
