Shirtless fines, booking beaches; the new reality of a Euro summer

Euro summer is well underway but in fresh blows to the beloved holiday, tourists are being warned of fines for sloppy dressing and banned from visiting beaches if they haven’t booked.

A fishing village called Varenna, near Lake Como in Italy, in particular has had enough of half-naked tourists wandering around and has announced a raft of new rules.

Walking around in swimwear if shirtless could see visitors fined between $80 (€50) and $325 (€200).

Tour groups have also been limited to 25 people, and guides can’t clog streets or use loud speakers, The Guardian reported.

“Varenna is a wonderful village, and we are proud to welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world every year,” Mauro Manzoni, Varenna’s mayor said.

“However, our residents’ quality of life cannot be sacrificed on the altar of mass tourism.”

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Meanwhile, while paying for a sunbed or beach club is common in popular European spots already, another hotspot now has charges to visit no less than 16 of its beaches.

Famous beach La Pelosa in Sardinia has a booking system which limits numbers to 1500.

It costs $5.70 (€3.50) under rules which started in 2019.

If you want to go in the coming months you’re out of luck as it’s full until September.

Another renowned beach on the island, Cala Goloritzé, also needs reservations, costing $5 (€3).

And Cala Gabbiani, once named one of the best beaches in the world, is another that charges. Only 250 tourists are allowed, according to local tourism authorities. Some smaller beauty spots allow only 60 visitors a day.

If that’s not enough, over in Barcelona, Spain, the city is effectively banning Airbnb in the coming years. It is also slapping more fees on cruise passengers.

The famous La Boquería market will be banned from selling take away snacks in a bid to return it to being a locals’ food market.

This all comes after, two years ago, Venice became the first city in the world to charge day-trippers an entry fee.

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It costs between €5 ($8) and €10 ($16) per day on Fridays, weekends and public holidays.

Then there are warnings of up to six hour lines for the new EES border system, which everyone has to go through on arrival.

Australians have been urged to bring food and water when waiting at line in European airports  as it causes massive delays across the continent.

Last year, Aussie tour company Intrepid flagged it is seeing travellers increasingly book outside of the traditional summer.

September has now become a “new peak” while travellers keen to avoid the masses are also planning holidays in May.

Plus, just like last year, a heatwave has already swept across the region, and it’s not even the height of summer.

Western Europe saw its warmest June on record the World Meteorological Organisation said in 2026.

Experts have warned some spots could even hit 50 degrees this summer.