Listening to music with loudspeakers on the beach, peeing in the sea or keeping that shell you found on the shore could turn a quiet day at the beach into a bad memory of the holiday you were looking forward to. Preserving beaches, especially in the summer season - when millions of tourists flock to the coast - is the aim of the regulations, and the penalties, imposed by the various administrations.
Ending your holiday with a fine may be easier than it seems given that, for example in Spain, there is no national regulation but different municipal ordinances and it is difficult to know them all. Urinating on the beach is one of the most common penalties, with a fine of up to 1,500 euros. In destinations such as Marbella (Málaga), one of Spain’s main destinations for foreign tourists in the Mediterranean, the issue has made international media headlines.
The ordinance regulating the use of beaches is extensive, but what has generated this media attention is that the fine will be applied for “physiological evacuation in the sea and on the beach”. Some coastal areas in southern Spain prohibit the use of loudspeakers on beaches, so bathers must listen to the song of the summer with headphones if they do not want to pay fines of up to 700 euros.
On the Galician coast of Nigrán (Pontevedra), fines can be up to 200,000 euros for those who break the ban on digging holes in the sand, and police use drones to ensure compliance. In the Canaries and Balearics, tourists should be aware that pocketing a shell to take home can cost up to 3,000 euros. Choosing a fridge magnet as a souvenir is perhaps a better idea.