Dust off your flip-flops, roll up your towel, recharge your e-reader. That’s right, the European holiday season is upon us. Only, for the summer of 2026, you might want to read the small print before heading to the beach. A bevy of new rules and red tape threatens to kill the holiday mood.
Last week, authorities in charge of Punta Molentis beach in Sardinia announced that they will begin charging visitors €10 (£8.60) for access, with capacity capped at 150. This, according to the local mayor, is a necessary measure to protect the vulnerable beach which was struck by wildfires in 2025.
Fair enough. Although, strangely, parasols are also now banned except for those aged under 10 or over 65. What’s that, you are only 64? Your sun-stricken child is 11? Well you’d best put away your umbrella and pray for a cloud.
Beach furniture has become a point of contention across European sands. In the town of Calpe on Spain’s Costa Blanca, anyone who pops down to the beach at the crack of dawn to reserve a sunbed may return to find a penalty charge notice on their towel. Under rules introduced the summer before last, belongings left unattended for more than three hours could be met with a €250 (£215) fine.
Greece has gone a step further, banning all sunbeds and parasols from 251 beaches, up from 238 in 2024. On beaches where sunbeds are permitted, there are strict rules: 70 per cent of the sand must be sunbed-free, and there must be a strict 4m distance between loungers and the sea.
If you hear a buzzing overhead, stay calm. Busy beaches, including several on Corfu and Rhodes, are now monitored by drones to ensure businesses are keeping to the rules. How relaxing.
Private property
On some stretches of the Continent’s coast, you’ll be lucky if you can access the beach at all. Strictly speaking, all French beaches should be free for the public to visit. However, in recent years some of the most beautiful stretches along the Côte d’Azur have been quietly conquered by exclusive beach clubs.
The problem is even more stark in Italy. Around half of the Italian coastline is now leased by private operators. According to a 2025 study by Altroconsumo, at the resort of Alassio on the Italian Riviera it cost €340 (£294) for two sunbeds and an umbrella in high summer.
Even if you opt to stay away from sunbeds and umbrellas, you could still end up out of pocket. As of July last year, lighting a cigarette on a French beach is an offence with fines ranging from €90 (£78) to €135 (£117).
And just this week a number of French resorts announced bans on male shirtlessness. If a man steps a few paces from the beach in Narbonne or Deauville with their chest uncovered, they could face a fine of up to €150 (£130). Many other European resorts impose similar rules on modesty. In Albufeira, Portugal, the fine for toplessness away from the sand is as high as €1,500 (£1,295).
Sent packing
In some extreme cases, you may be turned away from the beach entirely. As well as Punta Molentis, other popular spots in Sardinia such as Cala Brandinchi and Lu Impostu have visitor caps, and the ever-popular La Pelosa beach requires visitors to book ahead in the summer months. In France, Calanque de Sugiton is accessible by reservation only, while Praia das Catedrais in Galicia requires a booking up to 30 days before you go.
You may also be turned away depending on the hour of the day that you wish to visit. In Benidorm, daring to step foot on a beach between 10pm and 7am can come with a fine of up to €1,200 (£1,040). A skinny-dipping levy, if you will.
But let’s imagine you do find that perfect spot to lay your towel. The sun is shining, there is a warm breeze skimming the azure Med waters. Then, suddenly, the sun is blocked out. You open your eyes to find a swarm of protesters, holding up signs urging you to “go home”. From Majorca to Tenerife, via the island of Paros in Greece, anti-tourism protesters have taken to the beaches to complain about unsustainable visitor numbers already this year. Expect more demonstrations in the coming weeks.
These are, of course, just a handful of eye-grabbing measures across some of the Continent’s busiest beaches. Across the majority of Europe’s 31,000 miles of coast, you will find sun, peace and quiet. My advice? Plan ahead, research deeply, and pick wisely, to avoid becoming caught up in any beach bureaucracy this summer.