Drugs, including cannabis, carry severe penalties
Illegal drugs, including cannabis, carry severe penalties, with long jail sentences and heavy fines possible.
Local Rules for Travellers
🇮🇹 Local Rules in Italy for Travellers
Italy's most famous cities protect their monuments with local rules, and visitors are fined every year for sitting on monument steps, paddling in fountains or swimming in Venice's canals. Other rules catch drivers (limited traffic zones) and beachgoers (taking sand or shells is illegal). These are the rules worth knowing, checked against ENAC, Italian customs and the UK government's official travel advice for Italy.
🚫 Drugs & cannabis
🏛️ Public places & behaviour
Venice: you may need to pay an access fee
Visitors to Venice may need to pay an access fee. Check the official Venice access fee site (cda.ve.it) before you go to see whether it applies to your visit.
No swimming in Venice's canals or paddling in fountains
It is an offence to swim in the canals in Venice, and to enter or bathe in public fountains in many cities, including Rome and Florence.
Don't sit, eat or drink on monument and church steps
Some Italian towns and cities have local laws against sitting on monument steps and eating or drinking next to main churches, historic monuments and public buildings, and you can be fined for breaking them.
Buying from unlicensed street sellers is illegal
It is illegal to buy items from unlicensed street traders, who are common in all major Italian cities.
Urinating in public: fines up to €10,000
Urinating in a public place can be fined up to €10,000.
Use the pedestrian crossing if one is within 100 m
You can be fined for crossing the road when you are within 100 metres of a pedestrian crossing but don't use it.
🪪 ID, fees & documents
Carry photo ID at all times
Under Italian law the police can stop you at any time for an identity check, so carry photo ID with you.
Expect a tourist tax at your hotel
Many major Italian cities charge a small tourist tax per night, usually paid at your accommodation. The rate varies from city to city.
🚗 Driving
Don't drive into a ZTL historic centre without a pass
Many Italian cities have limited traffic zones (ZTL) in their historic centres. You need a pass to drive in, even in a private or hire car, and you will be fined if you don't have one.
🚇 Public transport & boats
Validate your ticket before boarding
Paper tickets for buses, trams and trains must be validated before you travel. Inspectors patrol public transport and give on-the-spot fines if your ticket isn't validated.
🛸 Drones
Drones: never above 120 m or over crowds
Italy applies the EU drone rules. In the 'open' category, which needs no authorisation, it is always forbidden to fly higher than 120 metres, over gatherings of people, or with a drone heavier than 25 kg.
🌿 Nature, beaches & wildfires
Taking sand, shells or pebbles from the coast is illegal
It is illegal to remove sand, shells or pebbles from coastal areas in Italy, and you can be given a large fine.
🛃 Customs & what you can bring
Declare €10,000 or more in cash
Travellers carrying €10,000 or more in cash must declare it to Italian customs.
Law, venue rule, custom or advice?
Every rule on this page is labelled, so you can tell what is enforced by law from what is simply polite.
- Law
- Set by national, regional or city law. Breaking it can mean a fine or worse.
- Venue rule
- A rule set by a venue or operator, such as a bath, museum, hotel or transport company.
- Local custom
- Not a law, but expected behaviour. Ignoring it can cause offence.
- Safety advice
- Practical advice from an official source to keep you out of trouble.
Sources checked for this page
- UK government travel advice (FCDO) for Italy
- Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC)
- Italian Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM)
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll check it against the source.