A young Australian woman is warning anyone travelling to Europe this summer: ‘Wear a T-shirt over your swimsuit’.
Isabelle Lakinfrom Sydney, said anyone who ignores the little-known rule could be fined A$1,100.
The 23-year-old warned: ‘If you don’t want a €700 fine, don’t wear a bikini top when you leave the beach without something over it. They’ll catch you, they don’t want tourists doing that.
The public announcement was made via a viral TikTok.
And went on a journey to women who traveled to Italy, Hvar in Croatia or Dubrovnik.
If you go sailing in Croatia and you think you can stroll around town in bikini bottoms, I wouldn’t recommend it.
‘I know a few people who got stung badly last year and it was mainly people at Sail Croatia who just forgot the rules. So don’t do it, you’ve been warned.’
A number of European cities have introduced the fine, including Sorrento in Italy, Dubrovnik and Barcelona.
Isabelle is enjoying a European summer holiday and remembered a rule she learned last year. In Croatia, she saw other women in bikinis being given a hefty fine of €700 ($1,137 AUD) for not covering their bodies when they were not on the beach.
A strict dress code was introduced in Sorrento following complaints from locals about tourists baring their skin and bodies in bikinis as they walked through towns after coming from the beach.
This emphasizes the importance of familiarizing yourself with the laws, regulations, and restrictions of any new place you visit before arriving at your destination.
Isabelle’s 30-second video has now been viewed more than 229,000 times, with many others admitting they had “no idea” about the rule.
‘I had no idea about this, I was in Croatia last year. I was walking around the city and the city walls in a bikini top and a skirt. Luckily I didn’t get a fine,’ someone said.
“When I see this now, while I unknowingly did this in Split… luckily I didn’t get a fine,” said another.
In some European cities, such as Dubrovnik and Barcelona, tourists can be fined if they don’t cover up while walking down the street in a bikini (stock image)
“This almost happened to me in Marseille!” confessed another.
A guide also joined in the conversation and wrote: ‘That’s true. I work as a tour guide in Croatia. You’re not allowed to walk around in a bikini top anywhere, or in the cities without a shirt. It’s all a matter of luck.’
Someone else wrote: ‘This also happens in some places in Sicily.’
However, others could not believe that travelers were unaware of this rule.
‘Isn’t this just common sense? I don’t see people walking around in bikinis in London,’ one person wrote.
But someone else said: ‘This is very common in Australia as a lot of the seaside resorts in London are very different.’
Last year, another Australian warned travellers not to “show their breasts” in Rome after she was denied entry to several tourist attractions because of her choice of clothing.
Australian Jacki Hodge, 26, took to TikTok to say her white mini dress, which featured an open back and cutouts across the bodice, had caused quite a stir.
She said the “slutty” dress looked fantastic in photos but was far from ideal as she was turned away from some of Italy’s most famous monuments, including the Vatican and the Pantheon.