Italy’s New Beach Rules For 2026: Booking, Fees And Bans Explained

It’s your first day of vacation in sunny Italy. You grab your beach bag, slip on flip-flops, and head down to the sea. Only when you arrive, you find you had to book your slot on the sands 48 hours in advance, you need a ticket for the car parking, and you might even be fined for your towel.

Each year, an increasing number of Italy’s beaches introduce visitor caps and booking systems both to tackle overcrowding and reduce pressure on the natural environment. Here’s how to prepare so you don’t miss out on that perfect dolce vita day at the beach.

Check If Your Beach Requires Advance Booking

Dozens of beaches up and down the boot have introduced limits on visitor numbers. The island of Sardinia is particularly strict. Among those which enforce caps is Cala Mariolu, where 700 people are allowed at a single time between 15 June and 15 September, Stintino’s famed Pelosa beach permitting a maximum of 1,500 people, and Cala Brandinchi limiting numbers to 1,447 between 1 June and 30 September.

In most cases, beachgoers need to book their place online through the local municipal website or by downloading an app. Slots fill up fast, so even if there’s no requirement to book a certain number of days or hours in advance, it is prudent to secure your space at least the day before your visit.

Be aware that some beaches have timed slots. Cala dei Gabbiani on Sardinia’s east coast allows 300 visitors to stay for 70 to 90 minutes. Spiaggia dei Conigli on Lampedusa, which frequently tops global best beach rankings, limits beachgoers to 550 per session, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Many booking systems provide you with a QR code, so make sure you can show this on a device when you arrive at the beach.

If the beach you are heading to doesn’t have an online reservation system, arrive as early as possible in the morning. The Baia del Silenzio in Sestri Levante, Liguria, has a cap of 450 beachgoers a day (free entry). On the first day of the visitor limit, the slots were already filled by 10 in the morning, local media reports.

Most beaches with visitor caps also require you to pay for your slot – usually below €5. While this may not seem excessive, be prepared for parking charges too, which can be around €10-15 a day.

Follow Rules On Beach Equipment

There are a few beaches which, due to their natural characteristics, have introduced regulations on what beach equipment visitors can bring with them.

Punta Molentis in Villasimius in the southeast of Sardinia made headlines recently for limiting umbrellas, tents and gazebos on the beach as a measure to prevent erosion. Originally, only beachgoers over 65 or those with children under 10 were allowed to use one. Now, this has been loosened to one per family or group, but positioned only where permitted by beach attendants. Visitors are also required to pay a €10 entry fee when arriving by land and €5 by sea.

On Pelosa beach, those wishing to put down a towel must place a mat underneath to reduce the amount of sand trapped and unwittingly removed. Visitors reportedly face €100 on-the-spot fines for violations.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com