Tourists in Portugal face the possibility of being fined £30,000 if they listen to music through portable speakers on beaches.
Portugal’s National Maritime Authority (ANM) has banned the use of portable speakers if they're turned up to a volume which annoys other holidaymakers. The smallest fine is £170, but repeat offenders can be stung with a bill for £3,400. For groups the fines can reach a massive £30,953.
Local and other tourists who are being bothered by loud noise from portable speakers are able to contact the local Maritime Police force responsible for the beach they're on, MirrorOnline reports.
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A spokesperson for the ANM, said: "Portable speakers are prohibited on beaches at volumes which can bother other sunbathers. We have seen this problem increase in recent years and we are increasing our vigilance to combat it.”
It is not clear how loud the music would have to be to be considered upsetting or whether the police will be confiscating speakers. The ban has kicked in ahead of the peak tourist season in areas like the Algarve, which traditionally welcomes more than one million UK travellers every year. More than 2.5 million British nationals visit Portugal every year.
Last year Portugal made itself more attractive to British visitors by announcing it would remove Brexit restrictions and treat UK visitors under the same conditions as those from the European Union. The new rules meant travellers from the United Kingdom were no longer treated as third-country nationals as required under Brexit.
If you are heading to Portugal this summer it's worth keeping in mind that new post-Brexit passport requirements apply in the country. Brits heading to the country must make sure that their passport was both issued in the past 10 years at the time of entry, and it must be valid for at least three months on the date that you leave the country.
One person to fall foul of the new rules around passport issue dates was Ana Tiganescu, who had been looking forward to jetting off on her first holiday in more than three years with a trip to Faro, Portugal, where she would have been surrounded by family members.
The University of Leeds scientist was taken aback and gutted when a member of Ryanair staff at Leeds Bradford Airport told her she couldn't travel. Despite having six months left before her UK passport expired, Dr Tiganescu was barred from the flight and could not head off on the week-long trip because her passport was issued more than 10 years ago.
Different Portuguese regions have different local laws, so make sure you do some research ahead of your trip. If you do manage to get into the country then one particularly good spot to visit is Lisbon - the go to place this summer if you want to have an amazing weekend away in a city without breaking the bank.
The holiday hotspot has topped a list of Europe's cheapest city breaks, in a boost for Brits who already flock to Lisbon for its world-famous nightlife, amazing beaches, gorgeous views and delicious food.
From a tourist's perspective prices in the Portuguese capital are largely unaffected by inflation and the cost of living crunch, rising just 2% from last summer, with a weekend minibreak costing around £225.
New rankings from the Post Office looked at costs such as accommodation, a meal for two, range of drinks, sightseeing and transport, and Lisbon impressed.
Two nights in a three-star hotel averaged £121, only 5.2% up on 2022, compared with rises of over 30% in every other city surveyed. In fact, prices in Lisbon were less than a third of those in Europe’s most expensive cities such as Venice and Amsterdam.
Not only is it good value, Lisbon is a great place to visit for a whole number of reasons. The city is perched somewhat haphazardly across bumpy landscape on the country’s western coastline, providing many varied and excellent views.
It’s said to be one of the oldest cities in the world and according to legend was founded by Ulysses on his journey back from the Trojan War.
Among the many sights worth visiting in Lisbon is the Torre de Belem, a Gothic tower built in the 16th century to guard the harbour that is one of the country’s most famous monuments and a UNESCO world heritage site.
The historic Rossio Square is the perfect place to people-watch while sipping a coffee in the morning or a glass of sangria when the sun dips behind the hills and the night comes alive.
A walking tour around the district of Bairro Alto is an ideal way to get to know this cobbled section of the city that is home to a host of bars, restaurants and Fado clubs where the country's brand of melancholy folk music can be heard ringing out deep into the night.
