A cultural travel guide to the world

Etiquette & taboos

Etiquette & taboos

Understanding local customs is where a journey begins. Find the topics that matter to you and feel at ease wherever you go.

37 rules found

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersPlace-specific guidance · India

India: some states ban alcohol completely

Do

  • Before visiting Bihar, Gujarat, Mizoram, Nagaland or Lakshadweep, learn the alcohol rules

Don’t

  • Drinking or carrying alcohol in a dry area
  • Drinking in parks and other public places

Drinking or possessing alcohol in a dry state can lead to arrest without bail and 5 to 10 years in prison.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: India travel advice

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersPlace-specific guidance · Jordan

Jordan: don't stay in Petra outside opening hours

Do

  • Enter and leave at the park's set hours
  • If you have questions about ticket prices or extra charges, ask at the visitor centre first

Don’t

  • Staying in Petra Archaeological Park after closing

You may be arrested and prosecuted; visitors have been locked in the park overnight.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Jordan travel advice

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersPlace-specific guidance · Morocco

Morocco: don't proselytise

Do

  • Respect the local Islamic faith

Don’t

  • Trying to convert Muslims to another religion or handing out missionary material
  • Publicly criticising Islam (including online)

Proselytising can mean a fine or up to 3 years in prison; publicly criticising Islam can mean up to 2 years.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Morocco travel advice

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersPlace-specific guidance · China

China: carry your original passport

Do

  • Foreign visitors should carry their original passport

Don’t

  • Carrying only a copy or photo of your passport

Police make random ID checks and do not accept printouts; if you cannot show your passport, you may be fined or detained.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: China travel advice

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersPlace-specific guidance · Bolivia

Bolivia: carrying any amount of drugs is treated as trafficking

Do

  • Stay away from drugs of any kind

Don’t

  • Carrying any amount of drugs

The minimum sentence is 8 years; sniffer dogs check passengers leaving on international flights.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Bolivia travel advice

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersPlace-specific guidance · Austria

Austria: be ready to show your passport

Do

  • Carry your passport

Don’t

  • Assuming your driving licence counts as ID

The law requires you to be able to show your passport at all times; Austria does not accept a UK driving licence as official ID.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Austria travel advice

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersPlace-specific guidance · Netherlands

Netherlands: cannabis is tolerated only in designated places

Do

  • Understand that 'tolerated' does not mean legal

Don’t

  • Smoking cannabis in public places
  • Buying or possessing drugs outside designated places

Using it in public is illegal; buying or possessing it outside designated places can mean prison.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Netherlands travel advice

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersPlace-specific guidance · Greece

Greece: drunken rowdiness and indecent behaviour lead to arrest

Do

  • Behave appropriately in public

Don’t

  • Drunken rowdiness and indecent exposure
  • Wearing costumes that may be seen as offensive

Police will arrest you, and courts usually impose heavy fines or prison.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Greece travel advice

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersPlace-specific guidance · Italy

Italy: rules around monuments and fountains

Do

  • Keep the area around monuments clean and quiet

Don’t

  • Going into or splashing in public fountains (Florence, Rome and elsewhere)
  • Swimming in Venice's canals
  • Eating and drinking next to major churches, monuments and public buildings
  • Sitting on monument steps, littering, or scratching or writing on monuments

All are local offences; urinating in public can bring a fine of up to €10,000.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Italy travel advice

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersPlace-specific guidance · Spain

Spain: show photo ID when police ask

Do

  • Carry photo ID

Don’t

  • Ignoring a direct instruction from the police

Police can take you to a station until your identity is confirmed; ignoring a direct instruction from the police can count as 'disobedience'. Real police check documents only and will not ask to see your wallet.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Spain travel advice

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersPlace-specific guidance · Indonesia

Nyepi in Bali: a whole day of island-wide silence

Do

  • Stay in your accommodation all day, lights off and quiet
  • Adjust flights and check-in or check-out dates in advance

Don’t

  • Going out into the street or to the beach
  • Booking flights in or out of Bali on that day

Everyone on the island, including tourists, must comply; I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport closes for the whole day.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Indonesia travel advice

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersPlace-specific guidance · Thailand

Never insult the Thai royal family

Do

  • Treat portraits of the royal family and related topics with respect and care

Don’t

  • Posting or sharing any criticism of, or jokes about, the royal family, online included

The lèse-majesté law is interpreted very broadly and can bring long prison sentences; it applies to past and present members of the royal family.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Thailand travel advice

Cultural sensitivitiesEveryday mannersPlace-specific guidance · Morocco

Morocco: during Ramadan, don't eat or drink in public by day

Do

  • Check opening hours during Ramadan
  • Dress according to local custom

Don’t

  • Eating, drinking, smoking, chewing gum or swearing in public during the day

It offends people who are fasting.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Morocco travel advice

Cultural sensitivitiesEveryday mannersPlace-specific guidance · Türkiye

Türkiye: during Ramadan, don't eat or drink in public by day

Do

  • During Ramadan, check shop opening hours and be patient with people who are fasting

Don’t

  • Eating, drinking, smoking or chewing gum in public during the day (including in a car)
  • Playing loud music, dancing or swearing

It offends people who are fasting.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Turkey travel advice

Cultural sensitivitiesEveryday mannersPlace-specific guidance · Malaysia

Malaysia: pass things and eat with your right hand

Do

  • Use your right hand to eat with your fingers, to pass and receive things, and to shake hands
  • To point the way, make a loose fist and point with your right thumb

Don’t

  • Pointing at people or things with your index finger

Not illegal, but seen as rude.

Not yet verifiedSource: Tourism Malaysia: travel guide

Local customsEveryday mannersPlace-specific guidance · Germany

Germany: most shops close on Sundays

Do

  • Shop for food and essentials on Saturday
  • If you need to shop on Sunday, go to shops at railway stations, airports or petrol stations

Don’t

  • Planning a shopping trip for Sunday

There is no penalty — you will just find everything closed. Sunday is protected as a day of rest by the constitution, and each state allows only a few 'open Sundays' a year.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Library of Congress law blog: Germany's shop opening laws