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.

22 rules found

Cultural sensitivitiesDressCountry-wide guidance · Germany

Germany: Dress modestly in churches and remove your hat

Do

  • Dress respectfully; formal wear isn't needed, but avoid revealing outfits
  • Take off your hat, silence your phone and keep your voice low inside
  • Carry a light scarf or jacket to cover your shoulders when needed
  • Where a church posts its own rules at the door or online, follow them

Don’t

  • Don't wear revealing clothes such as bikini tops or very short sports shorts
  • Don't give loud commentary or take photos during a service

German churches are generally more relaxed about dress than those in southern Europe, and visitors in shorts are a common sight in Munich and Cologne. However, staff at places such as Berlin Cathedral may refuse entry to visitors in overly revealing clothing.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Pieter on Tour: Church etiquette in Europe's sacred spaces

Cultural sensitivitiesPhotos & dronesCountry-wide guidance · France

France: Check the signs before taking photos; no flash or selfie sticks

Do

  • In permanent galleries, handheld photos for personal, non-commercial use are allowed
  • Check the signs at temporary exhibitions, which often ban all photography for copyright reasons
  • Put your camera away in rooms marked with a no-photo sign
  • Check each museum's official rules on large bags and the cloakroom

Don’t

  • Don't use flash at any time; strong light can damage old paintings and artefacts
  • Don't bring a selfie stick to the Louvre or other museums that ban them
  • Don't block paintings or walkways for long
  • Don't touch the exhibits

Security staff enforce the flash and selfie-stick bans; you will be stopped, and banned equipment may have to be checked in or left behind.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: American Friends of the Louvre: FAQ

Cultural sensitivitiesEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · France

France: Keep your voice down in public and never jump the queue

Do

  • Queue patiently and leave a little space in front of you
  • Speak quietly on public transport and in museums and libraries
  • Let passengers off first and don't block doors or aisles
  • Keep to the right on pavements and escalators
  • Offer your seat to older people, pregnant women and people with disabilities
  • Say Bonjour to staff when you enter a bakery or shop

Don’t

  • Don't cut in or push
  • Don't take calls or play music on speaker
  • At markets, don't pick produce yourself; let the vendor choose for you

Cutting in or being loud won't get you fined, but it is considered rude. Some guides note that queues at stations or markets can be looser; still wait your turn and don't push.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: We3Travel: 16 French etiquette tips for Paris

Cultural sensitivitiesEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · France

France: Say Bonjour when you enter a shop; friends greet with la bise

Do

  • Say Bonjour when you enter a shop and Au revoir when you leave
  • Friends and acquaintances greet with la bise, a light touch of cheeks
  • The number of kisses varies by region; follow the other person's lead or go with two
  • In formal business settings and first meetings, use a brief, firm handshake
  • Use vous with new acquaintances, elders and service staff; switch to tu only when invited

Don’t

  • Don't start asking a shop assistant questions without greeting them
  • Don't initiate la bise in business settings or at a first meeting
  • Don't hug strangers

Nobody will penalise you, but skipping the greeting in a shop is seen as rude, and getting la bise wrong shows you don't know local ways. Two kisses are usual in Paris and the north, three in parts of the south, and customs vary elsewhere.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: La Minute Française: Guide to la bise

Cultural sensitivitiesDressCountry-wide guidance · France

France: Dress modestly in churches and remove your hat

Do

  • Dress modestly, covering shoulders, knees and midriff
  • Take off your hat, silence your phone and keep your voice low inside
  • In summer, carry a light scarf to cover your shoulders when needed
  • Check the signs before taking photos; ask staff if unsure

Don’t

  • Don't walk in front of people who are praying
  • Don't touch statues or eat inside the church
  • Don't use flash or take photos where it is forbidden

French churches rarely check clothing at the door, but revealing outfits are seen as disrespect toward a place of worship, and some churches may require modest dress and refuse entry to those who are not. Follow the notice at the door or the church's website.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Viator: Know before you go to Notre-Dame

Cultural sensitivitiesPhotos & dronesCountry-wide guidance · United Kingdom

UK: Check the signs before taking photos; most venues ban flash and selfie sticks

Do

  • Read the signs at the entrance and beside exhibits; rules vary by venue
  • Take photos for personal, non-commercial use only
  • Follow any separate no-photo signs at special exhibitions or for loaned works
  • Apply to the venue in advance for commercial filming, following its official procedure

Don’t

  • At the National Gallery and Westminster Abbey, don't use flash, tripods or selfie sticks
  • Don't take photos during services at Westminster Abbey or in its restricted chapels
  • Don't photograph other people, especially children, without consent
  • Don't block paintings or walkways for long, and don't touch exhibits

Staff will stop you if you break photography rules, and you may be asked to leave if you ignore them.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Official site: National Gallery visitor photography

Cultural sensitivitiesEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · United Kingdom

UK: Join the back of the queue and never jump it

Do

  • Join the back of the queue: first come, first served
  • Leave a comfortable gap to the person in front
  • If unsure where the queue ends, just ask "Is this the queue?"
  • If someone pushes in, a polite word is enough; there is no need to argue

Don’t

  • Don't jump the queue
  • Don't save places for friends arriving later or wave others in ahead of you
  • Don't talk loudly while waiting

Queue-jumping is not punished, but it is seen as one of the worst breaches of British manners. People rarely confront you directly, yet the whole queue will mutter and glare.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Explore: The unspoken UK queuing rule

Cultural sensitivitiesRestaurants & barsCountry-wide guidance · United Kingdom

UK: Order at the bar and take turns buying rounds

Do

  • Order and pay at the bar; British pubs rarely offer table service
  • In a group, take turns buying a round of drinks for everyone
  • Name the drink and size, such as a pint of lager, not just "a beer"
  • To thank the bar staff, you can add "and one for yourself" to your order

Don’t

  • Don't keep accepting drinks without ever buying a round
  • Don't dither when ordering; others are waiting behind you

Nobody will penalise you, but drinking without buying is seen as freeloading. If you leave before your turn, make sure you buy the first round next time you are out together.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Matador Network: English pub rules

Cultural sensitivitiesDressCountry-wide guidance · United Kingdom

UK: Dress modestly in churches and remove your hat

Do

  • Dress modestly; avoid revealing tops and very short shorts or skirts
  • Take off your hat, silence your phone and keep your voice low inside
  • Dress more formally for a service, wedding or funeral than for a visit
  • Where a church posts its own rules at the door or online, follow them

Don’t

  • Don't treat the church as just a sight or talk loudly
  • Don't walk around or take photos during a service

UK churches rarely turn visitors away over clothing, and Westminster Abbey asks only for modest dress suited to a working church. Revealing clothes, or moving around and taking photos during a service, are still seen as disrespect toward a place of worship.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Official site: Westminster Abbey FAQ

Cultural sensitivitiesEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Convenience stores and vending machines: say you're eating in, and recycling bins take bottles and cans only

Do

  • Queue at the register and place your money on the tray if there is one
  • Answer clearly when the clerk asks whether to heat your bento
  • If you will eat in the store's seating area, say so when paying (eat-in and takeaway are taxed differently)
  • Don't linger in the eat-in area, and sort your containers and chopsticks into the store's bins
  • If you can't find a bin, bag your trash and take it back to where you're staying

Don’t

  • Don't bring household or outside trash to a convenience store to dump
  • Don't stuff rice-ball wrappers, coffee cups or bento boxes into the bins beside vending machines
  • Don't drink alcohol in the eat-in area where the store prohibits it
  • Don't leave trash on benches or the ground

The bins beside vending machines are for plastic bottles and cans only, and forcing other trash into them is considered very rude in Japan; stores accept only trash from items bought there, so dumping household waste is not allowed.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Makimono Manners: Convenience store manners

Cultural sensitivitiesPublic transportCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Shinkansen and taxis: book a seat for oversized luggage, let the driver work the rear door

Do

  • Check which cars are non-reserved and reserved, and sit in your assigned seat
  • Glance back or say a quiet "sumimasen" before reclining
  • On the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen, book a seat with an oversized-baggage area in advance for very large luggage; size limits are as published by JR
  • Take your trash with you or use the bins by the deck between cars
  • Sit in the back of a taxi, usually getting in and out by the left rear door
  • Have your destination address in Japanese ready, and check your seat and the floor before getting out

Don’t

  • Don't put your feet on the seat in front
  • Don't open or close a taxi's rear door yourself; the driver operates it
  • Don't exceed the vehicle's passenger capacity

Oversized luggage without a reservation may incur an extra fee and must be stowed as the crew directs, and bags over the maximum are not allowed on board; forcing a taxi's automatic door can damage it or pinch your fingers.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Explore Translation: Shinkansen manners and rules

Cultural sensitivitiesEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Castles and museums: don't touch exhibits, check photo signs before shooting

Do

  • Check each gallery's photography sign before raising your camera
  • Turn off the flash even where photos are allowed
  • Keep your voice down and follow the visiting route
  • Leave large bags in the lockers or storage the venue provides
  • Check tickets, opening hours and special-exhibition rules in the venue's official information

Don’t

  • Don't touch exhibits, armor, folding screens or the building's woodwork
  • Don't take photos in no-photography areas
  • Don't let tripods or selfie sticks block the way or bump exhibits
  • Don't walk against the route or step past ropes and barriers
  • Don't give loud commentary or take phone calls in the galleries

Oil and sweat from hands damage the surfaces of cultural properties; touching exhibits or breaking photo rules will be stopped by staff, and in serious cases you may be asked to leave.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Romancing Japan: Temple and shrine etiquette

Cultural sensitivitiesTemples & religious sitesCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Hang ema on the designated rack, never open an omamori, return old ones to a shrine

Do

  • Buy an ema at the shrine office, write your wish, and hang it on the designated ema rack
  • Carry your omamori with you or attach it to your bag
  • Return old omamori to a shrine around New Year or on a later visit so it can be ritually burned
  • If you draw a bad fortune, tie it at the shrine's designated spot; good fortunes can be taken home
  • Views differ on carrying several omamori; if unsure, carry those of only one shrine

Don’t

  • Don't hang ema on torii gates, trees or other undesignated places
  • Don't write insults or curses against others on an ema
  • Don't open an omamori pouch to look at the talisman inside
  • Don't throw old omamori in the trash

Ema and omamori are offerings to and blessings from the deities, so hanging them anywhere or throwing them away is seen as disrespectful; by tradition, opening an omamori lets its power escape and it loses its protection.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: UpToGo: Should you carry an omamori with you?

Cultural sensitivitiesDressCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Kimono and yukata: always right side first, so the left panel is on top from your view

Do

  • Wrap the right panel against your body first, then the left over it, so the left is on top as you look down
  • Men tie the obi around the hip bones; women tie it higher, between the solar plexus and the waist
  • Walk with small steps and knees slightly inward so the hem and collar stay neat
  • Sit shallowly on chairs so you don't crush the obi knot at your back
  • Lift the hem gently on stairs, and fold back your sleeves a little when eating

Don’t

  • Don't wrap it left side first (right panel on top); that is how the deceased are dressed
  • Don't pull on the inner fabric when climbing stairs
  • Don't wear a ryokan yukata or rented kimono beyond the area the provider allows

Wrapping left side first is tied to funeral custom and is regarded as a serious taboo; people around you or shop staff will usually point it out so you can fix it.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: asianbeat: Yukata guide (PDF)

Cultural sensitivitiesRestaurants & barsCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Ramen shops: queue once your group is complete, one bowl each, leave promptly

Do

  • Join the end of the line only when your whole group is there; sign in first if there is a list
  • Check whether you order at a ticket machine or at your seat, and carry cash
  • Order one bowl per person (infants excepted)
  • Put your belongings on the shelf or hook by your seat, clear of the aisle
  • Slurping is normal in Japan, so don't feel self-conscious
  • Leave soon after finishing so the next person in line can sit

Don’t

  • Don't stand next to diners to hurry them
  • Don't share one bowl among several people
  • Don't bring in food or drinks from elsewhere
  • Don't photograph the chefs or other customers without permission

Most ramen shops have few seats and depend on turnover, so sharing a bowl, lingering or bringing outside food will draw a reminder or a polite refusal from staff; photographing people without asking causes offense.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Ramen Japan: Ramen manners

Cultural sensitivitiesRestaurants & barsCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Conveyor-belt sushi: take only your own plates and never put one back on the belt

Do

  • Make your own tea with the powdered tea and hot-water tap at your seat; the water is very hot, so adults should pour for children
  • Take only what you will eat, and finish what you take
  • Stack empty plates on your table
  • Turn the sushi over and dip the topping side lightly in soy sauce
  • For gunkan-maki, brush on a little soy sauce with a slice of pickled ginger
  • Many people start with mild white fish and move on to richer flavors (there is no fixed rule)

Don’t

  • Don't take sushi someone else ordered on the tablet; it is sent to their seat
  • Don't put a plate you have taken or touched back on the belt, even if untouched
  • Don't put empty plates back on the belt
  • Don't dip the rice side in soy sauce; the rice falls apart

Returning plates to the belt is a hygiene problem and staff will step in; taking someone else's order causes trouble for that customer and the shop.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Japan Travel 8888: Conveyor-belt sushi guide

Cultural sensitivitiesRestaurants & barsCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Never stand chopsticks in rice or pass food chopstick to chopstick

Do

  • Use serving chopsticks for shared dishes when they are provided
  • Lift distant dishes toward you by hand
  • Lay your chopsticks on the rest when done, or on the edge of your plate

Don’t

  • Do not stand chopsticks upright in rice; it resembles a rice offering for the dead
  • Do not pass food from your chopsticks to someone else's; it recalls handling remains after cremation
  • Do not spear food, point at people, or tap bowls with chopsticks
  • Do not lay chopsticks across your bowl, and do not lick them
  • Do not hover over dishes undecided or rummage in your soup bowl
  • Do not drag dishes toward you with chopsticks

These are kirai-bashi (disliked chopstick habits). There is no penalty, but the first two recall funerals and will genuinely upset Japanese diners; the rest look ill-mannered at formal meals.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Japan Know How: Chopstick Rules at a Japanese Table

Cultural sensitivitiesEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Sort your rubbish and take it back to your lodging or a convenience store

Do

  • Sort waste into burnable, non-burnable, recyclable, and oversized
  • Rinse PET bottles and remove the cap and label before recycling
  • If staying in a rental or long term, put rubbish out at the designated spot on the morning of collection day
  • Use transparent, semi-transparent, or designated bags as your area requires
  • Street bins are rare, so take rubbish back to your lodging or a convenience store
  • Book oversized rubbish collection in advance and pay the fee; check the official rates

Don’t

  • Do not drop rubbish on the street
  • Do not put bags out the night before
  • Do not throw other rubbish into PET bottle bins
  • Do not assume rules are the same everywhere; follow your lodging's and the local government's guide

Wrongly sorted rubbish, or rubbish put out on the wrong day, is refused and left where it is, and it annoys the neighbors. Bags put out too early get torn open by crows.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: tsunagu Japan: Everything You Need to Know About Garbage in Japan

Cultural sensitivitiesPublic transportCountry-wide guidance · Japan

On trains, give up priority seats and carry your backpack in front

Do

  • Give priority seats to elderly, pregnant, and disabled passengers and those with small children
  • Near priority seats, turn your phone off when it is crowded, as railway companies ask
  • Take off your backpack and hold it in front, or put it at your feet or on the rack
  • Eating a bento on the shinkansen or limited express trains is normal
  • Once the door-closing chime sounds, wait for the next train

Don’t

  • Do not keep a priority seat when someone who needs it boards
  • Do not block doors and aisles with a backpack on your back
  • Do not eat full, strong-smelling meals on ordinary commuter trains
  • Do not rush onto the train as the doors close; it is dangerous

There is no penalty, but other passengers will be annoyed and station staff may remind you. Rushing the doors can get you caught in them.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Sumimasen Guide: Train and Bus Manners in Japan

Cultural sensitivitiesTippingCountry-wide guidance · United States

USA: tipping is almost always expected

Do

  • Restaurants with table service: 15–20% of the pre-tax bill
  • Bartenders: US$1–2 a drink, or 15–20% of the bill
  • Taxis: 15–20% of the fare, at least US$1
  • Hotel housekeeping: US$2–5 a day

Don’t

  • Not tipping at restaurants with table service

Not illegal, but seen as very rude.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Emily Post Institute: tipping guide

Cultural sensitivitiesEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Take off your shoes when you see a genkan (entrance step)

Do

  • Take off your shoes at the entrance of homes, some restaurants, temples and hot-spring facilities
  • If unsure, look for a shoe rack or slippers at the entrance

Don’t

  • Stepping onto tatami or indoor wooden floors in shoes

It is seen as very rude.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: JNTO: Japanese etiquette

Cultural sensitivitiesPublic transportCountry-wide guidance · Japan

No phone calls on trains and the shinkansen; queue to board

Do

  • Put your phone on silent; on the shinkansen, take calls in the area between carriages
  • Queue at the marked spots on either side of the train door, and let people off before you get on
  • Give priority seats to older people, pregnant women and passengers with limited mobility

Don’t

  • Talking on the phone or playing sound aloud in the train

Not illegal, but you will get looks and a reminder from the conductor.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: JNTO: Japanese etiquette