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.

80 rules found

Essential restrictionsDrivingPlace-specific guidance · Finland

Finland: drink-driving can mean prison

Do

  • If you drink, don't drive

Don’t

  • Drink-driving (Finland's limit is much stricter than the UK's)

Drink-driving is a serious offence in Finland and can mean prison; emergency and rescue resources are limited in remote areas of the Arctic Circle.

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

Essential restrictionsPhotos & dronesPlace-specific guidance · Norway

Norway: register before flying a drone

Do

  • Register as an operator in Norway or an EU/EFTA country and buy liability insurance
  • Check no-fly zones

Don’t

  • Flying a drone without registering

Breaks Norwegian aviation rules; some areas are no-fly zones.

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

Essential restrictionsSafetyPlace-specific guidance · Russia

Russia: many governments advise against all travel

Do

  • Before you leave, check your own government's latest safety advice
  • Check whether your travel insurance covers you

Don’t

  • Ignoring official travel warnings and going anyway

Because of the risks from Russia's continuing invasion of Ukraine (drone attacks, air-defence activity, limited return flights and more), the UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to Russia; the risk of foreigners being detained has also increased. If you travel against official advice, your travel insurance may be invalid.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Russia travel advice — warnings and insurance

Essential restrictionsDrivingPlace-specific guidance · Iceland

Iceland: headlights on all year when driving

Do

  • Keep dipped headlights on all year, fit suitable tyres in winter and keep to the speed limit

Don’t

  • Drink-driving (Iceland's limit is stricter than the UK's)

Breaking traffic rules brings heavy fines.

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

Essential restrictionsSafetyPlace-specific guidance · Iceland

Iceland: keep away from waves, cliff edges and hot-spring vents

Do

  • Stay behind warning lines and tell your hotel your plans or register them with Safe Travel Iceland

Don’t

  • Going near waves, cliff edges and geothermal vents

These are the most common causes of accidents in Iceland.

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

Essential restrictionsTemples & religious sitesPlace-specific guidance · Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: don't pose with your back to a Buddha statue

Do

  • Respect Buddha statues and religious objects

Don’t

  • Standing with your back to a Buddha statue for a photo
  • Making offensive remarks about religion

Disrespecting Buddha images is a serious offence and can lead to arrest; people with visible Buddha tattoos may be refused entry or deported.

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

Essential restrictionsSafetyPlace-specific guidance · Nepal

Nepal: you must hire a guide to trek in national parks

Do

  • Get a trekking permit and TIMS card
  • Hire a local guide or porter

Don’t

  • Trekking alone in national parks and conservation areas

Breaking the rules can mean a fine or expulsion from the protected area; above 3,000 m there are risks from weather, avalanches and altitude sickness all year.

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

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 restrictionsEntryPlace-specific guidance · India

India: no satellite phones or GPS devices without a permit

Do

  • Before you leave, check whether your equipment needs a permit

Don’t

  • Carrying a satellite phone or satellite navigation device without a permit (even in transit)

Illegal; you can be fined or arrested and the device confiscated. British tourists have been arrested for this.

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

Essential restrictionsSafetyPlace-specific guidance · Jordan

Jordan: stay out of canyons in the rainy season

Do

  • From November to March, check the weather before entering a canyon, and wait at least a day after heavy rain
  • If a flash flood comes, move to higher ground

Don’t

  • Entering a canyon after heavy rain
  • Trying to wade through floodwater

In the rainy season, canyons can flood suddenly and are very dangerous; call 911 for rescue.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Jordan 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 restrictionsRestaurants & barsPlace-specific guidance · Egypt

Egypt: drink only at licensed venues

Do

  • Drink in licensed restaurants, bars or within resorts

Don’t

  • Drinking in the street or other public places

Drinking outside licensed premises is illegal and can lead to arrest.

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

Essential restrictionsPhotos & dronesPlace-specific guidance · Egypt

Egypt: ask before photographing people, and don't photograph children

Do

  • Ask local people before photographing them
  • If in doubt, ask before taking a photo

Don’t

  • Photographing children
  • Photographing military installations (including the Suez Canal)
  • Taking or sharing photos that could harm the country's image

Tourism ministry rules require written permission to photograph Egyptian citizens, and photographing children is banned; photographing military installations is illegal.

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

Essential restrictionsSafetyPlace-specific guidance · China

China: don't get physical in a dispute

Do

  • Walk away from an argument and call the police if needed

Don’t

  • Pushing, shoving or fighting

Whoever starts it, taking part in a fight can bring a fine or detention, and the injured party usually demands compensation.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: China 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 restrictionsPublic transportPlace-specific guidance · United Kingdom

London Underground: tap in and tap out

Do

  • Tap your Oyster card or bank card on the yellow reader both on entry and exit, even if the gates are open
  • At interchange stations with mid-route readers, tap as instructed

Don’t

  • Tapping in but not out, or not tapping before boarding

If you miss a tap you are charged the maximum fare; if an inspector finds you travelling without tapping, you may be fined or prosecuted.

Not yet verifiedSource: Wikipedia: Oyster card

Essential restrictionsEntryPlace-specific guidance · Canada

Canada: cannabis cannot cross the border

Do

  • Learn the different cannabis rules in each province

Don’t

  • Carrying cannabis across the border without Health Canada authorisation

Even if bought legally in Canada, taking it out of the country without authorisation will get you arrested.

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

Essential restrictionsSafetyPlace-specific guidance · Chile

Chile: no open fires in national parks

Do

  • Use fire only at permitted campsites

Don’t

  • Lighting an open fire outside designated campsites in a national park

You can have your tourist permit cancelled, be ordered to leave within 72 hours or be deported; starting a forest fire can also bring criminal charges.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Chile 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 restrictionsSafetyPlace-specific guidance · Brazil

Brazil: don't go to city beaches after dark

Do

  • Take only a little cash to the beach
  • If you are robbed, hand over your things and don't resist

Don’t

  • Going to city beaches after dark
  • Taking valuables to the beach or using your phone in the street

Gangs carry out mass beach robberies known as 'arrastão'; phone snatching peaks between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.

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

Essential restrictionsEntryPlace-specific guidance · Brazil

Brazil: e-cigarettes are completely illegal

Do

  • Leave your e-cigarette at home before you travel

Don’t

  • Carrying e-cigarettes, pods or accessories

All e-cigarettes and accessories are illegal, and customs confiscate them from checked and hand luggage.

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

Essential restrictionsEntryPlace-specific guidance · Peru

Peru: coca leaves and coca tea cannot be taken out of the country

Do

  • Just drink coca tea while you are there

Don’t

  • Taking coca leaves or coca tea out of Peru
  • Carrying luggage for someone else

Coca products may not be taken out of Peru; drug convictions bring long prison sentences.

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

Essential restrictionsEntryPlace-specific guidance · Mexico

Mexico: carry your original passport and entry record

Do

  • Carry your original passport with its entry stamp, or download your electronic entry record from the immigration website

Don’t

  • Carrying only a copy or photo

Immigration officers do not accept copies; you may be questioned, detained or even deported.

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

Essential restrictionsEntryPlace-specific guidance · Mexico

Mexico: e-cigarettes may not be brought in or sold

Do

  • Leave your e-cigarette at home before you travel

Don’t

  • Bringing e-cigarettes or vape liquid into the country
  • Smoking or vaping in public places

Customs will confiscate them and may fine or detain you; smoking in public places can bring a fine of up to MXN 3,000.

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

Essential restrictionsDrivingPlace-specific guidance · Vietnam

Vietnam: helmets are compulsory on motorbikes

Do

  • Riders and passengers must both wear helmets

Don’t

  • Riding or being a passenger without a helmet
  • Drink-driving

Riding without a helmet is illegal; drink-driving can bring a fine or even prison, and after an accident you may be barred from leaving the country.

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

Essential restrictionsDrivingPlace-specific guidance · Norway

Norway: very strict drink-driving limits

Do

  • If you have drunk alcohol, don't drive

Don’t

  • Judging by your home country's standards that you are still fit to drive

The drink-driving limit is about a quarter of England's, and can mean a fine or even prison; on-the-spot fines for other traffic offences reach NOK 10,000.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Norway 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 restrictionsSafetyPlace-specific guidance · Spain

Spain: no dangerous stunts on hotel balconies

Do

  • Keep a safe distance on balconies

Don’t

  • Climbing over, crossing or jumping between balconies

The hotel will throw you out and you may be fined; travel insurance may not cover accidents on balconies.

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

Essential restrictionsDressPlace-specific guidance · Spain

Spain: don't walk around town in swimwear

Do

  • Put clothes on before leaving the beach

Don’t

  • Wearing only a bikini or swimming trunks, or going shirtless, on the seafront promenade and nearby streets

Illegal in some areas; you can be fined.

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

Essential restrictionsDressPlace-specific guidance · France

France: face coverings are banned in public places

Do

  • Showing your face in public places

Don’t

  • Covering your face in streets, shops and other public places

It is illegal, with a fine of up to €150; the law also applies to tourists.

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

Essential restrictionsSafetyPlace-specific guidance · Australia

Australian beaches: swim between the red and yellow flags

Do

  • Swim only between the red and yellow flags where lifeguards are on duty
  • If you don't know the conditions, ask a lifeguard

Don’t

  • Swimming at unpatrolled beaches or outside the flags

Outside the flags there may be rip currents, and lifeguards cannot reach you in time.

Not yet verifiedSource: Surf Life Saving Australia: beach safety signs

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 restrictionsEntryPlace-specific guidance · Singapore

Singapore: chewing gum, e-cigarettes and littering

Do

  • Clear chewing gum out of your luggage before arrival (except medical and dental gum approved by the Health Sciences Authority)
  • Put rubbish in the bin

Don’t

  • Carrying or using e-cigarettes; bringing them in for personal use is also illegal
  • Littering

E-cigarettes are completely illegal; police can fine you on the spot for littering.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Singapore 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