Can You Drink On The Street In Spain?

Can You Drink On The Street In Spain
The Spanish government is to ban drinking of alcohol in the street and the sale of alcoholic drinks to people aged under 18. The aim is to reduce alcohol misuse among Spanish teenagers and to tackle the nationwide fashion known as “el botellón,” in which young people gather in streets and squares to drink overnight at weekends.

The measure was announced earlier this month by the home secretary, Mariano Rajoy, at the opening of a three day congress on young people, night, and alcohol, held in Madrid under the auspices of the National Plan on Drugs, based at the Home Office;

Mr Rajoy said that the new law was aimed at tackling “el botellón,” because it had led to a proliferation of complaints from residents’ associations about the noise and havoc. The fashion consists of buying a standard bottle of rum, gin, or whisky, a 1 litre or 1.

5 litre bottle of soft drink, ice cubes, and glasses. The resulting price of one “botellón,” about €9 (£5. 50; $7. 90), is notably lower than the sum of individual drinks at bars, pubs, or discos. The custom is popular because alcoholic drinks in Spain are cheaper than in many other EU countries and because the climate is warmer than in many parts of Europe.

After pointing out that “the chief cause of mortality among Spanish young people is road traffic accidents related to alcohol consumption,” Mr Rajoy said that, in addition to banning consumption in streets, the new law would set the age for accessing drinks at 18.

This measure would also be taken because of worrying data from a survey carried out by the National Plan on Drugs among 14-18 year old school students in 2000. The survey found that 58% of them regularly consumed alcohol (43% at weekends and 15% daily).

The mean age at onset of consumption was 13. 6 years, and midnight represented the “turning point” at which alcohol consumption and drunkenness in teenagers shot up. Dolores Flores, general director of public health at the health ministry, said that the number of young people drinking “compulsively” until “getting drunk” was increasing.

The survey also found that young people did not seem to perceive alcohol consumption as dangerous;
Although 70% understood the risk from smoking or consuming heroin, cocaine, and cannabis, only 42% thought that alcohol could lead to serious problems;

Mr Rajoy said that government hoped to re-educate, rather than fine, those young people who came together in “el botellón. ” It wanted to take such young people to visit centres housing people with paraplegia or tetraplegia as a result of alcohol misuse.

It also hoped to show them the work of non-governmental organisations in rehabilitating alcoholics, and make them undertake community work to repair some of the havoc created in the streets by the weekend binge drinking;

In the closing day of the congress, Gonzalo Robles, head of the National Plan on Drugs, said that the government also intended to introduce compulsory health education about alcohol into secondary education for 12-16 year olds. He added that the money seized from drug trafficking would serve to fund education programmes against alcohol and drug consumption, including the new changes in the school curriculum.

Can you drink on street Barcelona?

It is forbidden to drink on the streets of the Barcelona, although t there are many street beer sellers everywhere and people buy their 1 euro beer, which might seem like a good deal but if the police pick you up drinking in a public place you can be fined.

Can you drink in the street in Madrid?

Madrid is a cosmopolitan city, home to over 3. 1 million people of all nationalities. It is a very safe place, and there are a few laws that you may want to be aware of before arriving here. Smoking ban This Spanish law came into force in January 2011 to fight tobacco abuse and associated diseases, as well as to protect citizens, in particular minors.

Under this law it is forbidden to smoke in enclosed public spaces (bars, health centres, schools, workplaces, government buildings etc;
) Spain has banned smoking in outdoor spaces around educational centres (except universities), healthcare centres, areas cordoned off for children’s parks, children’s play areas and at airports;

Fines for smoking in unauthorized areas range from €30 to €600. City Ordinance on Protection against Noise and Thermal Pollution In Madrid, there are laws in place to reduce noise nuisance. During night hours (11pm to 7am), noise from houses and premises cannot exceed 30 decibels.

In the daytime (from 7am to 11pm) the limit is set at 35 decibels. Alcohol Sale and Consumption According to the Law on Drug Addiction and Other Addictive Behaviours, people in Madrid are forbidden from selling or consuming alcohol on the street, except in outdoor cafés and bars and at tables placed by the doors of bars.

It is also permitted during official fiestas, regulated by municipal ordinances. Violating this law can carry fines of up to €3,000. Alcohol may not be sold, served or supplied to persons under the age of 18 (the minimum legal drinking age in Spain). Can You Drink On The Street In Spain Travelling with pets You can enter Spain with your dog, cat or ferret as long as it has its Pet Passport. The passport must indicate that your pet has been vaccinated against rabies more than 21 days before your trip, unless it is a booster vaccination. Your pet must be at least 12 weeks old before being vaccinated against rabies. Dogs must be kept on a leash in public spaces or privately owned common areas, and must wear a muzzle if they are on the list of potentially dangerous breeds.

They are allowed off the leash in designated areas as well as in certain parks and gardens, at particular times (7pm to 10am in winter and 8pm to 10am in summer);
Dog walking rules do not allow dogs to be bathed in fountains or ponds;

They also forbid dogs to drink directly from drinking water fountains intended for public use. Rules on dog fouling dictate that the person in charge of the dog must pick up the pet’s poop, especially when the dog fouls a spot people walk along. Public transport Dogs are allowed to travel on the Madrid Metro.

Only one dog is allowed per passenger and it must be leashed and muzzled. You can travel with your dog at any time of the day, except at peak hours during the week, and must always go in the last carriage of the train.

Read more Dogs are not permitted on EMT buses , unless they are guide dogs or guide dogs in training. Small pets are allowed as long they are inside a pet carrier and do not bother other passengers. All dogs are allowed on the Cercanías Renfe regional trains.

Bikes are allowed on the metro at all times in some stations and at certain times in the rest. Read more. Scooters, skateboards, skates, or similar without an electric motor Madrid City Council has regulated the use of scooters, skateboards, skates, or similar without an electric motor in addition to Urban Mobility Vehicles, such as segways, hoverboards, and bikes with a large basket or trailer, within the new Sustainable Mobility Ordinance.

The Sustainable Mobility Ordinance establishes rules that indicate where electric scooters can be ridden and parked. For example, they may not be ridden on the pavement, in bus lanes, streets with more than one lane in any direction, and sections of the M-30 road that do not have traffic lights.

They must be ridden exclusively on the road, and therefore they may not be ridden or parked on the pavement;
They also cannot be used in bike lanes or on inter-urban roads, through roads, highways, motorways, or urban tunnels;

The maximum speed is limited to 25 kilometres per hour. In public parks , they can be ridden through areas used by bikes, but in the case of pathways shared with pedestrians, their speed limit is 5 km/hour. Electric scooters must abide by the maximum speed limit allowed on each road they are allowed to use, and like other vehicle users, you must not drink and drive an electric scooter.

Can you drink in public in Malaga?

Cuestiones legales” data-analytics-asset-type=”web-content”> To make a complaint, you are entitled to ask for the ” Hoja de Reclamaciones ” (claims form), which establishments and companies are legally obliged to have available to customers. These complaints are then presented at the corresponding Provincial Consumers’ Association.

Non-EU residents can claim back I;
(Value Added Tax) on purchases carried out in Andalusia;
Spanish legislation states that the minimum amount spent in one establishment on the same day must reach 90;
15 Euro in order to request a tax-free receipt;

The refund must be requested at the establishment in question, showing corresponding proof of residence. Within the subsequent 3 months, the purchaser should present the receipt and the items purchased at Customs to be stamped, and he/she should then request the refund from one of the offices of the various management companies located at the main airports in Spain/Andalusia.

According to European Community regulations, travellers may not bring foodstuffs of animal origin into Spain as part of their baggage, with the exception of powdered milk for children, in its original packaging;

Other foodstuffs can be brought in, up to a maximum of 1 kg. The minimum legal age for the purchase and consumption of alcohol and tobacco is 18. In accordance with Spanish Act 28/2005 of 26 December and European regulations, smoking is prohibited in public buildings, healthcare and teaching centres, railways, maritime services and city transport services (except open-air), party or leisure venues with access permitted to under 18s, etc.

Can you drink while walking in Barcelona?

Pub crawl Barcelona drinking laws in Barcelona Many popular activities in Barcelona are in fact illegal. And some that you would assume to be illegal are not. Stealing bags and phones? Yes, that’s illegal. Possessing small amounts of drugs for personal use? Well actually that’s okay. Drinking alcohol in bars? Fine, obviously. Drinking alcohol in the streets? No, that’s illegal.

One of the favoured habits of young people in Barcelona used to be – and still is – congregating in public squares with six-packs of Estrella Damm , the local beer, and happily drinking and smoking the balmy Mediterranean nights away till the early-late hours.

This activity – known as botellón locally – is a cheap and sociable alternative to drinking in bars. Bars themselves are a slightly different proposition to what can be found in the UK or the USA. Whereas in the UK cafes and pubs/bars are very separate affairs, and Spain they just combine it all into one.

Spain is one of the few countries to have more pub/bars per head than the UK, at one bar for every 132 residents. And this is great, but it’s not always exactly what an English-speaker might be expecting from a pub, with its beery carpets and wooden furniture.

Spanish bars have more of a cafeteria feel, and it creates a very different atmosphere, which can feel incongruous if you want to hit the town and sink a few in the local. Hence, why it can be popular (and cheaper) to drink in the streets instead. Sadly, the local authorities decided that this activity was not conducive towards good public behaviour and outlawed it in the early years of this millennium.

Now, drinking in the streets is listed among urinating and smoking weed as a public nuisance. But, that is not the end of the story. It’s Like Being in a Foreign Country The licensing laws and drinking culture in Spain are quite different from what you might find in countries such as the UK or USA.

For some crazy reason, they have far fewer problems with binge drinking and associated anti-social behaviour than in the UK. The culture among Spaniards (and Catalans) is to drink but not get drunk. And they have far fewer restrictions than in the USA. 18 is the drinking age limit, and once the bar opens, be it at 06.

00 or 12. 00 or 18. 00, they are permitted to serve alcohol. It is not an uncommon sight to see middle-aged businessmen in suits enjoying a bottle of wine together at 08. 00 before heading to the office. And breakfast beers are not solely for twenty-something backpackers.

Once you’ve polished off your first breakfast beer, you are then free to drink, if you so wish, until around 03. 00 in the morning. And it’s all legal – so long as you can handle it. What’s more, once the bar does close, you can always hit up a club and drink there till closing time at 06.

00;
From there, the savvy drinker knows that the first place of the new day to legally acquire alcohol is in the bakeries, most of which will open around 06;
00;
Thus, alcohol can legally be purchased twenty-four hours long;

But the black zone is generally between the closing of the bars at 03. 00 and the opening of the first shops and bakeries at 06. 00. This is when the beer sellers come in to play and laws start to get bent. Barcelona Night Culture Barcelona is home to an underclass divided along ethnic lines.

And the Pakistanis have elected themselves to be the ones who supply the street beers. They come out around midnight, and haunt well-known squares and corners where revellers can be found, selling for an average price of one euro a can.

There are a few things that should be known about this service that they supply. The first one, is that what they do in selling is illegal, and what you do in drinking in the street is illegal. It is clearly illegal to sell alcohol without a license, and so it is not an uncommon sight to see the beer sellers suddenly scurry into the shadows at the first sign of patrolling Guardia Urbana or Mossos d’Esquadra.

Second, they usually store their beers in local apartments near to the action centres, but they have also been known to store them in the drainage system;
To be fair, they wrap the cans of beer in plastic bags, but nonetheless some people object to this practice;

So you can’t be sure if you are drinking a beer that was recently in the sewers. Lastly, sometimes they try to foist cheap supermarket brand beer along with the more premium beer. So look out for that. If you buy in bulk you can usually negotiate a discount.

You are Breaking the Law, but there’s a Caveat Once you have the beer in your possession, and you crack it open, keep in mind that you are violating the law, and a fine of up to three thousand euros can be levied against you.

But there are some caveats which mean that, in reality, the tradition of botellón is still going strong. This is one of those largely unenforced laws. Take a stroll around the historical centre of Barcelona after midnight, and it will take you seconds to spot people drinking in the streets.

The law against it was enacted to counter the proliferation of stag and hen parties and drunken ‘lads holidays’ which tended to get out of hand in terms of raucous behaviour. But, and here’s the crucial part, if you are calm and civilised then the police tend to turn a blind eye.

Never forget that holding that open can of beer in the street is technically against the law, and try to hide it from the police, who are well within their rights to hit you with a fine if they feel like it. But, the rule of thumb with drinking in the streets of Barcelona is: don’t give the police a reason and they won’t hassle you.

Is there a red light district in Barcelona?

Orientation – Las Ramblas – Las Ramblas is approximately 1. 2 kilometres long with Port Vell (near the cruise port terminal) at the Southern most end and Plaça de Catalunya at the northern most end. If you have your back to Port Vell and you are looking up towards Catalunya along the Ramblas on your left hand side is the Raval area and on your right-hand side is the Barri Gòtic (or Gothic Quarter).

Liceu Theatre

In this article when I mention the northern most end of the Ramblas I mean north of the Liceu theatre (which is a mid way point along Las Ramblas) and the southern most end as being south of the Liceu Theatre.

Can you have an open container in Spain?

Spain [ edit ] – Public drinking is only prohibited in some cities or parts of cities, regulated by local laws like in Barcelona. The practice of botellón (Public binge drinking ) is relatively popular among teenagers and young adults partly in response to rising drink prices at bars or clubs, and partly because more people can meet in one place.

Can you drink in public Seville?

Spain’s local authorities are struggling to contain outdoor drinking parties, known as botellones , which have multiplied due to the relaxation of coronavirus restrictions such as the nighttime curfew, as well as school vacations and warm summer weather.

The large crowds of people drinking in the street were already a problem before the coronavirus pandemic, but are now overwhelming local leaders, especially in popular tourist destinations. Local police forces do not have the numbers to control the problem.

In recent months, officers have not only been verbally challenged by the youngsters at these parties, but have also been attacked with rocks and bottles. Can You Drink On The Street In Spain A young couple in Barcelona on Friday. Joan Sánchez In the northeastern region of Catalonia , the situation has become so out of control that regional health chief Josep Maria Argimon did not rule out a potential sixth wave of coronavirus infections. According to the Catalan health department, 66% of the region is fully vaccinated, although coverage in the 16-34 population continues to be the lowest of all age groups at just over 50%.

Last week, the Catalan High Court rejected the regional government’s plans for a curfew in 43 municipalities, limiting the coronavirus measure to the 19 areas where it is currently in place;
With this setback for the region’s authorities, the four provincial capitals in Catalonia – Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona – escaped a new closure of their nightlife venues;

Spain’s Basque Country is also struggling to curb outdoor street parties. The regional government has set the fine for drinking alcohol on the street at €600, but every weekend there continue to be hundreds of parties in parks, beaches, public squares and parking lots.

Last week, more than 14 people were arrested in the Basque city of San Sebastián, where youths threw bottles at officers trying to break up a street party and injured four of them;
“It’s like putting up a door in a field, it makes no difference to them,” said a municipal police officer from Vitoria;

“When we show up, they run away and sometimes throw everything they have in their hands at you. It’s a danger for us and for some of them as well, as they are drunk and start running around like headless chickens. ” In the southern region of Andalusia, youngsters at street parties have also become violent. Can You Drink On The Street In Spain An outdoor drinking party by the Guadalquivir river. alejandro ruesga In the city of Seville, the fine for outdoor drinking has gone from €100 to €300, but the price hike has done little to stop street parties. “The weekend is chaos, hundreds of people in the street, without maintaining a safe distance, sharing drinks, bars that don’t adhere to the limits on capacity.

“As well as the lack of resources and staff, this year we are finding ourselves up against youths who challenge you and throw objects when you go to break up a botellón… We hadn’t seen this level of aggression before,” said Juan Luis Amaro, the deputy secretary of the Spanish Municipal Police Union in Andalusia.

And this is not just on the weekend, it extends from Wednesday to Sunday,” said Luis Val, the president of the police union in Seville.

What is the 6 drink rule in Spain?

Pub crawls and ban on alcohol sales – Pub crawls are also banned as is the sale of the sale of alcohol in shops between 9. 30pm and 8am. Advertising party boats in some areas are also banned. Those breaking these laws can be fined anywhere between 6,000 euros (around £5,000) to 600,000 euros (around £500,000).

Balearic Islands Tourism minister Iago Negueruela said: “We want British tourists. We don’t want this type of tourism. British tourism is essential for our islands. We share with the British government the view that some images of British tourists are embarrassing.

“We want to put a stop to bad behaviour. From April to May this year we will increase the police presence in these areas and the number of inspectors. We will have zero tolerance for tourism excesses. ” Travel association ABTA has backed the drinks limit, saying it “strongly supports” the new rules.

Is Benidorm part of the 6 drink rule?

All inclusive drink restrictions – Where does this apply – All inclusive drink restrictions, update July 2022 – The efforts of the government of Mallorca to end alcohol driven tourism have been well publicised. They are trying to change the image of some places where the worst problems occur, by outlawing certain practices that encourage excessive drinking for example.

So far in less than two months 90 legal proceedings have been started for fines against bars and businesses that are failing to observe the new rules, and 8 establishments have been closed for serious breaches;

Councillor for tourism Lago Negueruela, commented that “Although we are still seeing undesirable images, changes to a tourism model that has been prevalent here for decades are not going to change in just a few months, it will take time, but we are on the right track, we have had enough of this type of tourism”. Photo – English fans in Magaluf MANU MIELNIEZUK diariodemallorca All inclusive drink restrictions. May 2022 – Confusion has been caused in the Spanish press over claims in the UK tabloids that “Spain has a new law that is limiting people to six drinks a day on all inclusive holidays”. The truth is that the law is not new, these rules have been in force since 2020 and only apply to certain areas of the Balearic Islands (see below) These rules DO NOT apply to mainland Spain and therefore Benidorm is NOT affected.

The Balearics introduced all inclusive drinking limits of six drinks per day (three at lunch and three at dinner), but these rules do not apply right across the Islands and do not only apply to UK tourists.

but all nationalities. These rules are designed to target unruly holidaymakers, they are focused on the areas that typically experience antisocial behaviour. The law against drunken tourism has caused great discomfort among many tourists who arrive at hotels in the Balearic Islands on an all-inclusive basis. Can You Drink On The Street In Spain These are the affected regions: Majorca – Magaluf, El Arenal, Playa de Palma Ibiza – Sant Antoni In designated areas of the resorts of San Antonio, Magaluf and Playa de Palma there are prohibitions on happy hours, open bars (such as all you can drink in 1-hour offers), the sale of alcohol from vending machines, self-service alcohol dispensers and the organising of pub-crawls and party boat trips. The law also prohibits “off-licence” sales between 9:30pm and 8am. Last January Easyjet and many other companies warned all its potential customers who planned to book their holidays in the Balearics of the new limitations that were going to be encountered.

Most of them say they were unaware of the existence of the regulations. The story was picked up by the UK press when a 42-year-old tourist in a hotel in one of the areas affected by the regulations in Mallorca.

The tourist claims his £240 all-inclusive trip “has been ruined” by alcohol’s limitation to six alcoholic beverages per day. Jason Walker stated he felt “angry” and “upset” after discovering there were restrictions on his free drink voucher after landing on the island for a three-night birthday trip.

“We only found out when we checked in and didn’t budget as much money for this trip because we thought all our food and drink would be covered,” Walker says in the British newspaper. “I understand that they are trying to stop alcohol abuse and noisy behavior, but I think this has been done without the necessary publicity: we were not informed and did not know anything about the new law.

” Whether you are heading to the Balearic Islands or elsewhere, it is always a good idea to check the terms of a holiday marked as all inclusive before booking. There’s no official definition of all inclusive, which means you might not get the same at every resort.

Always check the small print before booking your holiday. 17th July 2022 – In a bid to stem the flow of drunken tourism, 11 restaurants on the Spanish island of Mallorca have banned people from entering wearing tank tops, swimming costumes, fancy dress costumes, football tops or clothing with logos of branding of other businesses on the islands that promote drunken tourism.

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Can you drink outdoors in Spain?

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Can you drink in a park in Barcelona?

Can You Drink On The Street In Spain Jede Menge Bier A lot of beer In spanish: Botellón. A lot of spanish people like to get drunk in large groups of people in the streets (actually not too bad idea). Bringing your own drinks is cheap and it is fun too. Unfortunately they overdid it on a regular basis, so that Botellónes are banned in most cites and federal countries of spain.

Also in Barcelona the consume of alcohol in public (streets, parks, beaches) is prohibited and fined;
I heard about fines up to € 3;
000,- – although friends who have been caught just had to pay € 30,-;
Still an expensive beer! So, if you carry your can or bottle do it invisble when a policeman comes close! Tip: Alcohol can only be bought until 23;

00 o’clock. After that sales in supermarkets and minimarkets is prohibited. In neighbourhoods like Raval you may not find alcohol at all in some of the minimarkets, since people will not trade it according to their religion.

Can you buy alcohol after 10pm in Spain?

At what age can I buy alcochol in Shops in Spain? – Ok, so as we have just described, if you want to stroll over to your local shop and pick up a bottle of your favorite spirit, you will have to do so before 10pm. But you will need to be over 18 to buy alcohol in Spain (some people, even locals, believe they can buy at 16).

Shops are required to ask for ID if they believe you might be under age , and they are rather strict about it, so make sure that you have a valid ID on you. Also, if you try purchasing alcohol at a store after 10pm in Spain you are going to be turned away.

Selling alcohol after 10pm is illegal in Spain. It is possible to find shops that will sell you alcohol after 10, but this is 100% illegal and if you are caught you will be fined. Some studies from the Spanish OCU (consumers organization) large cities in Spain it is common to find shops and supermarkets that will sell alcohol to under 18s.