Holidays in Italy: British tourists must pay to visit the beach in Sardinia with a new charge | Travel News | Journey

However, this year tourists will have to follow strict new rules, including fees to visit some of the island’s most popular beaches.

Sardinia’s popularity has caused the island problems due to overtourism, trash and sand theft.

Known for its beautiful white sand beaches, the island has struggled with tourists illegally taking sand as souvenirs.

Tourists can now face hefty fines for stealing sand and bags could be checked at the airport.

READ MORE: Bus services axed across the UK – is your area affected? Complete list

In Budelli, the Spiaggia del Cavaliere and the Spiaggia Rosa are completely off-limits to tourists this year.

La Maddalena, Cala Coticcio and Cala Brigantina cap visitor numbers with just 60 people allowed to visit the popular beaches per day.

Tourists must book a slot online and pay three euros (£2.59) each to access one of the beaches.

Several other beaches are also limiting visitor numbers to control overtourism at popular spots.

DO NOT MISS

Venice is set to introduce day-tripper fees, which could have a big impact on cruise passengers who tend to visit the city for a day.

Visitors had to pay to enter the city for the day. Overnight visitors would be exempt as they already pay a tourist tax.

Meanwhile, in Spain, tourism officials in Benidorm reacted angrily to local government plans to introduce a tourist tax.

Although the tax is optional for resorts, officials fear it could deter tourists from traveling to Benidorm.