A glass of health or it's not just alcohol

Whether you're tempted by your favourite Cava for lunch or the aperitif called Fino, remember that just like here, there are restrictions in Spain.

What to prepare for?

Unlike here, Spanish drivers have a blood alcohol limit of 0.5 per millilitres. Slightly stricter rules apply to novice drivers who have less than two years' driving experience. They are only allowed 0.3 per mille. Occupational drivers are similarly affected by the alcohol limit.

If you're caught driving over the legal limit, you face a fine of €300-600. In the worst case, you face a licence suspension of three months to four years. The harshest penalty can even send you to prison for eight to 12 weeks or three to eight months.

Alcohol in public

If you're going on a trip to Madrid, you'd better hide the bottle of booze. Drinking alcohol in the streets and public spaces has been banned in the Spanish capital since 2002. The law also applies in Valencia and the Canary Islands.

What was behind it, you ask? It's a legislative response to the so-called Botellón, a term for a gathering of people who start having fun and consuming alcohol in public places before they go to an establishment.

What is the situation here?

Cities in the Czech Republic also prohibit the consumption of alcohol by municipal ordinance. Drinking alcohol is generally prohibited in squares, parks and conservation areas under penalty of a fine. The ban also applies to the immediate vicinity of schools, playgrounds and public transport stops. There are exceptions. For example, events such as New Year's Eve and Christmas markets, during which alcohol consumption is allowed in selected areas.

In Prague, you can be fined CZK 1,000 for breaking the ordinance. In Brno, you will end up in criminal proceedings with a maximum fine of up to CZK 100,000. It may surprise some people that similar rules apply in Pilsen and České Budějovice, among other cities.