travel advice & savings
 
RAIL PASSES GUARANTEED LOWEST PRICES at RAILPASS.COM Click Here
10 replies
under 18.
Jess.
Jess.'s profile picture
New Member
New Member
Eurotrip Points: 38
Member: 7350
Joined: 03/18/2008
User offline. Last seen 14 years 12 weeks ago.

how strict are bars with your age? do they actually check your ID?
same goes for hostels, how much trouble will i run into if i’m 17?

I am leaving from Montreal with $3900 for 63 days
London, Paris, Madrid, Lisbon, Barcelona, Nice, Grindelwald, Interlaken, Manarola, Florence, Rome, Naples, Venice, Dubrovnik, Split, Budapest, Vienna, Prague, Munich, Berlin, Rheine, Cologne, Amsterdam, Bruges, Brussels, Paris
Requesting help with Transport, Hostels, Budget, Itinerary, Nightlife, Food, Sights
mb
mb's profile picture
Moderator
ModeratorModeratorModeratorModeratorModerator
Eurotrip Points: 1443
Member: 485
Joined: 01/03/2007
User offline. Last seen 7 years 48 weeks ago.

I don’t think you’ll have much trouble because I think the drinking age is 16 in Europe.

Eat the food, use the wrong verbs, and end up getting charged double.

HeidiStGu
HeidiStGu's profile picture
New Member
New Member
Eurotrip Points: 11
Member: 7438
Joined: 04/08/2008
User offline. Last seen 15 years 35 weeks ago.

It’s only in Denmark you can get alcohol when you are 16, most other European countries have an 18-year-old restriction.

If you look like you are older then 18, they won’t bother with ID’s unless they are very strict, if you look like you’re 17, or even younger, then you shouldn’t count on being let in.

heavydrinker
heavydrinker's profile picture
Eurotripper
EurotripperEurotripperEurotripperEurotripperEurotripper
Eurotrip Points: 722
Member: 2310
Joined: 01/03/2007
User offline. Last seen 15 years 31 weeks ago.

Where are you from? How much yngr than 18 are you? Some more details would be nice

Joeri
Joeri's profile picture
Member
MemberMember
Eurotrip Points: 143
Member: 4625
Joined: 01/03/2007
User offline. Last seen 13 years 2 weeks ago.

I guess you won’t have a problem at all getting in somewhere. The legal drinking age in the Netherlands and Denmark is 16, the other countries in western Europe keep it at 18. But especially in the more southern countries wine drinking is part of culture, and even youngsters drink it. I assume I don’t have to start about eastern Europe.
Thank god it’s not as strict as the US, I’m 27 and still have to show my ID… :S

I am traveling for 4 days
yojimbo
yojimbo's profile picture
Member
MemberMember
Eurotrip Points: 126
Member: 6979
Joined: 12/15/2007
User offline. Last seen 12 years 47 weeks ago.

Quote:
ORIGINAL: Joeri

I guess you won’t have a problem at all getting in somewhere. The legal drinking age in the Netherlands and Denmark is 16, the other countries in western Europe keep it at 18. But especially in the more southern countries wine drinking is part of culture, and even youngsters drink it. I assume I don’t have to start about eastern Europe.
Thank god it’s not as strict as the US, I’m 27 and still have to show my ID… :S

 
It’s interesting here in the United States.  We have the most restrictive rules on alcohol than most western nations but we’re the most leniant when it comes to drunk driving.  You can’t buy a brew until your 21, some places have time restrictions on when booze is sold yet one can get up to 5 DUI’s before his/her drivers license is suspened. 
 
Call me crazy but if you’re trusted to vote at 18 then you should be able to buy a drink…legally.

papyr
papyr's profile picture
Nomad
NomadNomadNomadNomad
Eurotrip Points: 422
Member: 7365
Joined: 03/23/2008
User offline. Last seen 7 years 24 weeks ago.


Quote:
ORIGINAL: HeidiStGu

It’s only in Denmark you can get alcohol when you are 16, most other European countries have an 18-year-old restriction.

If you look like you are older then 18, they won’t bother with ID’s unless they are very strict, if you look like you’re 17, or even younger, then you shouldn’t count on being let in.


Just to make it complete… here in Central Europe legal age is 18 in every country, but there is usually no problem to buy alcohol in shops. The shops here sell alcohol to everyone, including small kids. In pubs and bars, you at least have to look like you are 18, but not always. I had no trouble getting drunk here when I was 15. Maybe one in five bartenders asked me for an ID, and if he did, I just moved to another pub where they didn’t care.

If you have any questions about Prague or Czech and Slovak republics, ask me.
If you only want to search train or bus connection within Czech&Slovakia and/or to neighboring countries, use www.cp.sk or www.idos.cz search engines. For domestic transport, they also show prices.

luv_the_beach
luv_the_beach's profile picture
Eurotripper
EurotripperEurotripperEurotripperEurotripperEurotripper
Eurotrip Points: 2028
Member: 193
Joined: 01/03/2007
User offline. Last seen 10 years 6 weeks ago.

Drinking ages in Europe vary by country and administrative region, but it’s never higher than 18.  And even if you’re under the legal age by just a few years, the law is not strictly enforced.

Keep in mind the difference between Europe and the USA:

In America, the legal driving age is 16, and the legal drinking age is 21.  So, if I provide alcohol to someone who drives a car but is not legally allowed to drink, and that person gets intoxicated and causes an accident, I can be found liable.  So, logically, I’m going to be very careful about who I give or sell alcohol to, and/or who I allow in my bar (where someone else might offer them a drink).

In Europe, the driving age is 18, and the drinking age is at most 18.  And people are generally far less dependent on automobiles to get around, anyways.  If I give alcohol to someone under the legal drinking age, I don’t have anything to worry about…it’s not like they can drive.  Additionally, it’s a big part of the culture…beer in northern Europe, wine in southern.

Quote:
ORIGINAL: HeidiStGu

It’s only in Denmark you can get alcohol when you are 16, most other European countries have an 18-year-old restriction.


Quote:
ORIGINAL: Joeri

I guess you won’t have a problem at all getting in somewhere. The legal drinking age in the Netherlands and Denmark is 16, the other countries in western Europe keep it at 18. But especially in the more southern countries wine drinking is part of culture, and even youngsters drink it. I assume I don’t have to start about eastern Europe.


In the Southern countries (Portugal, Spain, France, Malta, Italy, Greece, Cyprus), it ranges from 16 to 18, but is not enforced.  Wine is a part of the culture, always present at the dinner table.  You never see guys at the door checking ID, or waiters at restaurants asking you for ID.  OTOH, public drunkenness is rare (except in areas frequented by northern European tourists), and generally frowned upon by the local cultures.

[Smile]


beach-lunch-siesta-beach-shower-dinner-nightlife-repeat

gekkegerrit
gekkegerrit's profile picture
New Member
New Member
Eurotrip Points: 19
Member: 7541
Joined: 05/01/2008
User offline. Last seen 15 years 31 weeks ago.

Holland has no technical drinking age. Only a buying age of 16.

backi2008
backi2008's profile picture
New Member
New Member
Eurotrip Points: 19
Member: 7287
Joined: 03/04/2008
User offline. Last seen 15 years 19 weeks ago.

In germany the drinking age is 16 for drinks with not so much alcohol like beer and wine. And for the “hard stuff” it is 18. But you shouldn’t have any problems getting into a bar or club when you are 17.

oliviaharis
oliviaharis's profile picture
Eurotrip Points: 1
Member: 8221
Joined: 11/14/2008
User offline. Last seen 15 years 3 weeks ago.

In European countries, the drinking age varies from 18 to no age limit at all. Public drunkenness is by and large socially unacceptable, and drink-driving laws are very strict.
————————
oliviaharis
DUI