Bathrooms in Venice (or anywhere in Italy)

Ya, the solution is stay home. I don't know who told you that you could pop into any establishment and use the water closet. Anyone who has spent more than an hour in Europe knows that is not true. Squat toilets are cheap and easy to maintain and keeps the line short.

My solution is to use a toilet whenever I have access to one, even if Mother Nature is not calling at the moment, because I know she will.

I also make frequent rest stops for a drink or snack or people watching, so I'm not buying something just to get access to a toilet. The toilet is a bonus.

BTW, squat toilets seem more common the farther south and/or east you go. In many places they are the only option. And it's not unusual to encounter toilets that are missing the seats they came with originally or that were designed to never have seats. It may no longer be that way, but the latter were common at roadside gas stations and restaurants in Germany back in the 80's.

Although rarely discussed, dealing with this universal human requirement is one of the adventures of traveling in a foreign country to me.

Just like in many countries, cafes and restaurants in Italy dont see themselves as a free public service. Why should their customers be disturbed by non paying intruders wanting to use their toilets?

The solution? Always use a free toilet when you can eg. in museums. Use the toilet if you are in a restaurant or cafe as a customer. And, sometimes just suck it up and buy something like you did if you get really desperate.

"BTW, squat toilets seem more common the farther south and/or east you go."

They may be more common in the south, but I've seen them in the north of Italy as well, including Varenna and in Bologna (the latter was this year).

"They may be more common in the south, but I've seen them in the north of Italy as well, including Varenna and in Bologna (the latter was this year)"

I think the poster meant they are more common in the southern part of Europe than in the northern part..

Yup, sorry. I should have been more specific.

"I don't know who told you that you could pop into any establishment and use the water closet". Actually I thought it was RS himself who mentioned going into bars, cafes, etc. (now I'm going to have to find if he really did write that to be sure I wasn't dreaming). You're right, that does seem mighty generous. I keep thinking of David Sedaris' clip about the Stadium Pal, it's hysterical.

Our motto in Italy became: never ever pass up a bathroom.

Is there any other solution to this nuisance?

Yes.

A urinary catheter and a urine drainage bag.

As usual, some hilarious responses from the RS peanut gallery. Love it!

Carolina, the only solution we've found is to 'go' whenever the opportunity presents itself...which isn't often enough. That means that we've had to make our opportunities, and the bonus is that it makes us slow down. We've learned to take the break for coffee or other purchase just to have access to a loo, and enjoyed each and every one of those little sit-downs (pun absolutely intended). It really doesn't take that much time or money out of the day, and your feet (and bladder) will thank you.

No, cafes and restaurants aren't in the public potty business unless you're a customer, and there are any number of signs to inform you of that. We've very occasionally found a biffy off the lobbies of higher-end hotels but not often enough to count on.

We can't use toilets in McDonalds, Chick Fil- A, and Starbucks (to name a few) unless we buy something.

And yes there is a terrific solution. I step up my Kegel exercises long before I fly out, and keep doing Kegel thru the trip. Kegel is online fyi.

Yep, Roberto, the catheter/bag setup was what I was referring to in the David Sedaris clip. Ah, if only.

As I always say, when in need, buy a gelato!

"We can't use toilets in McDonalds, Chick Fil- A, and Starbucks (to name a few) unless we buy something."

And why not? Most of these places have easily accessible toilet facilities that are not locked (at least in my part of the world). There have been many road trips where a quick stop at the McD was made. Employees don't seem to care if you buy something or not. I do usually buy something after just because it is convenient.

"We can't use toilets in McDonalds, Chick Fil- A, and Starbucks (to name a few) unless we buy something."

I think it can depend on location? I have seen a few signs in American inner-city establishments which state that restrooms are for customers only; they have their reasons, and I don't think those need any explanation? There seems to be less concern about that out in the suburbs and in more rural areas.

We use the toilets in restaurants when we eat meals and museums that we visit. Also, since our hotels are usually right in the center of the old towns, it's easy to head back during the day.

As to the comments about the types of toilets, I'm not expecting an American toilet with paper seat covers, etc. I'm happy if it's clean and comes with a sink with soap & water for my hands.

I always carry a little Wet Ones package from Walgreens. I put it in a small baggy in my luggage. Another option is those dry soapy facial cloths. I carry those too, but the Wet Ones still come in handy.

Sometimes there is no TP or soap. And a Wet Ones can also clean a toilet as needed.

We buy travel-sized packages of pre-moistened wipes at Target, and agree that they've come in very handy for all sorts of purposes. Well worth the bit of extra weight when faced with a loo with no TP or soap.

Have run into the squat toilets in Cinque Terre (with...ahem...pant leg issues) and on our just completed trip to France, the same thing at Millau at the Viaduct. I'm one of those 'use the bathroom where you can people' as well (sometimes even twice at restaurants - when arriving and when leaving!). So imagine my consternation upon seeing those damn squat toilets at Millau. So after grumbling and walking up the hill for spectacular views of the bridge, a lightbulb went off that said...handicap stall! They can't possibly expect handicap people to use a squat. Lo and behold...there was a toilet...albeit, one of those without the seat...but with visions of my last unsanitary experience at a squat toilet, I went for it. I also have some knee issues when walking a lot, so crouching/squatting then trying to straighten up for me isn't very easy at the best of times.

Hubby ducked into a McD's in Nice to use the bathroom with no issues.

And not to make people ill, but they also had the squat toilets in Carcassonne and hubby was totally grossed out as someone who used it missed the hole (and not with #1, if you know what I mean)...so I'm not sure how they are really more sanitary...I mean, I know your body isn't touching anything, but let me say, I totally don't envy the person who's job it is to clean those things.

Having visited a few quaint toilet facilities in Italy, some truly horrifying, I will now tell about the only 5 star public restroom I ever saw; in Italy. It is at the Rifugio Emilio Comici in Selva, Val Gardena. It sits right beneath the Sassolungo, a little ways down from the top of the Piz Sella cable car. Our hosts invited us to use it, "We know how tourists complain about the restrooms in Italy, so go down stairs and check it out." It was amazing. They brought in a high priced architect to build the dream loo. Ample facilities for both men and women, special mood lighting, banks of wash stands with high-tech temperature controls. Even the stairway had a beautiful mural of a skier on the slopes built into the steps, which could be viewed when standing at the bottom of the staircase. A showcase of modern Italian design. Oh, it is free, no need to buy anything.
The food in the restaurant upstairs was quite good as well.

Spectacular one at Castello di Meleto as well. After draining a couple of bottles of their excellent wine it was much appreciated

It is really no different traveling in Italy than in the US... can't think of too many public bathrooms lining the streets of NYC or DC... and while you may pop into a McDonalds to use the restroom I would expect to purchase something.
In a number of places (I remember Salzburg) you got a code on your receipt to let you into the restroom...
I often have a car so I look forward to those rest areas... especially in Germany! The tip is worth the spotless bathroom.

I've often thought that someone should write a guide book, updated yearly, for each major city in Europe with easy-access toilets marked on maps with descriptions of where to find them. Maybe that'll be my first retirement project in a few years...

@Mark, even in Chicago, you have to have a receipt code to use the restroom in McDonald's. You can't just drop in and go. It becomes a little awkward when traveling alone, if you come in from the cold, needing the restroom, but you can't use it until you get your food. So then what do you do? Take your hot food with you to the restroom? Eat quickly? It's more common than not that you have to be a customer to use the facilities in Europe.

Except maybe the McDonalds at Clark & Ontario. This is a flagship Mickey D's, 2 floors and you will not need to show a receipt code.

There is a app on the Google play store called "flush" that will map the toilets near you :-)

Except maybe the McDonalds at Clark & Ontario

Right, Sam. We've stayed at a hotel right across the the street and grabbed breakfast there in the mornings; no coded entry to the loos that I recall.

In most American cities I've found open restrooms in department stores and near lobby bars/atrium restaurants in bigger hotels. If you walk with purpose and don't look like you've been living on the street, the staff rarely give a glance. Dept. stores are all but non-existant in the historic centers of many Italian cities, though.

I do remember that you had to pay to use the facilities at Harrods in London unless it was clear that you'd made a purchase (Harrods shopping bag in your hand).

This reminds me, we found an interesting bathroom in a hip restaurant in Verona. The main impression was that the sink was half full of seashells and pretty round rocks, and there was furniture in the corners!

I'm just amazed that so many of you have to buy something to use the facilities in fast food places in the USA. I worked out of my vehicle for 33 years, so fast food bathrooms were all I had. Never once did they even flick an eye at me as I came and left, and more often than not bought nothing. My justification was that I had spent many many dollars over the years eating at these establishments. However I still always buy something when I duck into Starbucks out of gratitude for such lovely facilities! I'm in metro Atlanta, Georgia, and find this to be true all over the south. Perhaps I should try a downtown Atlanta MickyD's, I may be in for a surprise.

Although I have been to Italy I have yet to see a squat style toilet there. I have used plenty in Asia so a note to the pants soiler above: Only pull your pants down a bit, not below the knee and never bunch them at the ankles!

Thanks for the tip but I had on a wide legged dress pant and was trying to hold my purse out of the way and couldn't keep my purse and two pant legs out of the danger zone. Sometimes women don't go #1 straight down, sometimes it has a mind of it's own...(TMI - I know...)

Although I have been to Italy I have yet to see a squat style toilet there.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falsifiability

A statement is called falsifiable if it is possible to conceive an
observation or an argument which proves the statement in question to
be false. In this sense, falsify is synonymous with nullify, meaning
not "to commit fraud" but "show to be false".

For example, by the problem of induction, no number of confirming
observations can verify a universal generalization, such as All swans
are white, yet it is logically possible to falsify it by observing a
single black swan.

My " black swan" observation is encountering a squat style toilet in Asiago, Italy two plus years ago.

Nicole: more TMI, sometimes men don't do #1 straight down, either, hence the "missed" toilet phenomenon.

On a related note, anyone forgo TP and use the bidet? I'm talking about #2 here.

The trouble with a separate bidet is that you have to get there from the toilet. Too easy to make a mess in the move. I was at a hotel at Porto San Giorgio on the Adriatic that had the bidet hose rigged from the sink directly to the toilet bowl. I thought that was clever.

No separate bidet. But you had to get up to turn the water on, making a mess that way. So I turned the water to the bidet hose on before I used the toilet, and that worked perfectly.

BTW, the Internet has instructions for women on how to shoot straight down into a squat toilet. Just saying . . . , I've tried it and it works.

My, my ... I wonder if Rick will select this to be the "forum question of the month" for his next monthly newsletter. Do you think?

If this goes forum question of the month, I'm deleting my posts...hahaha ;)