Camera/backpack/museum question

My husband will be taking his camera on our Viking cruise. We have heard that we should not bring a backpack b/c 1) it could be stolen & 2) you cannot get into some museums with one. Any suggestions on how to carry around a camera & accessories safely? Do museums have lockers to store your bags for a charge if you can't bring them in? Any info would be greatly appreciated. We are planning on buying/wearing money belts for our passports, credit cards and cash.

Hard to answer as we don't know where you are going.

I have a photo backpack and lots of pro gear. The Vatican security people let me in with the backpack buy them when they gear they asked me to stop talking photos as they thought I was going to sell the photos. Dime don't allow flash photos as it damages the art. Others are protecting thier intellectual property rights. Some museums have lockers, others don't. Email the museums you are going to and ask them.

Barcelona to Venice (Mediterranean Odyssey) so Barcelona, Florence, Rome, Naples, Venice etc. Will check museum sites. Thanks. Interested in Sagra Familia, Picasso museum, seeing David in Florence, Sistine Chapel, Pompeii....

Sagrada Familia, Pompeii should be no problem with a camera bag, but lots of places, not just Museums, are averse these days to large backpacks. Most museums will not allow flash. Some places, but can't remember where, required us to purchase a photo permit, but they were not expensive.

Some parts of Picasso Museum definitely prohibit photos. "Professional" photography is often restricted.

Hard to answer as we don't know where you are going.

I have a photo backpack and lots of pro gear. The Vatican security people let me in with the backpack buy them when they gear they asked me to stop talking photos as they thought I was going to sell the photos. Dime don't allow flash photos as it damages the art. Others are protecting thier intellectual property rights. Some museums have lockers, others don't. Email the museums you are going to and ask them.

Check out the museum websites. Many will have their photo/video policies already spelled out. Many international museum websites are multi-lingual with English being a popular choice.

La Sagrada Familia has lockers near the tower elevators on the Nativity side. We wish we had seen them when we first got there. We would have been happy to leave the backpack there the whole time!

Every day another place is restricting more items. Just the world we live in.

My thought is to not take bags and either get a camera with less accessories or whatever works for you.

(disclosure - other than professional photographers that might sell pics, too many people miss their trip because they are so busy taking pictures, most of which they will rarely look at again anyways - soap box off.)

We have a small PacSafe camera bag which will hold 1 additional lense. We put that bag in our backpack when we travel. For day trips we just take the camera bag and have had no issues in most of the museums you are going into. Granted, some places no pictures in parts of the museum, most require no flash, but we have some great pictures in those museums that are now in a hard bound coffee table books. I try to Make these after trips so that we can look at the pictures whenever we would like.

That said, I am a few trips behind.

But to the point, I have not had issues taking this small camera bag in museums. The strap and bag itself is slash-proof,RFID pockets, etc.

it is not ideal - it is really tight....but so far the best solution I have found.

Enjoy!

My husband will be taking his camera on our Viking cruise. We have heard that we should not bring a backpack b/c 1) it could be stolen & 2) you cannot get into some museums with one. Any suggestions on how to carry around a camera & accessories safely? Do museums have lockers to store your bags for a charge if you can't bring them in? Any info would be greatly appreciated. We are planning on buying/wearing money belts for our passports, credit cards and cash.

I purchased a Travelon Anti-Theft Classic messanger bag from amazon. It holds a lot, including a section for water bottle or small umbrella. It has a section for passport and credit card that prevents someone from reading the information. It also can't be cut due to its design. The best part is that it crosses the body.

Just visited the Picasso Museum in Barcelona. No photos permitted. Lockers available. They need a 1 euro coin to operate.

Sagrada Family--ditch the heavy bag if you are going up the tower; it will be easier to manoeuvre in the tight spaces and as you walk down the narrow spiral staircase.

Catalunya National Museum of Art permts photos except in some temporary exhibits. Coat and bag check are avaiable. Don't know the back pack policy.

In Venice, to visit St. Mark's basilica, I was turned away with a small sling-type backpack that I use to hold my camera and one lens. They DO have free storage across the square that you can use, but it would likely take a good half hour to go over there, find it, store a backpack, and come back, so keep that in mind if you DO take one. The kind of weird thing was that people with large handbags (tote bags, really) were allowed in, no problem. Perhaps people back up into things and mar the walls, or turn around and hit someone with their backpack by mistake. If you want to go into St. Marks, be forewarned that they strictly enforce the no backpack rule - or at least when we were there about a year and a half ago!

Honestly, despite the fact that backpacks CAN be stolen, I think the risk in Europe is low, and so I don't worry when I take one. They are so convenient, especially when you have to get on tender boats and need two hands, or need two hands for just about anything else I can think of. I love my Lowepro Sling Shot camera bag, as I can wear it on my back, and rotate it around to grab my camera without having to put the bag down on the ground to go into it. If you have a point and shoot, though, it may be a bit more than you need - but then you'll at least have room for phone, maps, wallet, etc.

Keep in mind that we haven't been on a Viking Ocean cruise yet but on the River cruise we were told if a camera/bag was allowed. If not, we would leave it on the bus. I don't know how many walking tours straight from the ship there are though.

Keep in mind that we haven't been on a Viking Ocean cruise yet but on the River cruise we were told if a camera/bag was allowed. If not, we would leave it on the bus. I don't know how many walking tours straight from the ship there are though.

We did the cruise with Flam so I can't tell you about your fjord stop. The included tours in SP, Copenhagen and Gdansk we did not do. But you will probably be on bus. Gdansk is a distance from the port, though Copenhagen is walkable there is a bus to transport you. Another long day in port so you might return at you own pace with the shuttle and then there is Russia. Tallinn is a long day in port and the included tour is walking, although they do pick you up at the ship and take you back if you choose. We did not go back to the ship with the tour but did a later shuttle so we had our stuff with us. Stavanger, Allborg and Bergen are walking right off the ship on the tour. The rest are bus, with Berlin being both train and bus.

We have been traveling to Europe since the 90's and my husband always carries a backpack with stuff we may need (umbrella, camera, batteries, water bottles, snacks, tour books, place to put purchases as we go). He has a small lock on it and if we are in a crowd he wears it in the front of him or on one shoulder under his arm. I think he has had to put it in a locker from time to time, no worries. We also travel with money belts so no worries and use RFID sleeves for credit cards and I wear a cross body shoulder bag that has a RFID section and has a clasp to keep the zipper secure. Just always be aware of your surroundings and don't look the beggar boy in the eye!!!!ha ha

No photos are allowed in the Sistine Chapel. Silence is also required, but the requirement is blatantly ignored. Minders spend most of their time loudly calling, "Silence -- No Photos," further breaking the mood. Worth seeing, of course, but not a pleasant visit.

Barcelona to Venice (Mediterranean Odyssey) so Barcelona, Florence, Rome, Naples, Venice etc. Will check museum sites. Thanks. Interested in Sagra Familia, Picasso museum, seeing David in Florence, Sistine Chapel, Pompeii....

Photos okay in Sagrada Familia, the Vatican Museum (no flash) but not in the Cistine Chapel although many visitors take them and the guards just keep repeating their mantra "No photo". Don't remember accuratelt, but I do think the Accademia in Florence allows photos (where David is). One tip about Venice and St, Marks is 1) you can get an online pass beforehand that lets you jump the waiting line, and 2) if you want to see the mosaic ceilings illuminated, go to mass there because that's the only time I have seen them lit.