Nudism

Nudism, or naturism, is the practice of going nude or unclothed in social and usually mixed gender groups, specifically in cultures where this is not the norm. It sometimes occurs furtively in secluded places in countries where appearing naked in public is illegal, but enjoys widespread acceptance in other areas of the world. Those who practice nudism are called nudists or naturists. Some people believe that being naked with other people is necessarily always sexual, or that nudism is morally wrong or pornographic. Naturists generally reject these views.

Public outdoor nudist areas

Australia

Free Beaches Australia has a comprehensive listing of clothing optional beaches.

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• ACT
• New South Wales
• Northern Territory
• Casuarina Beach, Darwin
• Queensland (there are no legal nude beaches in Queensland)
• Alex Beach - Alexandria Headland near Noosa is a popular spot with nudists and arguably the most tolerated nude beach.
• Bribie Island - Remote beaches on Bribie are popular with nudists.
• South Australia
• Maslin Beach
• Tasmania
• Victoria
• Western Australia
• North Swanbourne beach
• Cable Beach, Broome
• Warnbro Beach
• Ten Mile Lagoon, Esperance

Austria

• Vienna,
• Donauinsel http://www.nudismus.cz/reportage.html http://www.falter.at/print/F2002_27_3.php (artificial island in the Danube quite close to the city centre)
• Lobau

Belgium

• Bredene, tram stop Bredene Renbaan (Hippodroom): sandy beach (the only nude beach of the country, since 2001)

Brazil

• Tambaba: sandy beach, Paraíba State, north of Recife
• Praia do Abricó, beach west of Rio de Janeiro
• Praia do Galheta, a partially deserted clothes optional beach on the east coast of Florianópolis (can be reached only by foot)
• Praia do Pinho, beach in Santa Catarina State, near Florianópolis
• Massarandupió, beach in Bahia State, about 100 km north of Salvador

Canada

• Ontario All areas of Ontario, unless otherwise specified by town or city by-laws, allow both males and females to be topless in public.
• Hanlans Point, a sandy beach just a 15 minute ferry ride from downtown Toronto, Ontario
• Wreck Beach is the second largest clothing optional beach in North America with over 100,000 visitors each year. It is located in Vancouver, British Columbia on the north arm of the Fraser River.
• Oka, Quebec, about 40 km from Montreal

Denmark

• All beaches in Denmark are clothing-optional unless marked otherwise.
• The Scandinavian Naturist Portal This Naturist Portal covers naturism in Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

France

• Many excellent naturist resorts exist at the Atlantic coast, e.g. Euronat, La Jenny
• Cap d'Agde, Quartier Naturiste (Nudist Quarter): sandy beach, several swimming pools, but also nude shopping, etc. http://www.rburnham.com/co/co-capda.htm, map
• Île du Levant - Héliopolis
• Saint Martin
• Nudist Beaches in France
• Topfree is tolerated (and common) on almost all beaches

Germany

• Apart from urban areas and official baths, nude bathing is sometimes tolerated in Germany: unofficial nudist areas exist at most lakes and rivers, and other sites, such as abandoned rock quarries.
• Many designated FKK areas exist at the seaside, at lakes and in baths, especially in the former East Germany, where nudism remains more widespread than in the west.
• Families especially like to spend their leisure time in naturist areas; sauna bathing is generally practiced in the nude.
• Even in cities there are nudist areas, e.g. the Schönfeldwiese in the Englischer Garten in Munich, near the city centre; also, the western part of Feldmochinger See, in the northwestern suburb, the peninsula in Lake Feringasee in the Northeast and the Flaucher at the river Isar south of the city center of Munich.
• nacktbaden.de is a very comprehensive and regularly actualized German index of nudist areas.

Greece

• Naturism is practised widely in the Greek Islands, although strictly speaking legal only in a relatively few designated locations.
• Captain Barefoot's Naturist Guide to the Greek Islands contains a fairly comprehensive listing of suitable beaches.

Hong Kong

• Organizations are proposing beaches that allow nudity to be built in Lantau Island, the biggest island in Hong Kong. However, it seems unlikely to be a successful proposal.
• Historically, nudist gathered at Sha Tin in 1930s and Wok Tai Wan on Tsing Yi Island, from late 1930s to 1950s.

Hungary

• Naturist Resorts in Hungary
• Complete listing of resorts in Hungary

The most significant places:

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• Délegyháza - 30 km south from Budapest (http://www.nudi.hu)
• Szeged-Kiskundorozsma, Sziksósfürdö (aka "Sziki") (http://www.natours.hu/)
• Balatonberény (http://www.balaton.hu/index.php?open_partner=1&partner_id=233)
• Balatonakarattya (http://www.balatontourist.hu/kemphun.php?id=13&nyelv_id=1)

Smaller ones: Egerszalók, Látóképi-tó, Dunaszekcsö, Omszki-tó, Lupa-tavak (Budakalász), Debreceni-tó (Nyékládháza), Nemesbük, Mindszent, Szalkszentmárton etc.

Related Topics:
Egerszalók - Látóképi-tó - Dunaszekcsö - Omszki-tó - Lupa-tavak - Budakalász - Debreceni-tó - Nyékládháza - Nemesbük - Mindszent - Szalkszentmárton

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Israel

• Kalya Beach by the Dead Sea (*) See "Kalya Nudist Beach" (March 26, 2002) Ynet

Italy

• Roma, Oasi Naturista di Capocotta. Official naturist beach on the coast between Ostia and Torvaianica.
• Nudist Beaches in Italy

Jamaica

• Most nudist beaches in Jamaica are actually private beaches owned by large resorts. One exception is Firefly Beach in Negril which is a nudist beach that is open to the general public.
• Nudist Resorts in Jamaica

Mexico

• Zipolite, Oaxaca: Zipolite beach has been nudist for more than 3 decades now. Nudism in Zipolite is tolerated, since mexican law only condemns "immorality" and thus, the issue ends up being a matter of the judge's criterium. This beach is clearly the best place to practice nudism in the country, since the quantity of nudists and the long tradition make it safe for nudists. Other places in the country might not be so safe.

Netherlands

• Almere, Zilverstrand
• Callantsoog, sandy beach 1.5 km to the south - the oldest official nude beach of the country, dating from 1973
• Delft, Grote Plas, northeast side (map)
• Rijswijk, Wilhelmina Park, south side (map)
• Scheveningen, The Hague, sandy beach 1 km to the north
• Zandvoort, sandy beach 2 km to the south
• for more, see http://home.hccnet.nl/e.stevenhagen/z/k2.htm, http://www.natutravel.nl/html/natu_informatie/stranden.htm; beach locations are defined by km-pole numbers, indicated on wooden poles every 250 m. See map (zip-file) with beach from Den Helder to Hoek van Holland, showing these numbers and also public transport info.

:Municipalities with a beach (usually including quiet parts) tend to have a nudist beach; even if the municipality does not like it, it designates a quiet part as such in order to be able to forbid nudity on the rest of the beach.

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New Zealand

• Clothes free Holidays in New Zealand
• Free Beach Group Inc
• Nudist Beaches in New Zealand

Norway

• The beach at Huk on the Bygdøy peninsula in Oslo.
• The Scandinavian Naturist Portal This Naturist Portal covers naturism in Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

Portugal

• Ilha de Tavira in Algarve
• Praia do Meco in Sesimbra near Lisbon
• Praia da Bela Vista
• Praia do Salto near Porto Covo, Alentejo
• Praia de Adegas in Alentejo
• In northern Portugal there is no official nude beach although Praia da Estela in Póvoa de Varzim is often used.
• Portuguese naturist beaches map
• Nudist Beaches in Portugal

Slovakia

Locations are unofficial, nudism is tolerated in Slovakia. They are mostly in rural locations or at opposite side of official beaches:

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• Bratislava - Rusovce
• Bratislava - Zlaté Piesky
• Dunajská Lu?ná - Nové Ko?ariská
• Ge?a (Ko?ice)
• Har?á? (Komárno)
• Liptovská Mara
• Zelená Voda (Nové Mesto nad Váhom)
• Senec - ?trkovisko u Slne?ných jazier
• ?útovo
• ...
• www.naturizmus.sk covers naturism in Slovakia

Spain

• Vera Playa in Andalusia
• Formentera
• In Barcelona there is no rule against public nudity, it's a recognised right. Associations Addan, http://www.addan.com/,Aleteia and Barcelona Council had published the "Tríptic de Barcelona" that express this right.
• Nudist Beaches in Spain

South Africa

• Sandy Bay in Cape Town is the only legal nude beach in South Africa

Sweden

• The Scandinavian Naturist Portal This Naturist Portal covers naturism in Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

United Kingdom

• Morfa Dyffryn, Gwynedd
• Budleigh Salterton, Devon
• Studland Bay, Dorset - most famous UK nudist beach, now officially approved (after years of controversy) by landowner the National Trust
• Slapton Sands, Devon
• Blackgang Beach, near Blackgang Chine, Isle of Wight
• Brighton, East Sussex
• Birling Gap, East Sussex
• Fairlight Glen, East Sussex
• Leysdown East Beach, Kent
• St Osyth, Essex
• Corton Beach, Suffolk
• Holkham Beach, Norfolk
• Cleat's Shore, Isle of Arran
• Portsmouth Beach (Eastney radar station), Hampshire

United States

• Gunnison Beach, a part of the National Park Service?s Gateway National Recreation Area in Sandy Hook, New Jersey is the largest clothing-optional beach in the Northeastern United States (there are several other public beaches on Sandy Hook where nudity is forbidden). In 1999, New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman signed into law a bill sponsored by State Senator James S. Cafiero (R-Dist.1) that prohibits all types of nudism on state or municipal beaches, making Gunnison Beach the only legal nude beach in the state, since it is located on federal land not subject to state or municipal regulations.
• Haulover Beach, in Miami-Dade County, Florida (between Sunny Isles Beach, Florida and Bal Harbour), most popular nude beach in North America
• Hippie Hollow Park, on the shore of Lake Travis northwest of Austin, Texas, traditionally used for nude swimming since the formation of the lake in the late 1940s. The park was officially placed under management by Travis County in the mid-1980s and remains officially clothing-optional.
• Black's Beach, in La Jolla, California, a community of San Diego, is possibly the largest de facto clothing optional beach in the United States. Near of this beach can found the San Onofre Beach (near of San Clemente, California).

Miscellaneous

There are two places in the US with nudist youth camps: Lake Como, Florida and Shangri-La, Arizona.

Related Topics:
Lake Como, Florida - Arizona

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A camp at White Tail Park, Southampton County, Virginia may be discontinued: even though the camps are strictly non-sexual, in 2004 the commonwealth law of Virginia, enforced by Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore, banned nudist youth camps unless a parent, grandparent or legal guardian is present, citing dangers from sexual predators. http://nac.oshkosh.net/Legislative_Bill_Texts/2004/VA_2004_HB_158/va_2004_hb_158.html

Related Topics:
Southampton County, Virginia - Attorney General - Jerry W. Kilgore

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The ACLU, the park, three boys, ages 11, 15 and 17, and two girls, 10 and 12, and their parents (three couples) have challenged the new law on June 29, 2004, arguing that it violates the constitutional right to privacy http://www.wtopnews.com/?sid=218158&nid=25.

Related Topics:
ACLU - June 29

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Pasco County, Florida has seven nudist resorts.

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