How To Find a Great Nude Beach

First-time experiences can not be overestimated. They are often a decisive factor that may influence the rest of your life. A while ago, we were talking to friends about naturism and they told us that they had once visited Cap d’ Agde and decided that naturism wasn’t something for them. When we dug a bit deeper, it became obvious that their perception of naturism was nothing like ours. Well, it could have been, if Cap d’Agde was the first place where we had seen naturism. Which luckily wasn’t the case.

We always tell people that the best place for your first experience with social nudity is a private venue. Yes, it comes at a cost, but what you get in return are facilities (like a toilet, a shower, and a bar) and security. Private venues have staff members that make sure that there are no people with wrong intentions around.

For many, the step to go to a private naturist place as a first introduction to social nudity seems like a bridge too far. Visiting a nude beach is much easier. First of all, they are free, but also, they are free to try. You just go there, have a look around, and if it’s not what you expected it to be, you just turn around. No questions asked, no fees being paid. The difficulty is though that one nude beach is not like the other.

What are good nude beaches? There’s no black-or-white answer to this question. Some of you may appreciate a beach with hundreds of naked people, no matter how closely they are stacked next to one another. To others, the idea of the perfect nude beach is a place where you’re pretty much on your own. And yet other people just like to be in a place where nudity is allowed, no matter the state of dress of the others.

We have evolved in this. In the beginning, we would have never gone naked on a beach if the vast majority weren’t naked as well. Then we started feeling more comfortable. If being naked was officially allowed, the textiles could not stop us. To the point where we are today, if we sense that it’s okay to be naked, we will be.

For the beginning naturist, we recommend picking an official nude beach or at least one that is very well known for getting nude visitors. Going to a popular nude beach also limits the chances of misbehaviour, because there is a lot of social control among naturists. If someone spots a beach visitor with the wrong intentions, this will often be signalled to the other naturists.

Unfortunately, there are also bad nude beaches in the sense that a lot of what happens there has nothing to do with naturism. We mentioned Cap d’Agde in the introduction of this video, the beach over there can roughly be divided into two sections: The family-friendly section and the ehm… not so family-friendly section, the latter often being referred to as “the bay of pigs”. Trust us, you don’t want to explain to your kids what they might see when they stumble upon this side of the beach.

On one hand, it’s a good thing that both sections are separated, which is unfortunately not always the case. Some beaches are infamous for receiving a fair amount of exhibitionists and/or voyeurs. Other nude beaches are famous “meeting spots” for people looking for a quicky with a stranger. Other than the fact that you might stumble upon people having sex, you may also be scouted to join. Which often ruins the fun for both beginning and more experienced naturists.

The very best tip we can give you is to read some reviews online. Previous guests will tell you about the atmosphere on the beach as well as about the facilities and you’ll often get an idea of whether it will be crowded or not, whether there are many textiles, and what the odds are that you’ll see things happening that you prefer not to see.

One difficulty here is that some beaches tend to be great on certain days or periods and much less on others. At Praia do Abrico near Rio de Janeiro, for example, you’ll find a lovely naturist crowd on weekend days, but if you go during the week, you’ll mostly find men looking for sex. In Europe, many nude beaches tend to be crowded in the summer months (July & August), but in spring or autumn, you might be pretty much alone there.

A good tip we can give you to avoid misbehaviour is to pick a nude beach that’s either connected to a naturist resort, or one that’s the home base of a naturist association.

There are a number of reasons why we love the Zipolite nude beach so much, but the most important ones are the very relaxed atmosphere and the many bars and restaurants right on the beach.
✅ Why go: If you like a bohemian vibe and lots of facilities.
❌ Why not go: If you don’t like the clothing-optional scene.

Tayrona nude beach is part of a national park and it’s impossible to get there with motorised vehicles. Just because of its remoteness, it remains a piece of paradise that you’re unlikely to find in most other parts of the world.
✅ Why go: If you like a spectacular nude beach pretty much to yourself.
❌ Why not go: If you like a crowd or if you don’t like hiking.

We visited a number of nude beaches at the coast of California and Black’s Beach was definitely our favourite. On a sunny day, you’ll find a large crowd that is mostly naturist.
✅ Why go: If you like hanging out with local naturist
❌ Why not go: If you don’t like the steep hike.

If you like your nude beaches to be long and wide, the ones on the French Atlantic coast may be something for you. As these beaches are attached to naturist resorts like La Jenny, Euronat, and CHM, you’ll also find a uniquely naturist crowd here.
✅ Why go: If you like long wide nude beaches
❌ Why not go: If you want the seawater to be bath temperature

What most people don’t know is that Europe’s longest nude beach is located on Corsica island in France. Because it is attached to the popular naturist resort Bagheera, most visitors will be naked.
✅ Why go: If you like a spectacular white beach with a warm emerald-coloured sea.
❌ Why not go: Ehm… if you don’t like a spectacular white beach with a warm emerald-coloured sea?

Vera Playa is one of Spain’s most popular naturist destinations and this is partly thanks to its beautiful nude beach. There are several beach bars and restaurants where you can be naked as well. The place does get quite crowded in the summer months.
✅ Why go: If you like to spend as much time as possible naked.
❌ Why not go: If you don’t like big crowds

Playa Cofete is officially not a nude beach, but it’s so large and desolate that it’s perfectly fine to be naked here. We camped on this beach for days and never wore clothes.
✅ Why go: If you like breathtaking desolate beaches
❌ Why not go: If you like a crowd or if you’re not into the long ride.

The beaches in Croatia tend to be quite rocky, which often makes them uncomfortable for sunbathing. At Koversada resort in Croatia, you’ll find these rocky beaches as well, but also artificial sandy beaches if that’s more your thing.
✅ Why go: Several types of beaches to choose from and a warm sea.
❌ Why not go: If you don’t want to pay for entrance to the resort.

South Africa doesn’t have any official nude beaches but Sandy Bay in Cape Town has a long history of receiving naturist visitors. The beach is stunning, but the seawater is freezing.
✅ Why go: If you like to meet local naturists.
❌ Why not go: If you can’t stand cold water.