From big-city bays to secluded shores, thankfully, there are still beaches out there where you can enjoy the bountiful sun in your Adam’s or Eve’s costume. Clothing optional tanning is still taboo and even illegal in so many unexpected places, but yet still tolerated at some beautiful spots worth exploring.

Nude beaches seldom have any amenities, so it’s best to take care of your primary needs before you head on out. Bring the following things to be prepared: A towel, an umbrella for shade, a big bottle of sunscreen, food, plenty of water, insect repellent, and yourself.

What’s also important is to realize that you’ll probably encounter a surplus of creepy gawkers, and here’s a reality check: be prepared not to see only perfectly-shaped hotties. After all, a love for being naked out and about is not just beholden to those in the Lifestyle. Naturism is a huge movement on its own, and these very beaches will attract those in it and others as well.

Nude Beach Etiquette

There is a certain etiquette connected to visiting clothing-optional beach areas that, unfortunately, may or may not be observed by those that are there just for the thrill of looking at naked people. Usually, though, those that are there are well aware of what and what not to do. Nudism is a lifestyle that embraces the human body in all forms. The same goes for the swingers Lifestyle. Creepy gawkers have no place here and are easily detected, yet most likely not entirely unavoidable.

Before you take a picture, don’t include any others. Otherwise, it’s proper to ask for permission first and foremost. Don’t assume that everyone there is in the swingers Lifestyle, so be careful with approaching anyone and respect everyone’s privacy. What you can ask if you feel attracted to another person is if he/she is a friend of Ellis (a code word for the Lifestyle). Yes, it’s hard, but it’s best to avoid potentially awkward situations and refrain from sexual activity (the exception here may be Pork Beach in Cap d’Agde), as that is usually very illegal.

Welcoming Naked Beaches

There are, of course, lots of small stretches of beach and bays around the world that are either naked, naked-friendly, or, at the very least, topless. Below you’ll find a compact overview of the most famous ones, and those that are anywhere in the vicinity of SDC travel events are on the tippy top!

FRANCE – Cap d’Agde – Village Naturiste

Of course, the Village Naturiste, the ultimate naked city in the world in the South of France, is renowned for its naked beaches, and even better for the specific part of that attracts swingers lovingly called Pork Beach. For many years now, each summer, SDC.com has organized two awesome Cap d’Agde Lifestyle events, usually in July, and preferably back-to-back so guests can indulge in a double dose of naked fun. We completely take over Le Jardin d’Eden, and a huge part of Le Jardin de Babylone, too. As sex is allowed on-premise anywhere, this place attracts tens of thousands of naked people.

GREECE – Crete – Red Beach, Malata

Cretan hospitality is second to none, and the same goes for their welcoming attitude towards those that dare to bare on the numerous secluded beaches. This popular nude beach is on the south side of Crete and a total hotspot. Beach chairs are available as well as awesome cocktails to cool down all that sizzle. SDC organizes its super sexy SDC on Crete full resort takeover each May on the island, which is a great time to be naked!

SPAIN – Ibiza – Es Cavallet Beach

Playa Es Cavallet is a well-known dune-backed beach for partygoers, gays, and lifestylers alike. This official nudist beach consists of several sections, and the middle part is where the clothing-free ones hang out. It has loungers, parasols, showers, restaurants, and bars, and is about a 10-minute drive from Playa d’en Bossa or Ibiza Town. This is also THE meeting point for the LGBTQ scene.

SDC.com has organized its near-annual SDC on Ibiza take-over very close to world-famous Nikki Beach, usually by the end of September, to party and play to bookend the season. It’s a wonderful thing!

MEXICO – Oaxaca – Playa Zipolite

This is a sexy strand of beach along the gorgeous coast that has been the backdrop for many movies. Clothing-optional isn’t exactly legal here, but there is a tiny sliver of secluded beach at the very eastern end of the main beach that is appropriately called Playa del Amore, and it’s tolerant to nude sunbathing.

CARIBBEAN – St. Barts – Grand Saline Beach

It may surprise you, but on the whole, the relaxed Caribbean is quite conservative, and full nudity is actually illegal in most places. However, Grand Saline Beach or Anse de Grande Saline is a secluded stretch of soft sand against warm and clear waters that has an option. There are no facilities, apart from a restaurant close by, so it’s best to bring your own cooler and umbrella. On the far east of this beach, you can find a private cove where people love to sunbathe au naturel. The sand will be hot, so run, don’t walk!

USA – South Florida – Haulover Beach

Clothing-optional or even topless is usually prohibited on beaches in the USA. Taking off your top will most likely sooner rather than later result in an officer asking you to put it back on immediately or else. There is one huge exception, and it’s at Haulover Beach, cradled between Sunny Isles Beach and Bal Harbour, that attracts well over a million bare-bottomed sun worshippers each year.

Despite local protests, there is a part of this beach sectioned off by picket fences where it is no problem to strip down and enjoy the sun year-round. There are beach chairs and umbrellas to rent, plus lifeguards make sure all stays on the up and up!

USA – San Diego – Black’s Beach

Located at the base of 300-foot sandstone cliffs close in the town of La Jolla is a two-miles-long stretch of well-visited shore with a section open for nude recreation. There are no amenities on the beach, and foggy conditions (lovingly called either the May Gray, June Gloom, No Sky July, Summer Fog, or #fogust) can frequently occur anytime between May and August. This is not the only beach where nude sunbathing is tolerated, but this is for sure the oldest and most well-known.

HAWAII – Maui – Little Beach

Located next to Big Beach in Makena State Park, you’ll find a wonderful unofficial clothing-optional beach. Not entirely legal, yet mostly unenforced, this beach offers enough seclusion to bare it all.

A little note of caution: to get there, you’ll have to navigate a cliff path, which can be harder after sundown. There are no lifeguards nor amenities. Be that as it may, this place truly comes alive on Sunday evenings at sunset, when large crowds form around drummers and fire dancers. Talk about paradise!

Honorable Mention: ITALY – Vernazza – Guvano Beach

A legendary stretch of pebbled beach is located in the La Spezia area, Cinque Terre. Getting to this nude beach/Spiaggia di Guvano was quite an adventure in itself, as it could be accessed only by a 15-minute dark walk through an old, abandoned railway tunnel on a path from a village called Corniglia. Unfortunately, due to the risk of landslides, this area is closed to visitors until further notice. Bummer!

If you love Italy and coastal water and towns and want to be naked, there are options. SDC cruise charters are known to visit this gorgeous country here and there, so you can strip down all day and enjoy Italy that way!