Naturist Beaches

Clothing-optional by law or by settled custom.

Two different situations sit in this collection and the difference matters legally. Some beaches are formally designated — Brighton's section since 1980, several on Sylt and the German Baltic, parts of Maspalomas, and a number in France and Croatia, where the practice is long-established and signposted. Others are clothing-optional by settled custom without formal status, which is the position at Macarelleta, at the northern end of Cable Beach and on stretches of the Baltic coast. Custom offers no protection where local law says otherwise, and the register distinguishes the two rather than merging them. Photography is the recurring problem at these beaches and is prohibited at most; where a beach is signed, the signs cover it. The register records only beaches where the position is clear, and states which of the two situations applies on each one. Where a beach is merely tolerant rather than designated, that is said explicitly, because the difference determines what happens if anyone objects.