Naturism in Austria

Public Nudity Laws

Comprehensive guide to public nudity laws, regulations, and penalties

Topless Sunbathing Laws

Is it legal to sunbathe topless? Country-by-country legal guide

Indecent Exposure Laws

What constitutes indecent exposure and the penalties in each country

Age Restrictions

Legal age requirements for nudity, naturist venues, and events

Photography Laws

Legal requirements for photographing nude subjects and naturist activities

Naturist Venue Regulations

Legal requirements for nudist resorts, clubs, and venues

Event Permits & Licensing

Requirements for organizing nudist events and gatherings

The Donauinsel is the 21 km artificial island between the Danube and the Neue Donau flood channel in Vienna, and the city's biggest free bathing area. Naturists have used these floodplains since before the island was built. Today about eight kilometres of its banks are set aside for nude bathing, in two separate zones. The larger and better-equipped zone is in the south, on the Neue Donau side between river kilometres 2.1 and 5.1, plus the left-bank flood dam opposite. It has wide lawns, trees for shade, small gravel beaches, steps into the water, snack stands and toilets. The northern zone, between kilometres 17.7 and 19.5, is wilder and has no facilities. Markings on the path show where each zone begins and ends. Nudity is allowed inside them but not required. The Neue Donau is a calm channel, and swimmers enter from steps or small beaches. The southern zone draws a wide mix of Viennese, including many older regulars. In 2024 a district councillor complained that the slippery water steps and reduced mown lawns showed the FKK area was being neglected compared with the rest of the island.

The FKK-Strandbad in Hard is a dedicated nudist lido on the Austrian shore of Lake Constance (Bodensee), set in the Rhine delta nature reserve on the edge of Hard, near Bregenz in Vorarlberg. It is run by the municipal sports and leisure company and covers more than 40,000 m², about half of it lawns for sunbathing beside the lake. Unlike the free nude beaches common in Germany, this is a fenced, staffed bathing area with paid admission and set opening hours, and it closes in winter. Facilities include a restaurant, barbecue areas, a playground, beach volleyball, table tennis and boccia, which makes it popular with families as well as couples. The lake water is fresh and warms up best in July and August. Hard has had this official FKK bathing area for many years, while neighbouring Bregenz has debated formalising its own informal nude-bathing spot at Mehrerau.

Fuschlsee is a 4 km long, deep and very clear lake in the Salzkammergut, about 20 km east of Salzburg, between Hof bei Salzburg at its western end and Fuschl am See at its eastern end. Much of its shore is protected nature reserve with wooded, steep banks, so bathing is concentrated at a handful of places. The Salzburg state government's map of bathing sites lists five on this lake besides the two lidos at Hof and Fuschl: Badeplatz Stöllinger, Badestrand Schlick, Badestrand Wesenauer and a dedicated FKK Badestrand, numbered 58, on the north shore. Unlike the paid lidos, the FKK beach is free to use. It is a natural lakeside spot rather than a developed lido, with no ticket office or kiosk reported, and the lake water is very clear and reaches about 22 °C in a warm summer. Because the shore is steep and protected, finding a place can take some effort, and space is limited on hot weekends. The two EU-monitored lidos have rated the water good to excellent.

Keutschacher See is a warm, lowland lake in the wooded hills south-west of Klagenfurt in Carinthia, part of the Fünf-Seen-Land around Keutschach. Its south shore is unusual: three naturist campgrounds sit side by side directly on the water, together offering room for more than 3000 guests, which is why the area is often called one of the largest naturist complexes on any European lake. The Kärntner Lichtbund's Turkwiese is a members' club site, while Müllerhof and Sabotnik/Kaufitsch are commercial FKK campgrounds with mobile homes, apartments and a pension; Müllerhof advertises three bathing beaches backed by pine woods. The nude areas are the campgrounds' own lawns, small beaches and jetties, not a public beach, so access goes through the sites. The water warms well in summer and the lake is shallow at its edges. All three sites open roughly from May to September.

Lake with designated nudist area.

Pleschinger See is a bathing lake at the north-eastern edge of Linz, technically just inside the neighbouring town of Steyregg, which is why it is often mistaken for part of Linz. It is one of the city's Linz AG bathing lakes, set in a green recreation area of about 20 hectares with roughly 13 hectares of water up to 8 metres deep. A fenced-off FKK (nude bathing) area has existed at the lake since 29 May 1982 and today takes in the south shore, reached by a shoreline path. The rest of the lake is for clothed bathing, and the bus terminus sits conveniently between the two zones. Entry is free. The surroundings are lawns and trees, with snack stands, showers and children's play areas around the lake, and its location makes it one of the most popular nude bathing spots for people from Linz. Dogs are not allowed at the lake during the bathing season. Expect it to be busy on hot summer weekends.

The FKK Erholungszentrum Tigringer See is a naturist campground on a small private lake in the hills at Tigring, part of Moosburg, a few kilometres north-west of Klagenfurt in Carinthia. It is a commercial campsite rather than a club, taking both holiday campers and long-stay seasonal campers on its pitches, with the lake and the lawns around it used for nude swimming and sunbathing. Directory listings describe clean sanitary blocks with showers and toilets; there is no mention of a pool, restaurant or rental accommodation, and shops and inns are in nearby villages. Dogs are welcome and the site has its own large, separate dog meadow, which is less common at naturist campsites. The season runs from 1 May to 30 September. The surrounding area suits walking and cycling, and Klagenfurt and the Wörthersee are a short drive away. Few independent reviews were found, so check the details with the operator.

Naturistenpark Lobau is the grounds of a non-profit naturist association in Aspern, in Vienna's 22nd district (Donaustadt), on the edge of the Lobau floodplain forest that forms part of the Donau-Auen National Park. Its roots go back to the nudists who brought naturism to Vienna from Germany after the First World War, and it is one of the best-known naturist clubs in Austria, with around 650 to 700 members reported in press coverage. The fenced park covers a little over 6 hectares of meadow and trees. A 2016 report described a swimming water, hammocks, volleyball, table tennis and cycling, an indoor sauna used all year and a canteen open five days a week from May to September. The crowd is mostly older, with many retirees, but middle-aged members and families also come. Nudity is the norm on the grounds, and pets are not allowed. Besides members and long-stay regulars, the club welcomes guests. It is separate from the public FKK areas at the nearby Dechantlacke and the Donauinsel, and offers more privacy and facilities than those free spots.

FKK Seecamping Rutar Lido is an all-naturist campsite at Eberndorf in the Carinthian hills of southern Austria, about 477 metres above sea level. The 15-hectare site is built around a small lake landscape: one lake for swimming and dinghies and two for anglers. Six swimming pools are on the grounds, two of them indoors. About 218 pitches are sold to touring guests, 97 are for permanent campers, and there are 49 rental units. The naturist rules apply to the campsite, the beach and the pools, and male visitors are asked to hold a nudist pass before admission. One area is set aside for dog owners. Listings describe it as quiet and natural rather than party-oriented. Listings say it is open all year.

Vienna-area naturist club tradition reflecting Austria’s strong FKK culture; confirm current grounds location and guest policy.

Roman-style thermal spa with nude sauna.

Therme Wien is a thermal spa in Oberlaa, on the south side of Vienna, with an outdoor area and a sauna landscape. The operator's own FAQ confirms that the sauna areas are textile-free: visitors use towels rather than swimwear in the saunas, and there is no textile sauna. The Laconium in the first thermal landscape may be visited in swimwear, so the dress rules differ between areas. The city of Vienna's listing gives the address as Kurbadstraße 14 and describes the spa as having an outdoor area and a sauna landscape. A 2014 Falter review describes saunas for women, for men and for all, which suggests that some are split by gender or open to everyone. The thermal pools allow water-repellent swimwear. The house rules and FAQ are the source for the sauna dress code, and they are the most specific information found. Check the current house rules on the operator's site before visiting, because policies vary by area and time.