Denmark naturist beaches

Urban beach with designated nude area at the south end.

Bellevue Strand is a 700 m sandy beach at Klampenborg, about 10 km north of central Copenhagen in Gentofte Municipality, backed by lawns and the 1930s Arne Jacobsen ensemble of kiosks, changing cabins and striped lifeguard towers. Opened in 1932, it was the city's main summer beach and still draws up to half a million visits a year, though Amager Strandpark has taken some of the crowd since 2005. The water is the shallow, calm Øresund, facing east, so mornings get the sun. Nude sunbathing here is a long-standing Danish habit rather than a marked zone: an English-language list of European nude places says the beach has a popular nudist section, while a beach-guide site says nudity is simply accepted along the beach, as on Danish beaches generally. We did not find a source that fixes where nude bathers gather, so expect to see them mixed with clothed families on a busy day and look along the quieter ends of the beach.

Brøndby Strand is part of Køge Bugt Strandpark, the long artificial beach park built along the shore of Køge Bay south-west of Copenhagen. It is backed by dunes. It is one of the closest naturist spots to the capital. Clothed bathers gather around the bathing jetty. Naturists turn right at the beach and walk about 100 m past them, and the nude area then runs for roughly 200 to 300 m along the sand. The beach is sandy with dunes behind it, and the bay has a sandy bottom and shallow, calm water typical of Køge Bugt. Danish law allows nude bathing on public beaches as long as bathers are considerate, so this is customary use rather than a signed zone. Attendance varies a lot. Some afternoons bring 15 to 20 naturists, while other days the beach is nearly empty. Recent visitors describe a mostly older and largely male crowd. There are no naturist-specific facilities. The bathing jetty is by the clothed section.

Flovt Strand is on the Little Belt coast east of Haderslev in South Jutland, between Årøsund and Hejsager. The nude section runs south from the outlet of Bankel Nor, a lagoon-like lake behind the beach, towards the headland of Halk Hoved. It is a fine sand beach with almost no stones on the shore or in the water, backed by flat meadows and the lake rather than dunes, so there is little shelter from wind or sun. The sandy shallows attract boat owners, who anchor just offshore, and some sit nude on their boats. Depending on the season the lake outlet can be an easy sandy crossing or too deep to wade, in which case naturists settle just north of it. The area is a nature park without holiday homes, so it stays quiet; regulars describe few people on weekdays, almost no clothed bathers in the nude stretch, and a relaxed feel. Insects from the lake can be a nuisance with an offshore wind.

Græm Strand is a stretch of North Sea beach on Jutland's west coast in Holstebro Municipality, in the southern part of the Husby Klitplantage dune forest near Husby. The beach got an official FKK sign in 2017, and Danske Naturister lists it among its naturist beaches; one regular calls it among the best in the country. It is a sandy surf beach reached through the dunes, where the eroding dune face exposes a moraine layer from the last ice age containing petrified wood. Several old bunkers used to stand on the beach, though many have since been removed. You can swim in the waves, but this is the open North Sea, so watch the currents and swim near others. People bathe here for much of the year, and it is also a good walking beach. Inland, a short walk leads to a 'troll forest' of early-1800s oaks stunted into twisted bushes by the sandy, salty soil. Expect space and few people rather than facilities.

Official naturist beach.

North Zealand beach with established FKK sections, family-friendly atmosphere, and excellent facilities on the Danish Riviera.

Houstrup Strand, also spelled Hovstrup, is a North Sea beach in Varde Municipality, just north of Henne Strand on the west coast of Jutland. Danske Naturister lists it as an official nude beach, a status that rests on a recommendation from the Blaabjerg tourist office. From the car park, a sign points south to the 'fribadestrand', and nude bathing starts about 200 m along. The beach is wide sand backed by high dunes, which give good shelter from the prevailing west wind. Regulars describe an informal layout. The first stretch is used mainly by families. It is followed by a quieter area for couples and then by an area used by single visitors. There are no facilities on the nude section. Guests from the naturist campsite Lyngboparken in Henne use Houstrup or Børsmose Strand, further north, as their local beach. The beach is not well signposted from the main road, so it is easy to miss.

Official nude beach on the west coast.

Rødhus Strand is on Jammerbugten, the long, open North Sea bay in north-west Jutland, in Jammerbugt Municipality. The nude beach is the stretch of coast in front of the Tranum military shooting range, between the beach accesses at Rødhus and Ejstrup Strand. Cars are allowed on the sand here, so most visitors drive along the beach and park near where they settle. From Rødhus, the nude area starts after about 1.5 km at a small stream, beyond which the military area begins. Most naturists drive roughly another kilometre past it. The coast is wide sand backed by dunes. Regulars split it informally. The stretch from the E78 marker towards E76 is used mainly by families and couples, and the 400 m beyond E78 is a gay men's meeting area. On warm summer days many naturists come, but the beach is long enough to keep hundreds of metres from your neighbours. The sand is soft further south, and cars often get stuck. The beach can be closed during military firing exercises, so check the schedule for the Tranum range before you go.

Sønderstrand is the southern beach on the west side of Rømø, the Wadden Sea island linked to the Jutland mainland by a causeway in Tønder Municipality. It is one of the widest sand beaches in Europe. At low tide, a vast flat plain of sand runs out to the North Sea. Sønderstrand is quieter than Lakolk, the island's main family beach further north, and is known above all for wind sports such as kitesurfing and blokarting. The local tourism organisation states that nude bathing is also allowed here. Danske Naturister calls Sønderstrand the official nude bathing beach on Rømø. Because the beach is so large, nude bathers can easily find space away from the kite areas. Nudity is also common, though unofficial, on the car-free part near Lakolk. The beach is very exposed, with no shade, and the wind is often strong. Check the tide tables before walking far out, because incoming water can cut off sandbanks. No lifeguard cover was found for Sønderstrand. Supervised bathing in high season is at Lakolk.

This small naturist beach sits on the Øresund coast in Charlottenlund, just north of Copenhagen, below the Strandlund housing and beside Charlottenlund Fort and the grassy Charlottenlund Strandpark. Danske Naturister, the national naturist organisation, lists it in its beach guide as one of the capital region's traditional nude beaches. The nude bathing takes place on the beach itself; the large lawn of the beach park behind is not part of it, so keep clothes on there. The beach is compact and gets full quickly, but regulars describe a friendly atmosphere. On a typical summer Sunday the crowd is roughly evenly split between men and women, of mixed ages, and visitors in 2020 counted around 30 people, almost all nude, with only the occasional swimsuit. Yellow buoys mark the bathing water. Toilets and an ice-cream kiosk are next door in Charlottenlund Strandpark. Because it sits beside one of the most popular beach parks north of the city, parking is tight on hot days and clothed visitors pass nearby. Under Danish practice, nude bathing is accepted on most beaches, but this is one of the spots where naturists reliably gather.

Stængehus is a beach on the Kattegat coast of north Zealand, in Gribskov Municipality, between Tisvildeleje and Liseleje. Behind it lie the pine forests of Tisvilde Hegn and Asserbo Plantage. Danske Naturister lists the shore east of Stængehus as one of the main nude stretches in the Copenhagen region. Walking east from the Stængehus car park, nudity becomes common after about 200–300 m. The busiest naturist section is around the 'Jydelinien' line, about 800 m along. The guide says more than half a kilometre is in regular nude use. Beyond that, a further 200–300 m is frequented by gay men. The beach is sand backed by dunes and forest. The water is the usually calm Kattegat, with some stones and occasional jellyfish. The crowd mixes ages and includes families with children. The guide describes a relaxed atmosphere and mutual respect between clothed and nude bathers. The only buildings are the lifeguard huts on the former shooting range. On sunny weekends the car park fills early.

Thurø Rev, known locally as 'Revet', is a sandy spit on the south-east tip of Thurø, a small island joined by a causeway to Svendborg in south Funen. It looks across the water to Valdemar Slot on Tåsinge. Danske Naturister lists it as a nude beach. The spit has two beaches, one facing south-west and one facing east, so one side is usually sheltered whatever the wind. The beach is sand mixed with small pebbles, and the guide rates its quality as 'ok'. Its shape changes noticeably from year to year as the spit grows and the bay towards Smørmosen erodes. Because it is far from the road, the beach avoids loud music and ball games. On good days it gets fairly busy with a mix of clothed and nude bathers, but it stays calm. Visitors report that most people on the beach are naturists. There are no facilities at the reef, and the long walk from the car park is the main complaint.