Naturism in Germany

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

This is the naturist section of the west beach at List, the northernmost village on Sylt, known in guidebooks and on older signs by the nickname Abessinien. The List tourist office calls it the guarded FKK west beach and numbers it beach section 19. It sits on the open North Sea coast between the beach sauna to the south and a beach kiosk to the north, below high dunes in the protected dune landscape near the Ellenbogen peninsula. The FKK stretch is split into three parts: an unguarded nude beach, a guarded nude beach with lifeguards on duty in summer from 10:30 to 17:00, and a guarded FKK dog beach. The sand is fine and pale and the beach is wide, with surf and currents typical of Sylt's west coast, so the flag system matters. Compared with the busy Kampen and Westerland beaches it feels remote and quieter, and it is mainly used by couples and families who have come specifically for nude bathing. The beach sauna next door lets visitors cool off in the sea between sessions. A Kurabgabe (guest tax) card is required to use Sylt's beaches in season.

At the eastern end of the Kaiserbäder resorts on Usedom, the Grenzstrand runs from Ahlbeck towards the Polish border at Świnoujście. About half a kilometre past the historic 1898 pier, the fine white sand becomes quieter and more natural, with informal dune paths, and part of this stretch is set aside for nude bathing alongside a section for dog owners. It is one of the best-known naturist beaches on the German Baltic, yet usually less crowded than the main resort beach.

The Rodgau-See is a former gravel pit on the edge of Nieder-Roden, a district of Rodgau in the Landkreis Offenbach south-east of Frankfurt. It is fed mainly by groundwater, reaches about 35 m depth and is known for clear water. Bathing is only allowed inside the fenced Strandbad on the east shore, which the city of Rodgau has run as a public facility since 1976 and which can draw up to 300,000 visitors a season. The city's bathing bylaw divides the Strandbad into a textile beach and a nude beach that are physically separated, and it forbids staying clothed in the FKK grounds. Visitors describe the nude section as the larger of the two, with more sand and lawn, its own showers and toilets, a snack stand and a volleyball court. Swimmers use floating platforms out in the lake; the textile side has the main kiosk terrace and a small playground. Lifeguard cover is provided by the DLRG. It is an established mainstream lido, so expect a mixed local crowd of families, couples and older regulars rather than a remote naturist spot, and busy weekends in hot weather.

Two flooded gravel pits at the Baiersdorfer Mühle, just south of Baiersdorf and a few kilometres north of Erlangen, lying in the flat Regnitz valley between the river and the Main-Danube Canal. The town of Baiersdorf runs the area as a public recreation ground. The northern lake, the Ausee, is the bathing lake; the southern Angersee belongs to the local angling club and its water surface is excluded from the recreation area, so swimming there is not permitted. The nude area is a marked lawn on the far western shore of the Ausee, reached by walking around the lake from the entrance. Elsewhere a sandy, man-made beach on the southern shore draws families with small children. The ground is mostly open grass with some trees, and the lakes are fairly small, so on hot weekends the whole site gets busy. Water quality is generally good, but the Ausee has had recurring blue-green algae episodes (a bathing ban in 2004 and a city warning in 2020), so check notices before swimming. Dogs, tents, open fires and loud music are banned under the town bylaw.

The Bergwitzsee is a 183-hectare lake south of Lutherstadt Wittenberg on the edge of the Dübener Heide nature park, created by flooding the former lignite mine Roberts Hoffnung. It reaches about 35 m deep and has an 8.2 km shoreline, mostly natural and wooded, with exceptionally clear water that has hosted diving championships. The lake has two FKK areas: one on the south-eastern shore and one on the peninsula at the southern end, opposite the village of Bergwitz. The main textile beach on the north shore has a wide sandy strip, beach volleyball, a nature playground, an open-air stage, paid toilets and a snack bar in a former lifeguard tower; another textile beach lies on the east shore, and there is a dog beach on the north-east shore and a horse access point in the south-east. The Bergwitzsee resort rents boats, canoes and bikes and offers camping, bungalows and floating holiday homes. Motorboats are not allowed. The water drops off quickly in places, so the lake is less suited to non-swimmers.

Borkum's naturist beach sits on the quieter north-east side of the island, around four kilometres from the town, near the small airfield and backed by high dunes. It is a broad North Sea sand beach run by the island's spa company, free to enter and open at all times, with nude bathing the norm in the marked section. DLRG lifeguards patrol it in season, and beach chairs and small dune cabins (FKK-Budjes) can be rented. Expect wind, open views and strong currents, so swim only between the flags.

A family-oriented, non-profit naturist sports club of about 440 members whose roughly 12-hectare woodland and heath ground lies on Lake Motzen at Kallinchen, just south of Berlin, with a 775 m shoreline and several small bathing spots. Day guests can use the 'Sandberg' lawn and all sports facilities, and holidaymakers find a limited number of caravan and tent pitches and a guest cabin. The club celebrated its centenary recently.

A naturist club on Munich's western edge at Eschenried, close to the Langwieder See, Lußsee and Birkensee lakes. Its private park has a swimming pool, sports areas and space for sunbathing, and the club is known for its parties and social events as well as swimming and recreational sport. Like most German naturist clubs, it is run by volunteer members rather than as a business.

A small naturist family sports club whose 3.5-hectare grounds at the Längstlerhof lie in the heart of the Palatinate Forest near Kaiserslautern. Around 60 pitches with electricity take tents and caravans, and the site has a swimming pool, two volleyball courts, boules pitches, a shared kitchen, a lounge and a sauna heated on Saturdays. The club hosts open days and regional tournaments.

The Kassel branch of the 'Bund für freie Lebensgestaltung', a naturist club with its own grounds on Fischhausweg in the east of Kassel near the Fulda. Members use the site for nude sunbathing, games and club life in the summer, and it is listed among the member clubs of the DFK's central regional federation.

A naturist family sports club with a quiet three-hectare ground among woods and fields at Klosterlangheim near the basket-making town of Lichtenfels in Upper Franconia. There are sunny and shady pitches for caravans, motorhomes and tents with power, a swimming pool, a large lawn, a playground, a barbecue pavilion and a clubhouse. Boules, volleyball, aqua gymnastics and mini golf are popular.

A naturist family club with a 33,000 m² enclosed ground at Deutenhofen in the municipality of Hebertshausen, about 15 km north of Munich. There are many sunny year-round caravan pitches and room for day visitors, plus a football meadow, indiaca and volleyball courts, a playground, boules lanes, a pool and a bathing pond. It describes itself as a club, not a commercial campsite.

A naturist club linked to the Schwenningen natural-health association, with its own grounds in Schwenningen on the eastern edge of the Black Forest. Members use the private site for sunbathing, sport and social nudity in the summer season. It is one of the member clubs of the DFK's south-west regional federation.

The city ground of the Bund für freie Lebensgestaltung Stuttgart, a naturist family sports club founded in 1926. It lies in the Ramsbachtal/Weidachtal landscape reserve in southern Stuttgart between Degerloch-Hoffeld, Asemwald, Birkach and Schönberg, and is used for nude sunbathing, family sport and competition sport. Overnight stays are not possible here, and pets are not allowed.

A naturist recreational sports club whose grounds are terraced into a six-hectare former quarry on a south-facing slope of the Teutoburg Forest at Bielefeld-Hillegossen. The site has year-round pitches for caravans and motorhomes, a pool, a sauna area open to guests, and an annual open day. Dogs are allowed on leads.