France Has A 'Naked City' & A Lot More Than Just The Beaches Are Nude-Friendly
Yes, even the restaurants and grocery stores are clothing optional.
A woman at the Nude resort in Cap D'agde. Right: Cap D'agde.
If you’re looking to make the most of the remnants of this summer and have your heart set on nude beaches beyond North America, we know of a French destination that might be right up your alley.
The Cap D’agde resort in the south of France has unofficially been titled as the 'naked city' by The Guardian, given its completely naturist lifestyle.
The 'self-contained' town, which levies a mandatory tourist tax on its visitors, offers the option of not being clothed even at public edifices such as banks, supermarkets, opticians, post office etc.
A two-mile-long (3.2km) Mediterranean beach, with cliffs and rocky islets, is the town's biggest attraction, and as you'd have guessed by now, is also clothing-optional.
The little town in France's Languedoc-Roussillon region was popularized as a naturist haven during/around World War II. Its original founders realized the town's tourism potential with 200-plus days of sunshine on offer through the year.
The Oltra family, who farmed olive groves adjacent to the sandy beach, first noticed an influx of sunbathers from around Europe in the late 30s and early 40s. Not much later, they formalized arrangements for campers on their land, eventually creating the 'Oltra Club'.
The camp grew increasingly popular among German and Dutch tourists, before being declared an official nudist beach, as per German publication Süddeutsche Zeitung.
The momentum for the naturist lifestyle in this part of France really picked up in the late 80s, after which it became a hotspot for swingers and libertines as well.
An average summer day presently peaks at around 45,000 daily visitors, according to the BBC. Properties such as Babylon, Cupid and Eden remain popular among long-term renters while weekenders and day-trippers also contribute to the tourism.
As for safety measures, the resort underlines the unspoken rule of not photographing other people in the resort. "Taking pictures of your partner or your own group is considered acceptable," says a blog by naturist residents of the area.
Several laws have also been put in place to tackle lewd or crude behaviour in the naturist quarter. "The best approach is a common-sense approach," as per locals.
"General drunken behaviour is extremely rare to see in this resort. In this respect, it is generally much safer and calmer than many holiday resorts."
An archived TripAdvisor thread also discusses potential areas of concern for single female travellers, with some arguing that there is "evident security" to keep an eye on "single guys looking for action". But you might wanna do your own research too.
In addition to aforementioned properties, there are more nude accommodation options at the beach, which means you can book a clothing-optional studio, apartment, villa or even a hotel room.
Another perk of a fully nude holiday is that you can pack light, so no need to worry about extra baggage fees. A big bottle of sunscreen might just do the trick.
So dear naturist readers of North America, this could be your last chance to make hay before we bid goodbye to summer 2022. France is calling!