There’s nothing better than a dip in open water to cool down while you’re on an outdoor adventure, but are you brave enough to bare it all and go for the ultimate skinny dip?
Swimming naked (or public nudity in general for that matter) is still taboo in some places, but in others, it’s becoming increasingly acceptable to cast aside your clothes for a day at the beach, many of which are specially designated for those who wish to do so.
But which countries around the world are the most accepting and best for those who want to swim the way nature intended, without fear of judgment? f
Top Three Skinny Dipping Countries
1. France
Number of nudist beaches: 397
Number of naturist campsites: 212
Average annual temperature: 51.3˚F / 10.7°C
Average water temperature: 60.5˚F / 15.8°C
Taking the top spot as the ultimate destination to take a swim in the buff is France, a country known for its nude and topless beaches (it had the second-highest number of all countries we looked at).
There are also 212 naturist campsites around the country and is even home to its own “Village Naturiste” in Cap d’Age, an entire village where clothing is totally optional, which draws tens of thousands of tourists to its 2km long beach.
2. United States
Number of nudist beaches: 299
Number of naturist campsites: 253
Average annual temperature: 47.4˚F / 8.6°C
Average water temperature: 62.4˚F / 16.889°C
While laws and the general acceptability of sunbathing and swimming in the nude do vary around the US, there are still plenty of open-minded places for those looking to take the plunge.
The USA had more places for naturists to stay than any other country on our list, with the likes of Florida and California being particular hotspots.
3. Spain
Number of nudist beaches: 422
Number of naturist campsites: 95
Average annual temperature: 55.9˚F / 13.3°C
Average water temperature: 64.2˚F / 17.9°C
France’s neighbor Spain comes in third place. Not only does it have the most nudist beaches of any of the countries on our list, as well as that lovely warm Mediterranean sunshine to benefit from, but as well as nudity being totally legal in Spain, it’s actually written into the country’s constitution.
Of course, there are still social norms, but most beaches will usually feature a couple of people sunbathing topless or in the nude and there are over 400 dedicated nudist beaches too.
The Countries To Avoid Skinny Dipping
However, not all countries are quite so open-minded when it comes to skinny dipping. While in some countries nude bathing is illegal in theory, in practice, it often isn’t enforced and as long as you’re respectful and stick to designated beaches, you’ll be ok.
However, there are others where these laws are strictly enforced and you should definitely think twice before getting your clothes off!
Here are some of the countries where public nudity is very much not acceptable, including a few fairly popular tourist destinations, including Caribbean islands such as the Bahamas, Saint Lucia, and Antigua and Barbuda, as well as destinations such as Malaysia, the Maldives, Indonesia, Brazil and more.
The Best Country For Nudist Beaches – Spain (422)
As we’ve already mentioned, Spain is a haven for nudist beaches, and even on those which aren’t designated specifically for nude and topless bathing, you’ll still see plenty of people getting their kit off. There are 422 listed nudist beaches in Spain, although many more unofficial secluded ones are likely to exist too.
The Best Country For Naturist Campsites – United States (253)
If you prefer being at one with nature then you might want to spend your vacation somewhere where you can be free to do so even once you’re out of the water, so we also looked at the number of naturist campsites in each country, where you can wear as little as you want, judgment-free!
The US had the most of these campsites of any nation we looked at, with 253 dotted all across the country.
The Warmest Country – Thailand
If you’re going to be spending a lot of time in your birthday suit, then the last thing you want is to be catching a chill, especially when you’re coming out of the water!
Thailand scored the highest when it comes to temperature, with an annual average of 79.3˚F / 26.3°C. Unsurprisingly, Thailand also had the highest average water temperature too, at 84.3˚F / 29.1°C.
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Methodology & Data Sources
- We studied countries around the world where public nudity is either legal or partially legal, according to Pour Moi’s Global Guide to Topless and Nude Sunbathing.
For these remaining countries (for which data was available), we gave a normalized score out of ten on the following four factors, before taking an average of these four scores to reach our final ‘Skinny Dipping Score’ out of ten (note that for landlocked countries, the sea temperature factor was omitted).
- Number of Nudist Beaches
The number of social nudity places listed on Wikipedia’s lists of places where social nudity is practiced. Of course, no list can provide a definitive list of all such places, but these lists provide a good overview!
- Average Annual Temperature
The average annual temperature according to World Population Review.
- Average Water Temperature
The average water temperature in each location in a country according to SeaTemperature.org.
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