Naturism in Austria: laws and customs

At a glance

What the law says

Federal law punishes sexual acts in public, not nudity: § 218 of the Criminal Code provides for up to 6 months in prison or 360 daily rates for anyone who performs a sexual act in public that may cause "justified offence" (RIS, StGB § 218). Naked bathing does not fall under this rule, according to the commentary cited by lawyer Johannes Öhlböck (RA Öhlböck).

Nudity instead falls under the laws of the individual states (Länder) on violating public decency (Anstandsverletzung). It is an administrative offence, not a crime, and applies only to a "serious" violation that several people can see. None of these laws mentions nudity, and the idea of decency is vague and changes with customs.

State by state

In the states with naturist places, the maximum fines are as follows (texts on the official RIS site):

• Carinthia: up to €218 or detention of up to two weeks (§ 1, § 4).
• Salzburg: up to €500; the police can order you to stop (§ 27).
• Styria: up to €5,000 (§ 2, full text).
• Tyrol: up to €750, and the police can remove you from the spot (§ 11, full text).
• Vienna: up to €700 (§ 1).

These are the maximums. A concrete example: in a case decided in 2015 in Tyrol, a drunk man who had stripped in the street in front of passers-by was fined €80, reduced to €50 by the court (RIS, LVwG Tirol). He was not a naturist.

Where you can be naked

• Signed FKK areas: the best known is the Donauinsel in Vienna, with three areas marked by "FKK" written on the ground, more than 8 km in total. You can be naked or in swimwear, as long as you behave discreetly (Stadt Wien). Vienna also has the Naturistenpark Lobau.
• Carinthia: it is called Austria's "number one FKK state", with naturist campsites on lakes such as Müllerhof in Keutschach (MeinBezirk). The ÖNV federation has clubs in Carinthia, Styria, Tyrol, Vienna, Salzburg and Upper Austria (ÖNV, Vereine).
• Naturist stays: you can find them in the list of naturist places in Austria.
• Garden and balcony: being naked at home is usually fine. It can become a problem if you are clearly visible and the neighbours feel harassed, especially near a playground, a nursery or a school.

Tolerated beaches and bans

Outside FKK areas, public nudity, according to the Kleine Zeitung, "is almost impossible" (Kleine Zeitung).

For naked bathing in nature, the Kuratorium für Verkehrssicherheit, quoted by Der Standard, says that it is almost always up to the municipalities, and that anyone who offends decency risks a fine of between €50 and €100. But "if nobody else is around, you can probably do it". Public waters can be used for bathing; private stretches usually cannot (Der Standard).

Vorarlberg is the only state that requires swimwear by law for public bathing, including in Lake Constance; municipalities can, however, exempt certain zones (RIS, Sittenpolizeigesetz). So in 2025 Bregenz authorised a stretch of shore about 200 metres long, not visible from outside, where naked bathing is "expressly permitted", with signs and a ban on photos and videos, for now until 31/12/2026. Nudists had been using the spot for decades (ORF Vorarlberg).

Topless, towns and saunas

• Topless: no law bans it. In a 2016 Expedia survey, 40% of Austrian women said they had done it (Der Standard). Some establishments, however, ban it in their rules: in 2024 a woman was sent away from the Blumau spa, in Styria, for going topless (Kleine Zeitung).
• In town: the state law on decency applies, with the fines listed above.
• Sauna: in Austria people sweat naked (BILD/Travelbook).

The local mood

Austria has an FKK culture similar to Germany's, with naked saunas, signed areas and the naturist lakes of Carinthia. In an Expedia survey, 28% of Austrians said they had already been naked on a beach, the highest figure among 24 countries (Der Standard, 2016); it is a commercial survey, though, and we have not seen its method.

Outside the designated places nudity is hardly practicable: the law only punishes a "serious" offence against decency, but the maximum fines are high. As in Germany, some people notice more modesty among the young, but these are only personal accounts.

Naturist associations

• Österreichischer Naturistenverband (ÖNV): the national federation, based in Hörsching in Upper Austria, a member of INF-FNI, the international federation. The list of clubs is on its website.

We have not verified whether places require a naturist membership card: it is best to ask beforehand.

LGBTQ+ travellers

No legal risk: same-sex relations have been legal since 1971, same-sex couples have been able to adopt since 2016 and to marry since 2019 (RIS, ABGB § 44). Since 2016 there have been hate crime laws covering sexual orientation (ILGA).