Naturism in Switzerland: laws and customs

At a glance

What the law says

The federal Criminal Code only punishes exhibitionism (art. 194): a fine, and only if someone files a complaint; in serious cases a monetary penalty (Fedlex, art. 194). Someone who undresses in public without sexual motives cannot be punished under this law (University of Bern).

But cantons can punish nudity. The Federal Supreme Court ruled so in 2011, in the case of a man who had walked naked for 20 minutes near Herisau, in Appenzell Ausserrhoden, passing a family with small children. For the Court, the canton can punish naked hiking as a serious offence against morals and decency, even if nobody felt offended (Federal Supreme Court, BGE 138 IV 13). Since 2009 Appenzell Innerrhoden has fined being naked in public with 200 francs; in 2019, however, the police said they had not received any complaints for years (SRF).

Canton by canton

The naturist places are in the cantons of Aargau, Bern, Geneva, Vaud and Zurich. Here are the rules we found:

• Geneva: the cantonal criminal law fines anyone who shows their genitals in public or performs a sexual act in public. The cantonal government can authorise naturist bathing in signed places, but we found no regulation that does so (SIL Genève, LPG). In the lake, the Rhône and the rivers, swimwear is compulsory (SIL Genève, bathing regulation). For the city's libraries, nudity in itself is not banned, exhibitionism is; in 2015 the police said that they ask people walking around very scantily dressed for "discretion" (Ville de Genève).
• Vaud, Lausanne: the police regulation bans acts and clothing "contrary to decency", and anyone bathing in a public place, going to the beach or camping must wear "decent swimwear" (Ville de Lausanne, RGP). We have not read the canton's criminal law.
• Zurich: for the city, being naked in public "is not banned in principle". At the tip of the Werdinsel people have bathed naked for more than 50 years, and since 2015 signs have shown where to expect naked bathers (Stadt Zürich). It is the city's only official FKK zone (Tsüri).
• Bern and Aargau: we found no cantonal rules on nudity. In Bern a man was convicted for cycling naked, but the source does not say under which rule (blue News).

Where you can be naked

• Naked bathing spots: besides the Werdinsel, blue News mentions the Choller on Lake Zug and the river Sense, in the canton of Bern. Some swimming pools have FKK zones; in Bern, for example, the "Paradiesli" is a women-only FKK zone in a municipal pool (watson).
• Naturist stays: you can find them in the list of naturist places in Switzerland.
• Balcony and garden: allowed, with discretion if you are clearly visible (blue News).

Tolerated beaches and bans

In the cities nudity is tolerated in traditional spots: Zurich signposts its FKK zone instead of banning it, and according to the Schaffhausen government, nudists, artists and naked protesters as a rule cannot be punished. In nature, naked bathing in a lake is possible if you are alone, while naked hiking is at your own risk and can be fined, as the 2011 ruling showed (blue News).

Even where nudity is official there is friction. On the Werdinsel, in 2025, an anonymous petition by "residents" called for the FKK zone to be abolished because of sex scenes and harassment; the neighbourhood and the city police did not support it (Tsüri).

Topless, towns and saunas

• Topless: in public swimming pools nudity is usually banned by the rules, and topless is tolerated only in exceptional cases (blue News). In 2022 the Lausanne court acquitted six women who had protested bare-breasted: the 360-franc fines for "clothing contrary to decency" were cancelled (Le Temps).
• In town: it depends on the canton and the municipality; see Geneva, Lausanne and Zurich above.

The local mood

In Swiss cities the climate is liberal, close to Germany's, and in traditional spots nudity is tolerated and signposted. But the rules change from canton to canton: cantons and municipalities can punish it, and some rural, conservative cantons, such as Appenzell, have done so. Outside well-known spots you need to be careful, especially when hiking naked.

We have not found any national surveys on nudity.

Naturist associations

• Union Naturiste Suisse / Schweizer Naturisten Union / Unione Naturista Svizzera: the national federation, a member of INF-FNI, the international federation.

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 1942, and since 2022 same-sex couples have been able to adopt jointly (ILGA).