Naturism in France: laws and customs

At a glance

What the law says

In France, being naked where someone can see you is a criminal offence. Article 222-32 of the Criminal Code punishes "sexual exhibition imposed on the sight of others in a place accessible to public view" with up to 1 year in prison and €15,000 (Légifrance). If the victim is under 15, the penalty rises to 2 years and €30,000. It is a délit, tried by the criminal court.

The name is misleading: for the Court of Cassation, neither sexual behaviour nor any intent to offend is required. In 2021 it upheld a €600 fine for a man sitting naked on a riverbank in the Gard, visible from 53 metres away, who had not got dressed again when asked to (Cass. 2021). In 2022 it wrote that a woman's bare breasts alone can be enough (Cass. 2022). The European Court of Human Rights found the rule clear enough and rejected the appeals (ECHR, Masson v. France).

A conviction can have consequences beyond the penalty: registration on the sex offenders register (FIJAIS). For this offence the judge decides, but it becomes the rule if the victim is a minor (Code of Criminal Procedure, art. 706-53-2).

The law makes no exception for naturism. In dedicated places, however, people are not prosecuted: in its answers to Parliament in 2003–2004, the Ministry of Justice explained that there is nobody there who does not consent (2004 answer). Requests to change the law have gone nowhere.

At home, without being seen from outside, there is no offence, because there is no place "accessible to public view".

Where you can be naked

• Authorised beaches and areas: the mayor decides them by an order (arrêté), and they are usually marked by signs. There is no official national list: the French tourism website refers you to the naturist federation (France.fr). Some examples:
  • in Ramatuelle (Var) naturism is allowed "UNIQUEMENT" on two stretches of the plage de Pampelonne and in the Bonporteau bay, at L'Escalet, and banned elsewhere (Comune di Ramatuelle);
  • in Paris, in the Bois de Vincennes, there is a naturist area: in 2026 it was open from 29 March to 25 October, with a charter of good conduct (paris.fr);
  • in Le Grand-Village-Plage, on the island of Oléron, since 2022 signs have marked out the strip for naturists, and the mayor says he has never had to fine anyone (Journal des Maires);
  • in Marseille the Crique des Pierres Tombées, in the Calanques park, has been authorised since 2022, but in 2026 it was listed as closed because of a rockfall on the path (Office de Tourisme de Marseille).
• The Cap d'Agde naturist village (Hérault): a neighbourhood with controlled access and a municipal regulation. Full nudity is "vivement conseillée" when the sun is out, except for teenagers; voyeurism and exhibitionism are not tolerated; you need a towel to sit down. Officers can ask for the federation card if in doubt, and make anyone who walks out naked onto the public road get dressed (Comune di Agde).
• Naturist stays: according to Le Figaro there are about 400 places in France where naturism is authorised (Le Figaro). You can find them in the list of naturist places in France.

Tolerated beaches and bans

The official tourism website distinguishes beaches recognised by the authorities from those that became nudist "à force d'être fréquentées" (France.fr). On the latter there is no legal basis and the risk of article 222-32 remains. According to some personal accounts, on the Atlantic coast and around the big lakes you often come across secluded naturists even outside the dedicated zones (Reddit).

In the cases we found, proceedings always started with someone's complaint. It can still be a harsh experience: in 2018 a man who was naked in a secluded corner of an unsigned beach in the Bassin d'Arcachon says he was handcuffed, photographed, had his DNA and fingerprints taken, and was held for two and a half hours at the gendarmerie before being released (Rue89 Bordeaux). Naked hikes in nature have also ended in convictions: €600 in the Gard, 3 months in prison for a repeat offender near Rennes, a fourth conviction in the Oise in 2025 (L'Indépendant).

The mayor can decide where naturism is allowed and ban it elsewhere. Breaking an order costs a €35 fixed fine, up to €150 (Criminal Code, art. R610-5). But the measures must be proportionate, and the courts have repeatedly struck down bans covering a municipality's entire coastline:

• in Hendaye (Basque Country) in 2024 the court struck down the 2021 and 2022 bans: naturism had long been tolerated at the plage des Deux-Jumeaux with no proven disturbance (TA Pau);
• in Dragey-Ronthon (Manche) a ban from August 2026 was withdrawn in September after a challenge by a naturist association (withdrawal of 22/09/2026);
• in Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone (Hérault) in 2026 the municipality first banned naturism on part of the plage du Prévost, used for decades, then, after two petitions, put up a sign: "Plage naturiste de l'accès 18 à l'accès 12", about 550 metres (Midi Libre).

It is not always so: in Trois-Bassins, on the island of Réunion, where there is no authorised area, the judges upheld a ban across the whole municipality (CAA Bordeaux).

Topless, towns and saunas

• Topless: for the Court of Cassation, even bare breasts alone can be sexual exhibition. On the beach, however, it is tolerated. In 2020, in Sainte-Marie-la-Mer, gendarmes asked two topless women to cover up after a family complained; the Interior Minister wrote that the reprimand was "sans fondement" and the gendarmerie spoke of a "maladresse" (Le Figaro). Today a minority does it: 19% of French women in 2021, compared with 34% in 2009. Younger women say they fear assault, stares and photos on social media (Ifop).
• In town: many seaside towns ban walking around bare-chested or in swimwear off the beach, women included, with a €35 fine. In Nice the ban applies in the centre and on the Promenade des Anglais; there are about ten fines a year, usually only for people who refuse to get dressed. Similar bans exist in Biarritz, Cannes, Menton, Cassis, Arcachon, La Grande-Motte and Sainte-Maxime, among others; Paris does not ban it (France 3).
• Sauna: as a rule you go in covered, in swimwear or with a towel (France.fr). Saunas without swimwear are the exception: in naturist centres, at dedicated times or in some "sans maillot" spas, for example in Paris (SNCF Connect).

The local mood

In France, the country with the most organised naturism, naturism is normal in authorised zones. In everyday life, though, the French sit in the middle in Europe, and women are much less at ease than men: 47% of men and 22% of women would be willing to be naked outdoors (YouGov, 2025). Half of the French fear that naturism could drift into excesses (Ipsos).

Outside authorised zones the law is strict on paper, but secluded nudity on isolated beaches seems widespread and usually nobody steps in: problems almost always start with a complaint. In recent years some mayors have tried to restrict it, often losing in court.

Naturist associations

• FFN, Fédération française de naturisme: the national federation recognised by INF-FNI, the international federation. The 2026 licence costs €26, plus €10 in fees if you buy it online (no fees if you get it from a club), and is free for minors. For your first one you need an ID document and proof of address.
• APNEL and Le mouvement naturiste are the associations that challenge mayors' bans in court.

In most centres the membership card is no longer compulsory: each centre decides (Ouest-France), and those that require it say so on their website. Single people are often asked for it. On photos, the FFN rule is clear: never photograph other people without asking (FFN).

LGBTQ+ travellers

No legal risk: same-sex relations have been legal since 1791, and marriage has existed since 2013 (ILGA).