Why Nude Beaches Disappear in the Summer

Has it ever happened to you that you hike for half an hour in the blistering heat, following GPS coordinates to what’s supposed to be a pristine nude beach, and when you round the final rocky outcrop, all you discover is a sea of bathing suits? If it hasn’t, LUCKY YOU!

Unfortunately, we’ve found ourselves in this situation quite a few times during the last month. For example, in northern Italy, we visited 7 beaches that were clearly marked as nude beaches on several websites, only to discover that just 5 of them were actually used as nude beaches. When we asked our Italian community about this, the answer was clear: “It’s tourist season”. The other two beaches were indeed still nude beaches, just not in July and August.

This wasn’t just an Italian phenomenon. As we continued our journey into Croatia, we encountered the same trend. While some nude beaches, particularly the official ones, remained active (and impressively busy), many others had become textile territories for the summer months.

Here’s the thing about nude beaches: They typically develop in places where few people venture. Away from city centres, away from the beaten tourist path, often accessible only through word-of-mouth recommendations or by hiking significant stretches of coastline. But modern technology, particularly Google Maps, has changed this dynamic completely. Those hidden gems that once required local knowledge or adventurous exploration are now just a search away.

This accessibility has its benefits, we certainly would never have found those seven Italian beaches without digital navigation. But it also means that during peak season, when even mainstream tourists want to escape overcrowded main beaches, they’re opening their maps and search for “nearby hidden spots.” Often, those spots happen to be our naked havens.

The appearance of some bathing suits on nude beaches isn’t necessarily problematic. Sometimes it introduces newcomers to naturism, and that’s wonderful. The challenge arises when they arrive in large numbers, as typically happens during high season. Not only are these visitors unlikely to try naturism themselves, but their presence can make existing naturists feel less comfortable.

We talked about the “Social Nude Ratio” in previous blog posts, but it’s a very important thing here too. Most nude beach regulars can accommodate a certain percentage of clothed visitors. In our experience, beaches maintain their nude-friendly character when roughly 70-80% of visitors are nude. When this ratio starts dropping significantly, the naked visitors often begin feeling self-conscious about their nudity.

As a result, they either leave entirely or migrate to the more challenging areas of the beach, like the rockier sections or spots with less clear water. This makes it increasingly difficult for us to provide accurate, up-to-date information about which beaches, or parts of the beaches, function as nude destinations.

Ibiza provides a perfect example. When we visited in May, we discovered numerous nude-friendly beaches across the island. If we returned today, in mid-August, we’d likely find little more than the official naturist beach Es Cavallet still actively serving the naked community.

Increased tourism naturally brings increased law enforcement presence, which is generally positive. Someone needs to maintain order when crowds grow large, and some visitors adopt a “rules don’t apply on vacation” mentality. Unfortunately, police attention rarely favours naturists.

Even in countries where beach nudity enjoys broad acceptance, like Spain or Croatia, it’s common for police to visit unofficial nude beaches during tourist season, requesting that everyone cover up or relocate. This enforcement is far less likely outside peak travel months. Sometimes it’s a directive from municipal authorities, but most often it stems from complaints.

Just recently, we experienced this firsthand at an unofficial nude beach in Croatia. The location had “FKK” graffiti scattered throughout, clearly indicating its popularity among naturists. When we pointed this out to the arriving officers, they explained that without official signage, nudity wasn’t permitted. The officers were professional but understanding, and we could sense that they weren’t particularly enthusiastic about their task. But someone had filed a complaint, leaving them no choice but to come down and give us a warning.

We had a pretty good idea who had contacted authorities. Earlier, some guy had approached us directly to express his disapproval of our nudity, which we politely but completely ignored. But identifying complainants isn’t always so straightforward. Was it a local resident opposed to the unofficial nude beach? Another tourist shocked by unexpected nudity? Or perhaps staff from a nearby restaurant?

We’ve never quite understood why some bars and restaurants located directly on nude beaches refuse naked customers. It’s not as if we’d be shocking anyone, they’re surrounded by nude beachgoers! Yet some proprietors maintain this policy, sometimes because they never wanted the nearby area to become a naturist destination in the first place.

We’ve also seen bars that welcome nude customers during shoulder seasons suddenly posting “no nudity” signs during summer months, hoping to capture some of the mass tourism market. Interestingly, we’ve never witnessed the reverse, businesses becoming more nude-friendly during peak season. So even nude-friendly establishments tend to decrease during summer months.

Years ago, we wrote a blog post titled “Nudists, Don’t Run Away“, addressing a similar experience at one of Greece’s few official nude beaches that became overwhelmed with clothed visitors during our summer visit. At the time, our idealistic mindset of two kids who wanted to leave the world more nude-friendly than we found it advised you to stay put. To stay naked. Because it’s your beach.

We still believe in this principle and continue practising it from time to time. But for us, visiting nude beaches is part of our work. For most other people, it’s precious vacation time. Nobody wants to spend their holiday feeling uncomfortable or engaging in debates with locals, tourists, or police officers.

So here are our tips to avoid all this hassle. The best advice is to pick a nude beach that’s linked to a naturist resort. During summer, these resorts actually gain guests, meaning their associated beaches see increased naturist activity. At Linguizzetta beach in Corsica, for instance, home to Bagheera and Riva Bella resorts, it’s literally impossible for clothed visitors to take over during peak season.

The next tip is to pick an official nude beach, one that has signage approved by the municipality. You’ll avoid legal complications, and if complaints arise, you have legitimate signage to reference. These beaches also tend to maintain better naturist ratios throughout the season.

Lastly, try to go in a group. We’ve noticed that most people feel significantly more comfortable on beaches with lower Social Nude Ratios when they’re part of a group. You’ll pay less attention to other beachgoers’ clothing choices, and potential complainants are typically more hesitant to confront an entire group rather than individuals.

And then there’s also the low season. Spring and autumn remain our preferred times for naked adventures because they offer access to so many more locations. Just the other day, we hiked an hour and a half to reach a remote cove, confident that no reasonable person would attempt that trek in summer heat. Upon arrival, we discovered two clothed families who had arrived by boat. A month earlier, they almost certainly wouldn’t have been there, and we would have enjoyed a perfect nude beach day. Instead, we ate our sandwiches and made the long hike back.

The irony isn’t lost on us. We’re complaining about people discovering the same beautiful, secluded spots that drew us there in the first place. But that’s the reality of sharing paradise in an increasingly connected world. The key is knowing when and where to look for it.