The Popular European Tourist City With Several Designated Zones To Get Naked Legally

For some, going nude is not just a mindset for vacation. While travelers may not bat an eye at strangers in the buff at one of many nude beach resorts, they may be surprised to find areas within a popular European city where nakedness is normalized. Back in 2014, Munich, Germany designated six areas of the city as official nude zones. This came to pass after laws prohibiting nude sunbathing expired in Bavaria.

This doesn't mean all of Munich is an au naturale free for all — public nudity is not allowed outside of the designated areas. These zones are new but not revelatory. Nude beaches have been a normal part of German culture since 1920. And, while going out in other parts of the city naked is not officially permitted, there aren't any German laws that list public nudity as a criminal offense. That could be because the country is fairly open to the notion of naturism. 

Those familiar with German culture may recognize the term "Freikörperkultur" or FKK. This word loosely translates to "free body culture" and equates to nudism in Germany. There are around 8 to 12 million nudists in the country of 84 million people, so it makes sense that urban naked zones would exist in one of Germany's largest cities. If you spot a sign that says FKK on it, you've stumbled upon a nude-friendly area. You're most likely to see these signs in areas like parks, beaches, or saunas. 

Munich's Englischer Garten or English Garden is one of the largest urban parks in the world. Per the city website, it's even bigger than Central Park in New York City. While in the city's iconic park you can visit the Japanese Tea House, watch local surfers hitting waves, or even take a pedal boat out onto Kleinhesseloher See Lake. Depending on where you are in the park, you can also hang out in the nude — so long as you follow the basic etiquette of nude resort do's and don'ts. 

As one of the city's designated naked spots, an area known as Schönfeldweise or Schönfeld Meadow is zoned for nude sunbathing. This section can be found between the Grecian looking temple and the Japanese Tea House. A sign about nude bathing near the entrance of the meadow has a message that translates to, "see this freedom as another expression of a liberal and tolerant society!"

According to Bloomberg, two other sections of the English Garden are also designated nude areas. One is near Schwabinger Bucht (Schwabing Bay) and the other is near Mittlere-Isar (Middle Isar). Both are located on the other end of the park from the meadow.

Unsurprisingly, most of the nude zones in Munich are near water. With that in mind, you'll want to be sure you don't make any of these common mistakes at these or other nude beaches around Europe. The other three zones are found near Feldmochinger See, Brudermühlbrücke, and Flaucher.

Feldmochinger See, for instance, is the largest swimming lake in Munich though only a portion of the beach is nude-friendly. You'll find the nudist area near the southwestern shore of the lake. The sand beach is a big draw for this particular site.

Both the Brudermühlbrücke and Flaucher zones are along the Isar river. The Flaucher area comprises a gravel bank east of the Flauchersteg or Flaucher Stretch of the river. Meanwhile the Brudermühlbrücke or Brudermühl Bridge portion is on the east bank of the stretch of the river between the Brudermühl and Braunau railway bridges. Depending on the area of the Isar, you can swim.