How we verify a place's status

Every place on NudistMap carries a status label, the source that status comes from and a verified flag. This page explains what each of those means, because "is this beach really nude?" is the question the whole site exists to answer.

Where the status comes from

Statuses start from open data. OpenStreetMap mappers tag beaches and sites with a nudism value (designated, customary, permissive, obligatory, yes); Wikidata and Wikipedia list naturist places without that detail. The build maps those onto our labels:

• Official clothing-optional area: the owner or authority has formally set the area aside (OSM nudism=designated).
• Naturist only: nudity expected: a private or designated place where nudity is expected (OSM nudism=obligatory).
• Clothing optional: nudity is allowed (OSM nudism=yes).
• Nudity tolerated: nudity is tolerated without formal permission (OSM nudism=permissive).
• Customarily clothing optional: nudity is common and accepted by custom (OSM nudism=customary).
• Known naturist place: documented as a naturist place in encyclopedias, without a status tag.
• Nudity prohibited: nudity is common and accepted by custom (OSM nudism=customary).
• Closed: nudity is common and accepted by custom (OSM nudism=customary).

Each place page names the source in its Sources section. Places we only know from other directories are never published; see the data sources page for the full list and licences.

What "verified" means

A place is marked verified only when a person at NudistMap has checked its status against at least one of these within the last 24 months, and recorded the date and the source:

• An official document: a council or county ordinance, a park regulation, a state park or national seashore page, a bathing bylaw, a signposting decision.
• The land manager's own website or a written answer from the manager.
• A national naturist federation's listing (INF-FNI members such as the FFN, DFK, NFN, British Naturism, AANR), which we treat as reliable for private sites and as supporting evidence for beaches.
• A site visit, with photos of the signs (never of people).

Forum posts, review sites and other map directories are not accepted as verification. Where sources disagree, we publish the more cautious status and say so on the page.

How often statuses are rechecked

Open data is re-merged with every build (last merge 31 October 2026). Verified places are rechecked at least every two years, and immediately when a reader reports a change or a place is in the news. Changes that affect what a page says are logged on the updates page with the date.

What verification does not mean

A verified status tells you what the rules were on the date shown. It does not guarantee enforcement either way, and a clothing-optional zone is often only part of a beach. Follow local signs, and check the law for the country or state before travelling.

Report a change

If a status is wrong or has changed, email us the page link and, if you have it, a link to the sign, notice or decision: show email address. Reports are reviewed by Reto Pascal Wyss, who maintains the site. We do not publish reporters' names.