Nude Etiquette in Bavaria (Chiemgau
Hello,
I'll be travelling to Bavaria, my first European trip. I understand that
nudity is much more accepted in Germany than the USA. Besides FKK
designated places what is the etiquette? I understand massage and saunas
are nude and coed. A friend said they were uncomfortable because
Germans at the hotel would go from their rooms to the sauna naked
carrying their towels. In Japan hot springs it is etiquette to hold a
towel in front of yor genitals or women hold it hanging from breasts
covering pubic hair when not covered by the water. Can someone tell me? I
am getting the impression that Germans are rather free about nudity but
if that is only in certain places I want to know. Is the Black Forest
area of Chiemgau more conservative? Can I have trouble if I go for a
nude hike?
One 'trait' of the Germans is they can draw a line and know the difference between one side and the other. This is great for nudity as they totally 'get' the difference between nudity and sex.
I regularly go to a spa on the Baltic coast which is compulsory nude in the spa but you wear a costume in the pool, no problems with using the showers or walking around the co-ed changing area nude. I've even seen people changing on non-FKK beaches without bothering with a towel.
The South can be more conservative, one of the girls we went to the spa with was from the south and wasn't used to the nudity - although she did eventually loose the towel.
I would see what others do, always have a costume under your towel, if you notice others nude in the spa then just take it off and hang it on a peg, spas often have clothed pools attached. As for walking around nude, I would carry a towel (as in usual nude etiquette), I doubt you would be arrested, at worst you might be asked to cover up. There are plenty of examples of 'naked Germans' such as restaurants, shops etc. where the staff serve you nude.
Just remember the way they think, nudity is one thing, sex is something else - they are a lot more tollerent than the US (who isn't)
It is strongly depending where you are or what you do.
It is not permiited to be nude in the villages and th woods. But there are ore posiibiltys for nude hikking. For loacations see https://www.nacktwanderen.de
Germany is the origin of naturiism FKK and has a of psossibilitys to go nude on beaches in parks (Berlin, Munnich).
In the SPA there will own rules that ypou will have to follow but nudity can.
Ther is a good forum https://www.fkk-freun.de/viewforum.phpbut it is German.
Correction to previous link about nude hiking, it is: https://www.nacktwandern.de
Bavaria is not much different from the rest of Germany, biggest difference really being between East and West Germany, though both from US perspective very liberal about nudity. There are spas, saunas and most of the less frequented hiking trails that can be enjoyed nude. Here some possibilities in Bavaria for both indoor- and outdoor nudity:
https://www.nacktbaden.de/27--NoName.html
If you're near Munich, don't miss the Therme Erding: https://www.therme-erding.de/ which has a *seriously* big naked sauna + pool area. Ask anyone who's been there to confirm it's worth a trip!
Hiking-wise, you could check out some of my Chiemgau + Tirol reports here: https://www.naktiv.net/walks where you'll see that it's quite possible to go for many a naked hike with no problems whatsoever. Usual guidelines apply; choose quiet areas with less people, and you should be fine.
Cheers.
Rich.
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