The following are some of the ways to get in touch with each other:The trail follows every curve on the cliffside. On my right, flowering plants bloom as the Mediterranean Sea sways beside craggy rock. The French coast is lined by similar vegetation. sentiers des douaniers Originally, these paths were used by customs officers to patrol the sea. This trail is different because I’m only wearing my backpack.
Off the coast of the southern French resort town of Hyères, Île du Levant is home to the only naturist community of its kind, the Domaine Naturiste d’Héliopolis. This rustic Eden, which has been attracting free-spirited, nature-loving, authentic people for 93 year, is as naked and bare as Adam and Eve, before they ate that forbidden fruit. Every time I visit, people are more honest when they remove their clothing. Unlike traditional naturist retreats where nudity is de rigueur, Héliopolis is peppered with clothing-optional spots. The ideal place to experience the naturist life, Heliopolis is a great choice for those who want to try it out.
I first came to Île du Levant with my twin sister when I was 20. Although we had grown up with a family that tolerated nudity in the home, a clothing-free island was a new experience. We felt like we were breaking the law when we stripped off on the trail. When a pleasure vessel came near us, we felt just as exposed as those rocks below. But soon, the sun melted all our inhibitions. The feeling of being bare in nature was exhilarating. Each sense seemed to be amplified, as if we had been wearing clothing that stifled them.
The awkwardness of talking to strangers was gone as soon as we removed our clothes. When I returned to Héliopolis 26 years later, after moving to nearby Marseille, I was just as enchanted by its bare-it-all bonhomie, and felt worry-free as a solo female. Since then, I’ve returned each year.
It is important to note that the word “you” means “you”. Fédération Française de Naturisme Naturism is defined as “a way of living in harmony and balance with nature. It is characterized by communal nudity which fosters respect towards oneself, other people, and the environment.” The seeds were planted in late 19th‑century Germany as a social-health movement in response to dehumanising industrialisation. While certain aspects such as alfresco gymnastics and abstention from alcohol have disappeared, the crux of the philosophy – that gathering au naturel in sun-kissed nature does the body and mind good – is still its raison d’etre.
One of the more unusual side‑effects of the back-to-nature trend that took hold during the Covid pandemic has been a surge in popularity of naturism in the UKIpsos’s 2022 poll showed that one in seven Britons 675 000 people, up from 3 million in 2011, had taken part.
The interest of young adults is also increasing. The naturism movement is not only a sign of body-positiveness, but also of environmental awareness. It’s also a way to escape the constant noise of the media, consumerism, and other issues that affect our generation. Naomi Gergaud (30), a fourth-generation Levantine whose grandparents always said: “We were never born in knickers.”
Many Britons prefer the warm climate of southern France to the UK’s cold climate. The country is one of the leading nations in the world. naturist destination, 2.6 million guests a year to naturist beaches, clubs or campsites. Or on an island, as in Héliopolis’s case – though not an entire one, as 90% of Île du Levant is occupied by the French military. The isle has been inhabited by everyone from Barbary Pirates to Benedictine Monks over the centuries.
The French natural medicine doctors Gaston and André Durville put down roots on Île du Levant in 1932, fresh from founding a naturist camp called Physiopolis on Platais island in the Seine. The brothers named their Mediterranean settlement Héliopolis, after the ancient Greeks’ belief in the therapeutic properties of the sun (helios). Almost a century later, Héliopolis is a trip back to those simpler times, despite being just five nautical miles from the shore.
I board a passenger boat – fittingly called Amour des Îles (love of the islands) – in Hyères. As waves splash me in a salt-water mist, the 90-minute journey across the Mediterranean sets the scene for a great escape, especially when the captain takes a detour to an out-of-this-world rock formation, Cap des Mèdes, because “the light is too beautiful”. There is no rush since Île du Levant moves at its own pace.
This is due to the fact that cars are not allowed on the island. Only a taxi can transport people from the harbour to their accommodation. Héliopolis has a small footprint of just 65 hectares (160 acres) and about 90 year-round residents. Walking is good for your health, especially on a steep slope. Locals tell me that it takes your legs three days to adjust. Pack light, as you’ll be wearing a sarong most of the time. But don’t forget a torch – though electricity arrived in 1989, there aren’t any streetlights – which adds to the yesteryear charm.
After dropping my bag at Soléa Lodges, a trio of lovely studios overlooking the sea, I head off on an amble along eucalyptus-scented roads that weave past phone-booth libraries and dreamily named homes like La Recluserie (secluded hideaway). It’s easy to navigate by using the wooden signs that have French phrases such as “Être nu rendre heureux” (being naked makes you happy). It is certainly the case when I am greeted by a leathery lady in a lavender bumbag with matching flip-flops.The following are some of the most common ways to pronounce “English”“. Saying hello is one of the isle’s rules – reminders are posted on graphic signs about town. The island’s rules also include saving water, as it is a precious commodity, and sitting on a sarong at restaurants.
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All roads lead to the Place Durville that tops Héliopolis. The cafe/restaurant La Pomme d’Adam Since 1932, the resort has been a social hub. “I never left this resort, I came here to holiday and I never left,” said my waiter. Visitors to the Nude Theme Holiday Shop can pick up nude themed collectibles. L’Érotique Traversée des Siècles Picnics are not complete without a quiche. Boulangerie Pâtisserie la Grigne. Nudity in full is not allowed in shops. (Levantines dress like thongs. Minimums This is a way to get around the rule. This is because Hyères’s town council has a presence in Héliopolis, helming the itty-bitty town hall, post office and police station. Everything else is managed by the local union, which is made up of full-time residents. Hence, the quirk of Héliopolis being a “private domain that is open to the public”.
Nudism keeps tourism at bay compared with the busier Îles d’Or (Golden Isles) such as Île de Porquerolles, which attracts four times as many visitors as Île du Levant in high season. I’ve only been to the island in the spring and the autumn. These are the best seasons to enjoy the quiet with the locals.
A third of Héliopolis is covered by the Domaine des Arbousiers, a nature reserve that sprawls between a dense maquis and the wind-battered coastline. The strawberry-tree-lined Sentier du Point du Jour leads to the highest point, where I’m rewarded with a panorama of the surprisingly pretty military base (early birds should come for sunrise). As you return to the Mediterranean Sea, the steep Sentier des Moines path winds through a fragrant forest of pine trees to the Sentier du Bord du Mare.
The best way to traverse this seaside trail is in your underwear. My skin is pleasantly warmed and the wind refreshes me. I feel free like the seagulls that glide the thermals above. Levantines believe that “naturism means freedom”. Each step is a confirmation of this axiom. Bain de Diane offers a chance to dip in the pool, with concrete platforms scattered among rocks and sunbathers. The naked bodies of these sunbathers are just as important as the lizards scurrying around them. This is reminiscent of Sophie Fontanel’s poem La Capitale de la Douceur.: “It is hard to believe we look alike when we are undressed.” “We’re all the exact same ideogram.”
Past the port, Plage des Grottes is Héliopolis’s only sandy beach. This turquoise cove was always a nude beach. “Locals used to use mirrors to reflect sunlight into the eyes Textiles [clothed people] to steer them away,” says septuagenarian Frédéric Capoulade, the island’s historian.
Nude beaches can be less social. As a naturist group, we don’t face the same obstacles,” says Fred Godeau who owns hip HéliOtel Julie, his partner (their restaurant offers a stunning panorama). Fred’s words echo that of the Durville brothers, who believed that clothing represents the social class an individual belongs to. With a simple smile, everyone is equal.
The ferry goes from Hyères (90 minutes, €29 return, tlv-tvm.com) and Lavandou (35-60 minutes, €34 return, ot-lelavandou.fr). Accommodation at Soléa Lodges (Open all year round iledulevant.com.fr) Starts at at €80 a night for a studio sleeping three. HéliOtel (open May-September, heliotel.net) has doubles from €150 B&B
