FAQ
Is nudity compulsory?
Around town as many people are wearing clothes as are not, although on the beach almost everyone is naked. Indeed you will raise eyebrows if you choose to wear a swimming costume on the beach, if not protests from fellow sunbathers that you should be in the nude. Women wearing something down below are assumed to be having their period, but this textile allowance is about the only exception.

The Fédération Française de Naturisme-affiliated campsite also officially requires nudism on its premises, although this rule is loosely enforced. The great thing about Cap d'Agde is that it lacks the naturist militancy found at many other resorts, which should suit first-timers and part-time nudists.

Is everyone naked everywhere and at all times?
On the beach almost everyone is naked; nudity also is prevalent at the campsite. This déshabillement is not the case in the other parts of the resort—the shops, restaurants, and other businesses—where people often opt to wear at least a wrap or a swimming costume—although you have the right to be naked at any time anywhere within the confines of the resort. In the evenings, almost everyone is wearing clothes, even if sometimes the outfits are so skimpy or revealing that they hardly merit being described as such.

What should I wear?
One of the great things about Cap d'Agde is that you can wear what you want when you want. The only place where a dress code is imposed is in the swingers clubs: men should avoid wearing shorts—unless they are of the tight-fitting and provocative variety—and women in trousers are sometimes refused entry, if not to the club itself, then to the playrooms within.

Are the people on the beach all top models?
Not at all. Although certain months (August, for example) tend to attract a younger and arguably a more attractive crowd, the overwhelming majority of people who visit Cap d'Agde are imperfect creatures—in other words, normal. Cellulite, stretch marks, wrinkles, sagging breasts, and potbellies are nothing to be ashamed of here, where finding safety in numbers is easy. You will see beautiful people on the beach—they are just outnumbered by average folks.

Can we bring our children?
No one will stop you from bringing your children to Cap d'Agde. One of the reasons the police are on the beach during high season is to protect the children—who are present in great numbers during these months—from impromptu peep shows. Parents should note, however, that despite whatever the brochures might say, the Cap is a bad imitation of a family-oriented nudist resort. Activities for children extend to the beach and pool, but most of them seem to be tacked onto the money-spinning adult entertainment package.

Is this resort town a place for the disabled?
In a placed renowned for its acceptance of all comers, handicapped people should not be deterred from visiting Cap d'Agde on the basis that they will be judged. Indeed, the disabled are well represented on the beach and around town at night. They will not attract undue attention. Wheelchair users, however, will find the resort woefully lacking in making life easier. This poor access reflects the situation in the rest of France and will be most noticeable for North Americans accustomed to relatively good wheelchair access at home.

Is the naturist quarter safe?
Judging by the number of police and private security companies patrolling the quartier naturiste these days, you can be forgiven for thinking that you have just arrived in the world's first naked ghetto. Although thefts (particularly on the beach), aggressive behaviour, the occasional fistfight, and other such disturbances do occur, the heightened security is really to clean up the Cap's permissive reputation. You should feel physically safe walking around the nudist resort by day or by night. Just don't wander too far from your beach bag to avoid theft.

Is it expensive?
Compared with other places along the Mediterranean coast of France such as Saint-Tropez and Cannes, Cap d'Agde is not all that expensive. Even so, prices are inflated for the tourists, and those expecting great value for their money will be disappointed. France's conversion to the euro in January 2002 has also made items more expensive. When converting prices from francs to euros businesses tended to round up the figures, sometimes by as much as 30%.

Who comes to Cap d'Agde?
When Cap d'Agde began, it was a naturist centre like all the others: perhaps not the most family-oriented place in France, but nevertheless a resort attracting huge numbers of naturists from all over Europe. Then around the early 1990s the swingers and alternative lifestylers began to arrive in force, changing the Cap's reputation forever.

Nowadays, if you believe all that is written in the press, you would think that the only people who come to Cap d'Agde are those looking for sex. Although the lifestylers are abundant and easily recognisable around town, about two-thirds of the people who visit the Cap are still only interested in the naturist side of things. Couples and single men are in the majority, with families and finally single women constituting the remainder of the clientele. This mix makes for an interesting, if not always a harmonious, group of people.

Are single men welcome?
Well-behaved, respectful, and discreet single guys are not unwelcome. Add to this personality a good sense of humour, a decent appearance, a smattering of French, and something interesting to say, and you will quickly find your place. No one wants a rude, obnoxious man who thinks he has a God-given right to ogle, fondle, and penetrate anything that moves. The same goes for rude, obnoxious men with big dicks.

Is this a place for single women?
The answer to this question depends on the type of woman you consider yourself to be. Nymphomaniacs will love the Cap. Girls in a rut back home who want to get laid will find the place therapeutic. Open-minded, curious women who enjoy naturism and are possibly open to more if the chemistry is there—and this type is the vast majority—will enjoy much of what the Cap has to offer, even though they will occasionally have to make allowances for the perversities of human nature. Nothing dangerous here—just slightly shocking at times. On the other hand, Cap d'Agde is not for girls as pure as the driven snow, for whom making love with the lights on is a subject for the confessional and one-night stands a deadly sin.

Whatever type of person you may be, however, you will always be in great demand, not only by single men, but also couples and other bisexual women. Using this selling power to your advantage is the trick to having an unforgettable holiday in Cap d'Agde. But if you just want to read your book on the beach, you will be happy, too.

Is there a lot of prostitution?
Somewhat surprisingly, no. Even with too many horny single men to go around, professional ladies aren't on hand to deal with the overflow. Prostitution is strictly forbidden in the swingers clubs, and rarely will you see evidence of it elsewhere in the resort.

Is it gay-friendly?
Yes and no. On the one hand, a section of the beach is unofficially reserved for homosexuals, be they male or female. Gay singles and couples inhabit many of the resort's apartments and have a significant presence at the campsite.

On the other hand, the number of facilities specifically oriented to the gay market is dwindling year on year. Apart from a bar, a club, and a couple of restaurants, few places exist where gays can go to meet like-minded people. The pickings are particularly thin for lesbians. Having said this, the Cap is an amazingly tolerant place, and people rarely feel uncomfortable on account of their sexual preferences—unless those desires are illegal.

Is sex compulsory?
Little is compulsory in Cap d'Agde. If you choose to spend your days sunbathing on the swingers beach, expect absolutely no obligation to participate in the sexual activity taking place at any given moment. Likewise, you are perfectly entitled to visit a swingers club without doing anything sexual. The chances are that you will have been invited to a private party because you have expressed an interest in playing, but even here there is no obligation. Make clear from the outset that you only want to go so far so no confusion exists.
This communication is no different from conventional dating. And though the French style of seduction can often seem quite pushy, a polite but firm 'no' or the removal of a hand from a thigh is invariably respected.