Euronat

Founded in 1975 on the Médoc peninsula, Euronat describes itself as the largest naturist village in Europe. The estate spans 335 hectares of pine forest by the ocean in Grayan-et-l’Hôpital, in the Gironde department, between Soulac-sur-Mer and Montalivet, and reaches the Atlantic through three direct access points to a 1.5 km stretch of naturist sandy beach.

A 2.5 km main avenue runs through the estate from the entrance to the beach, linking several accommodation areas spread across the Village, Plage and Camping sides. Each rental unit sits on a large, shaded plot among the pines, which preserves privacy even in high season. The campsite is classified 4 stars.

The naturism practised here is family-friendly and spans generations: families, spa guests and regulars mix in a setting where nudity is experienced at everyone’s own pace, under a charter that rules out any ambiguous behaviour. Solo visitors must present a valid naturist licence or proof of a stay at a French naturist centre. Thanks to its size and clear code of conduct, the site is often recommended for a first naturist experience.

The centre is open from 1 April to 31 October. Reception staff speak French, English and German.

Euronat works like a small town: everything you need is on site, in a village centre with more than 20 shops and services, a few minutes’ walk or cycle away. These include a bakery, two supermarkets (Vival and Proxi), an organic grocer, a butcher, a fishmonger, a wine merchant, a delicatessen, a juice bar, a tobacconist-newsagent, beach and gift shops, a hairdresser, a dry cleaner’s and a gym.

For meals, several venues share the village square: L’Orée des Pins (a family restaurant since 1980, serving pizzas and regional specialities), Café Nature (bar, pizzeria and shellfish), La Boîte à Sardines (seafood), Bixente (tapas and crêpes) and La Cabane à Patou, on the main beach. Most also offer takeaway food.

The estate is home to a 1,500 m² naturist thalassotherapy centre, also open to guests not staying on site: a seawater pool heated to 31°C, two saunas, a hammam, a jacuzzi, two sun terraces, massages and beauty treatments by appointment. Nature Bike rents and repairs bicycles, tandems and trailers, and a post office counter operates in July and August.

The water area, renovated in 2022, is supervised by qualified lifeguards. The heated indoor pool comprises a 25 x 15 m swimming pool and a 5 x 15 m children’s pool, along with a sun terrace and changing rooms with lockers. Outdoors, a heated 20 x 12 m pool is open from mid-June to mid-September.

Two water slides, a redesigned paddling pool for the youngest children and a lagoon with massage jets, relaxation benches and a lazy river complete the offer. Aqua aerobics and swimming lessons for children aged 3 and up are held during the season. In July and August the pools are open continuously from 8.30am to 7.30pm; out of season, from 10am to 1pm and 3pm to 6.30pm (closed Tuesdays).

The naturist beach is supervised during the season: the main beach from mid-June to mid-September, the south beach in July and August. Dogs are allowed on the unsupervised north beach. Nudity is compulsory on all beaches on the estate.

In high season, Euronat offers around 60 activities covering sport, culture, music and crafts. Sports facilities include tennis and padel courts (lessons, courses and tournaments from mid-June to mid-September), volleyball, beach volleyball and basketball courts, a football pitch, a skatepark, a multi-purpose hall for badminton and table tennis, a mini-golf course open in the evenings in July and August, and a pétanque area.

The programme also includes yoga, archery, jogging in the forest, a surf school on the main beach and beach horse rides (some activities are chargeable). Creative workshops range from pottery to T-shirt painting, choir singing and ukulele. Summer is marked by concerts at the open-air theatre, jazz evenings, night markets and car-boot sales. The full programme is available on the Cool’n Camp app.

For children, there are four free kids’ clubs, open every day except Saturday in July and August: Pitchouns (ages 3-5), Loupiots (ages 6-9), Loustics (ages 10-13) and Ados (ages 14-17). A large playground rounds out the offer. Outside the estate, a cycle path leads to Montalivet (4 km), and the Médoc invites visitors to explore the wine route, the Cordouan lighthouse and the markets of Soulac.