Fines handed out in Nice for men not wearing T-shirts on streets
We also look at rules for women going topless on beaches
In many parts of France, you must cover your body as soon as you leave the beach
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Police officers in Nice are reminding residents and tourists alike that they risk a fine if they walk around without a T-shirt or other top in the city.
Every summer since 1999, the city has put in place a decree prohibiting peoplefrom being ‘topless’ if walking in the city.
The rule does not apply to people on the beach, but comes into force when they leave the pebbled shore, beginning on the Promenade des Anglais and Quai des États-Unis (both running perpendicular to the beach).
Those who do not adhere to the temporary rule could be fined €35 on the spot.
Tourists unaware as number of fines increase
Whilst some French people are taken aback by the rule, it is mostly male foreign tourists who are stopped.
“Back in our country, you can walk around without a T-shirt with no problem,” two Norwegians who were stopped told FranceBleu.
“It's normal to be asked to wear a T-shirt when going to a restaurant or bar but in the street, when you're coming off the beach, it's daft,” one British tourist added.
The number of fines handed out in 2024 has already almost exceeded the total handed out the year before.
However, this may be due to the higher number of tourists in the city.
“Tourists are not more rebellious, [it is] simply because there are more of them this year, due the Tour de France, the Olympic Games and other events. It's statistical,” said Rabah Souchi, deputy director of the local police force.
In practice a reprimand by the police for going topless rarely results in a fine. Nice’s deputy mayor Anthony Borré predicts that only “around 5% of police stops” end in a fine.
“In 95% of cases, our officers inform the tourists, who put their T-shirts back on, and everything goes well,” he told FranceBleu.
It is only in cases where tourists talk back to officers or refuse to cooperate that fines are issued.
So far, at least 15 fines have already been issued – in previous years, around 10 to 20 are handed out per year – and the deputy mayor says this “may rise to 30 by the end of the summer.”
Read more: French watchdog publishes map of beaches where swimmers risk illness
Are rules the same across France for men and women?
Contrary to popular belief, there is no nationwide ban on men being topless in French streets.
Before 1994, a charge of “public indecency” included men and women going topless in public, but this was changed.
Now, only the charge of “sexual exhibition in full view of others” (l'exhibition sexuelle imposée à la vue d'autrui) is punishable, which does not cover – for men, at least – being topless in public.
Municipalities do however have the freedom to prohibit men going topless, and many seaside resorts choose to employ this during summer away from beaches.
The rules are similar for women.
In most cases, you can sunbathe topless on a beach but, the same as for men, you cannot be completely nude on a non-naturist beach.
Local authorities may choose to ban women bathing topless but, if so, this must be made clear via signs at the entrance to the beach.
If you still choose to bathe topless where it is prohibited, you can face a €38 fine.
In towns where there are bans on men going topless on streets, this automatically extends to women, but in areas where no such rules are in place, the legality can get murkier.
Technically, if there is no ban issued by decree, women can go topless.
However, due to the different views of men and women’s bodies, women going topless may be arrested for “sexual exhibition”.
A number of cases about this have been heard in local courts in France and they have concluded that it is okay for a woman to be topless in public, provided there is clearly no sexual nature attached to this.
However, France’s highest judicial body, the Cour de Cassation has criticised these rulings, saying that both the ‘material and moral’ elements must be taken into account.
You can find naturist beaches at the website of the Fédération française des naturistes (French federation of naturists).
Read more: Pebbles, shells, sand: hefty French fines possible for beach souvenirs
