They are keener on being in the buff than Brits, and wearing a swimming costume in a sauna remains verboten.
But peeping toms beware: visiting a German sauna isn't a particularly erotic experience. True, Thermen, or bath-houses, are mixed, often with communal showers, saunas and steam rooms. But many who frequent them are over 60 and in some cases over 80 – a phenomenon that can only increase as Germany's wrinkled population gets even older.
If you go for a dip, check the timetable: if you see the phrase textil-frei, you can guess what's coming. The letters FKK also indicate a nudist policy – it stands for Freie Körper Kultur (Free Body Culture), a movement still going strong in Germany, especially in the more laid-back east.
Many beaches on the Baltic Sea coasts, as well as around the lakes, have an FKK section, and it is not illegal or uncommon to strip off in public parks. In summer, Berlin's Tiergarten, the park next to the Brandenburg Gate, is full of pink bodies. The capital's leafy Grunewald is also a favourite destination for naked cyclists.
There is certainly a brand of German eccentric who likes to do everything with nothing. This winter a woman in Bavaria announced plans to make her village the world's centre for nude cross-country skiing, and there was a naked sledge race in Braunlage in February. But there are far more Germans who find their nation's reputation for nudity embarrassing and who wish their compatriots would just put some clothes on.
