Swimming Without the Gaze: The World’s Women-Only Beaches and Lidos
There is a particular kind of freedom that comes from arriving at the beach and realizing you don’t have to think about men—watching, looking, judging.
Women do that, too. But it’s usually women with men who give you the death stare when you arrive at the beach or pool. If you’re a single queer woman, a trans individual, a person of faith, or even a newish parent with a kid under 12, the sometimes challenging atmosphere and societal codes of mixed bathing spaces can be a real drag. And we’re not talking the fun kind.
Single-sex, female-identified spaces have value. You can take off your cover-up without wondering who is looking. You can swim without worrying about what you look like in a swimsuit. You can stretch out on your stomach, go topless, wear a full-coverage suit, take off the hijab, read a book, chat with strangers or simply stare at the sea. You can forget about any sagging, scars, or societal judgments of your torso, belly, and bum.
For women who have never experienced a genuinely women-only beach or pool, the difference can be surprisingly profound. These places exist for many reasons—religious observance, privacy, tradition, safety, or simply the desire for a joyful, safe female social space—but they share an appealing proposition: take a break from the binary and its perils for a while.
From a 19th-century bathing establishment in Italy to an ocean pool in Sydney loved by lesbians, secluded Mediterranean beaches in Turkey, and a futuristic women-only beach in Dubai, here are some of the world’s most interesting places where women can swim and sunbathe with freedom.
La Lanterna, Trieste, Italy
Known locally as El Pedocin, the pebbly city (municipal) beach on the Adriatic has been divided into male and female sections for more than a century. A high wall runs from the shore into the water, creating two entirely separate bathing worlds. Women do go topless here and can do so without being objectified or judged in a culture famous for that.
Women (and bambinos) enter through one side, men through the other. Once inside, the women’s section becomes a charming neighborhood enclave where women chat, swim, sunbathe, read, and meet friends. La Lanterna remains Europe’s last surviving gender-segregated beach, according to recent reports, and many of its female users continue to defend the arrangement. Entry in 2026 is €1.20 (about $1.40). Old-fashioned? Yes. A place for influencers? No. This is a segregated public space with a private function: Do what you came here to do. Grab a break. Relax. Embrace the sun and the sea, and be comfortable in your own skin and away from prying eyes. City of Trieste — La Lanterna
McIver’s Ladies Baths, Sydney, Australia
On the other side of the world, women have been swimming together at McIver’s Ladies Baths at Coogee in Eastern Sydney for hundreds of years. The naturally occurring site is said to have been used by women and children of the original inhabitants— the Bidjigal and Gadigal people. Female colonists also used the Baths from the 1830s onward.
The tidal ocean pool sits dramatically on the cliffs at the southern end of Coogee Beach, overlooking the Pacific. It is Australia’s only remaining ocean pool specifically reserved for women and children, staffed by volunteers, many older women, and it has been in continuous use since its establishment.
Last time I visited, it cost about $2 to get in; there was quite the mix: some dykes with tattoos, a young mum with her little kids, some septuagenarians slowly swimming laps, and a group of Muslim girls chatting and laughing. There is a clubhouse and sunroom, but the real attraction is the extraordinary combination of female community and wild ocean.
Imagine swimming laps in clear seawater, and perhaps seeing little fish and crabs washed in at high tide. Then climb up the steps and sit on the lawn or rocks to dry off and watch the sea crash below. Coogee Beach is itself very LGBTQ+ friendly, as its iconic rainbow-painted steps indicate, as Aussies of all kinds tend to be united by the fact of being Down Under in the great outdoors. And if you’re a bloke reading this and feel left out, two other ocean pools in Coogee are open to all genders.
In the 1990s, the women who ran the facility successfully argued for its continuation as a women-only space, and in 1995 it received an exemption under New South Wales’ Anti-Discrimination Act. Today the organization explicitly welcomes women of all backgrounds, including transgender women and girls. McIver’s Ladies Baths official site
Kenwood Ladies’ Pond, London, England
The Kenwood Ladies’ Pond is a natural swimming pond surrounded by trees and grassy banks. Unlike a conventional swimming pool, it has no tiled glamour or sandy stretches. It is deliberately rustic, and that is part of its appeal. Women swim year-round, including through London’s Autumn equinox and notoriously chilly winters. Afterward, swimmers sit on the grass, wrap themselves in towels and chat. In summer, the pond becomes an almost bucolic, pastoral female retreat in the middle of one of the world’s great cities.
And yes, the Kenwood Ladies’ Pond is officially trans-inclusive. Following extensive public debate, the City of London Corporation (CLC) formally voted in July 2026 to uphold its long-standing access policy, explicitly ensuring that transgender women can continue to swim at the Ladies’ Pond. There is also a Mixed Pond and a Men’s Pond on the Heath. City of London — Hampstead Heath swimming
Alanya and Fethiye, Turkey
At Adenya Resort Hotels & Spa near Alanya, the women’s complex includes a private beach, an outdoor freshwater pool, an indoor pool, and two seawater pools. The beach is physically secluded from outside view, and the resort says women staff the women’s areas. The resort also restricts boys and photography to protect privacy. For a woman who wants to spend an entire vacation swimming and sunbathing without men, rather than merely finding a two-hour women-only session, this is a completely different proposition from a municipal pool. Adenya Resort — Women’s Beach & Pools
Fethiye also has Zehra Kuleli Beach, on a rocky coastline surrounded by pine forest. The women’s section of the beach is walled off, like a beach club, within a protected cove with blue-green water. The women’s swimming area is deliberately designed so it can’t even be seen from outside.
Cafés, rest areas, and family facilities line the beach. The beach operates on a pre-loaded card system. Load money onto a card at the entrance to pay for halal food, drinks, and rentals, and get a refund of any remaining balance when you leave. Spectacular natural beauty, stunning sunsets, and a beach club vibe are all here, but remember that modesty and religious values underpin these segregated facilities. Leave your thong bikini at home—to say the least. Zehra Kuleli Beach — Ladies’ Beach
Marina and Alexandria, Egypt
Egypt has a long tradition of women-only beach culture, particularly along the country’s North Coast. One current example is La Femme, a women-only beach in Marina where women can swim and sunbathe away from men. The facility was established specifically as a women-only beach and includes services aimed at women visitors.
Women staying at resorts can also use dedicated female swimming facilities. At M Hotels Porto Marina, for example, the property currently lists an exclusive ladies-only pool alongside its private beaches and other swimming pools. M Hotels Porto Marina — Beaches & Pools
In Alexandria, Paradise Inn Beach Resort lists its outdoor pool as ladies-only from May through November.
Dubai: Women-Only Beaches and Clubs
In May 2026, Dubai Municipality announced a new public beach at Al Mamzar Corniche dedicated exclusively to women, designed with privacy fencing and facilities for night swimming. Rather than giving women a few designated hours or days on an otherwise mixed beach, the new facility is designed as a permanent women-only space. Dubai Municipality — Al Mamzar Corniche project
The main Al Mamzar Beach Park has days designated for women and children. Dubai also has established women-only facilities, such as Al Bateen Ladies Club, which combines a private women’s beach with a pool, spa, and wellness facilities. So does the Sharjah Ladies Club.
Tel Aviv, Israel
Israel offers another model: the gender-segregated beach day. At Nordau Beach in Tel Aviv, women and men use the beach on different days—women get Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, while men get alternate days. The arrangement is particularly important to Orthodox women, for whom mixed-gender bathing is incompatible with religious practice. But women seeking privacy can also use the women’s days.
Shirat Hayam Beach in Nahariya provides designated separate bathing days for women and men. Beyond being a fixture for modest bathing, the beach has some of the best surf in Israel.
Marrakech, Morocco
The La Secret Beach pool club in Marrakech is women-only. Its website describes the property as a 100 percent women-only environment: no male guests and no male staff. Women can book poolside or garden areas and spend the day swimming, sunbathing, and eating. There is even a children’s pool, and young boys are permitted up to age seven under the property’s rules. This is a private pool experience. But for women visiting Marrakech who want an afternoon beside the water without men, it may be considerably easier than trying to find a secluded beach in the city. La Secret Beach Marrakech
Java, Indonesia
Women-only swimming is also found in Indonesia, particularly in facilities designed for Muslim women. In Central Java, Tirta Salsabila operates as a women-only swimming pool, with a high perimeter fence and partially covered areas designed to prevent people outside from seeing into the pool.
And in Solo, Dinar Swimming Pool, a more modest and indoor venue, offers women-only swimming on most days, with Mondays and national holidays reserved for private family or group bookings. This is geared towards the local Muslim community rather than tourists looking for a swimming facility.
Why Do Women Need These Places?
At the McIver’s Ladies Baths, I chatted to a woman in her eighties who had recently lost her husband and didn’t feel like being around half-naked men. “I’m done with all that. I don’t want to even see it. I just want to be with the sea and my friends,” she said. That same day, which was a heatwave in Sydney, I noticed a young Islamic girl removing her hijab with an almost imperceptible sense of relief, unperturbed as a topless lesbian sat nearby.
Sometimes, you just need to be away from the other 50% of the population and with other women—including yourself. We live in a patriarchy, and being male-adjacent 24/7 can be exhausting, especially when you’re barely clothed. It’s especially challenging for women with gray hair or cellulite; or whose body hasn’t yet recovered from childbirth or surgery; or who feel conspicuous at 25 or invisible at 85. It’s nice to shed some clothes and not feel the pressure to be attractive, young, or thin. You can simply be a woman at one with the water.
Before You Pack Your Swimsuit
One thing to remember: “women-only” does not mean the same thing everywhere. Some facilities permit young boys. Some are intended primarily for Muslim women and have specific swimwear expectations. Some prohibit cameras and phones. The Western facilities I mentioned above welcome trans women. The Islamic facilities might not and may even be challenging for Western cisgender women. As with all public spaces, women need to be mindful of safety. Private hotels, rather than public beaches, are likely to be respectful of all guests as long as rules are followed. Women-only days can also change with the season. Check the current rules directly with the facility before you go.
But if you have ever dreamed of a beach day where you can swim, sunbathe, read, eat an ice cream, and zone out in freedom, there’s an aquatic world waiting for you in the fellowship of other women. Sometimes the ultimate luxury isn’t a private cabana and Instagram moments. It’s a space where no one’s watching.
