Any American traveler that’s taken a European tour can immediately identify our nation’s discomfort with nudity. Whether visiting a public bath, flipping through couture ads in a European magazine, or hanging out at the beach, nudity will be a large component.

Europeans seem to have no problem with getting naked. A visit to the south of France will reveal sunbathing grandmothers without tan lines, while in Norway, children play naked in public fountains.

Americans are quite taken aback with what they see during their everyday routines.

Even advertisements are often risqué in comparison to what we’re used to. In Belgium, billboards feature up close shots of women’s soapy breasts, while a Copenhagen student tourist center welcomes visitors with a bowl of free condoms on their desk.

Quite the shocker to the common American.

But if you as a traveler can put aside your natural American tendency towards prudishness, you can enjoy the many naked wonders Europe has to offer. Finland offers public saunas warmed by wood stoves with, you guessed it, naked locals soaking. Public baths were not just for cleaning up, but also for social events to take place, like celebrating a new birth or finding suitable potential daughters or sons in law.

Some of the most legendary of beaches lie in Croatia… they don’t have a dress code.

However, this comfort with nudity does not extend across the entirety of Europe. The Vatican features statues with fig leaves covering the naughty bits, representing the conservative views of the Church.

While you may not subscribe to the more loose European approach to nudity and the majesty of the human body, there’s no crime in appreciating it from a distance.