- Written by Victoria Philpott
There’s no doubt you’ll come across some weird toilets when you’re travelling the world. It’s always fun when you find a bar, restaurant, train, festival, house, desert or other, with a unique and interesting toilet in – sometimes you just can’t help but take a photo to mark the moment.
I’ve scoured the world for the best pictures of the weirdest toilets out there. Although, what’s weird to me sat here in my London office with a sit down western-style flushing toilet down the corridor, might be the most normal toilet in the world to you out there squatting over your long drop. Either way, here are some cool toilets from around the world…
1. A toilet in Laos. Remember to carry your own toilet paper with you. Thanks Two Roses.
2. First exhibited outside the Tate Britain Museum in London in 2003, this see-thru loo is an art piece known as “Don’t Miss a Sec”, by conceptual artist Monica Bonvicini. She wanted to see if anyone would use it as you can clearly see out, but no one can see in. Thanks silverfox09.
3. A toilet in a Ukranian orphanage. “Many children share these two toilets which are simply holes above a cesspit; that’s not unusual at rural Ukrainian orphanages. They are outdoors in a brick hut so it would be very cold and dark in winter,” says marktristan.
4. This is a Urine Diversion Toilet in Malawi. There are now many projects to try and get these into every village. Thanks Sustainable Sanitation.
5. Lovely and spacious in here! This toilet is on the new double-deck commuter train DOSTO from Stadler – much nicer than any train toilet I’ve ever been in. Thanks Kecko.
6. A chance to hone your target practice skills in Reykjavik, Iceland. Anyone know who the lucky guys are? Thanks, Neate photos.
7. Not sure if this graffiti in Zurich has been purposely scrawled on to look cool, or whether it is actually cool. Either way, makes for a more exciting trip to the urinals for the boys. Thanks paalia.
8. It’s a balancing act in Japan. Sometimes there’s a bar to hold on to, other times you just have to squat over it and hope the strength in your thighs will pull you through. Otherwise, when they’re placed on a shelf like here you can also use it to sit on. Thanks顔なし
9. Now isn’t this a beautiful toilet-going experience? These stalls are at China House in TianJing, where the whole house is covered in mosaic tiles in the same style as Casa Gaudi in Barcelona. Thanks IvanWalsh.com.
10. Woah there. Check out all these buttons! One of the HostelBookers crew was in Seoul, Korea, a few weeks ago and told me that she pressed the wrong button and got a right fright, in a place you don’t want a fright. She had to jump off the toilet and press the seat down to stop the jet of water. Thanks sellyourseoul.
11. Errrm, peeing into a mouth – slightly odd, but we needn’t go into whether it’s right or not. It’s just a good bit of nice, clean fun in the B52 club in Bucharest. Thanks ckaroli.
12. Ooo, fancy urinals in Austria. Thanks Daveybot.
13. Ok, so it’s a piece of art, but ‘Water Closet Palace Hotel’ is still a pretty cool toilet from around the world. Venice, to be precise. Thanks Son of Groucho.
14. A one-style-fits-all toilet. This design in New Delhi enables you to sit and pass your business, or you can get your feet up and crouch, it’s up to you. Thanks wonker.
15. Wow, looks like the smallest toilet in the world! Or is he just an exceptionally tall man? Do you know Sam Blackman?
16. I’m not sure why this toilet says ‘No’ all over it. I’m guessing you’re not allowed to stand on the seat in Baja, Mexico. Thanks indigoprime.
17. Ah, festival toilets, my favourite. Even in good weather conditions they’re a risk, but these toilets at Glastonbury 2005 were all over the place. Would you dare to tinkle in one of these? Didn’t think so. Thanks fussyonion.
18. Wow, these toilets in Qatar look swish. Being surrounded by lavender I’m sure they don’t smell too bad either. Thanks SCA Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget.
19. These sail-thru toilets in Halong Bay, Vietnam, are perfect for those on the water. No need to park up the boat and leave it to find somewhere on land, you can just shimmy out of your boat here and pop in. Thanks zabaraorg.
20. You’ll be lucky to come across this toilet in the Sahara, it’s a bit, well, barren, out there. But there’s no need to do your business and cover it in sand, enjoy a bit of privacy in here instead. Thanks El Taberno.
21. You’ll find this sweet little stall at the Loetschenpass Hutte in Switzerland – it’s a welcome site for all the passing hikers and trekkers. Thanks Jonty Sewell.
22. Wow, these toilets in China look kind of mystical – like they’re from Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. I’d have no qualms about using these, in fact I’d be quite excited. Thanks hellomatt.
23. This ‘pissoir’ in Kreuzberg, Berlin, looks like a lovely place to retreat to if you’re caught short wandering the streets, almost elegant in fact. Thanks sludgeulper.
24. Hundertwasser, the guy who created these toilets in Kawakawa, New Zealand, says that the toilet is a place of meditation and the decor and lines in there should reflect that. His vision has led to these wicked public toilets – they’re pretty cool from the outside too. Thanks Πichael C.
25. Now, these are some beautiful urinals to finish with. Unfortunately, I don’t know where in the world they are, but somewhere out there are three tubas lined up waiting for you to pee in them. Do let me know if you ever find them. Thanks A.Schauervilla.
Thanks TheoGeo and everyone else for the excellent images from Flickr. Please note all images were used under the Creative Commons License at the time of posting.
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December 13th, 2011 at 5:51 pm
The toilet in Baja, that says “NO” all over it, says (to the effect of) Don’t put toilet paper in the toilet, put it in the bucket. When they empty it, their sewer systems can’t handle toilet paper.
December 13th, 2011 at 9:37 pm
No 21 Loetschenpass is in Switzerland not Germany.
December 14th, 2011 at 9:32 am
Thanks Andrew! That would make sense!
December 14th, 2011 at 9:33 am
Thank you Lalia, I should’ve known that. I’ve changed the text now. Cheers!
December 21st, 2011 at 4:47 pm
Great post. I’ve been to worse holes in the ground than shown here in SE Asia, but missed the floating toilets in Halong Bay. I flooded a mega loo in Seoul – press the wrong button and not only do you get a fright but you can flood the bathroom! We also have (better) lips loos in Brighton, UK.
January 23rd, 2012 at 12:13 pm
hahaha I think the glastenbury toilets were my fav
January 28th, 2012 at 6:54 am
hahah brilliant post!!
February 6th, 2012 at 6:16 pm
The pictures on the toilets in Reykjavík are of bankers and other finance moguls that ’caused’ the financial breakdown here in Iceland, this is our way to say thanks to them
February 7th, 2012 at 9:17 am
Hello Steinunn, thanks very much for letting us know. I did wonder…
February 7th, 2012 at 1:16 pm
How about adding these toilets to the list??? http://www.urinal.net/ghillie_dhu/
March 2nd, 2012 at 1:22 am
Great list!
One correction: In number 20, it should say “barren”, not “baron”.
March 2nd, 2012 at 5:33 pm
Thanks Brad, we’ve fixed that now.
April 3rd, 2012 at 5:20 am
The Japanese squat type toilets are not meant to be sat on even if they are on a shelf! You should face the wall with the toilet paper holder when using them, not the door.