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Germany’s Black Forest region is known and loved for its dense pine forests, raging waterfalls, and cuckoo clocks. While most of its attractions draw upon nature and tradition, visitors to a region where it often feels like time’s stood still cannot be faulted for wishing to shift gears from time to time. Since 2010, the Badeparadis Schwarzwald has been offering the chance to do exactly that, thanks to its winning combination of serious pampering for the grown-ups and fun attractions for kids of all ages.
This vast water park whose name translates to “Black Forest Swimming Paradise” is located just north of the recreational lake known as the Titisee. Although less known than Berlin’s Tropical Islands or the Therme Erding outside Munich, this extensive complex is no insider’s secret, consistently ranking close to the top position on lists of Germany’s best water parks.
For non-speakers of German, a first-time visit to a water park can be a disorienting experience. This park’s three distinct zones reduce to a minimum the chances of inadvertently stumbling into a gaggle of nudists with your young children in tow.
The zone of most appeal to families is the Galaxy Schwarzwald, where slides and water attractions tempt riders both timid and brave. The eight slides categorized as “family level” include a pink and curvy snake slide, along with parallel tube slides two children can ride simultaneously. The six “action level” slides feature raging rapids and blinking lights, along with the X-Tube, a 590-foot long tube slide for pairs and singles. For fearless riders above the age of 13, two “X-treme level” slides await, one offering a freefall experience, the other the world’s biggest steel halfpipe. A wave pool churns up artificial surf 25 times a day.
Visitors without children or with kids old enough to work their way through the Galaxy Schwarzwald independently can slip away to the Palm Oasis. The Blue Lagoon’s turquoise waters are kept at around 91 degrees, warm enough to sip fruity cocktails in the swim-up pool bar. Other ways to relax include soaking in waters laden with Dead Sea salts and other minerals, placing weary limbs under hydro-massage jets or indulging in a massage.
The Palais Vital is meant for lovers of the sauna experience. This zone, a strictly “textile free” area and off limits to those under 16, offers 12 themed saunas, including two for women only, along with six pools for floating, soaking and gently paddling in nothing more than the skin you were born in.
Knitting together the theme of a lush swimmer’s paradise are the complex’s palms. Over 300 living and breathing trees were transported from plantations in Malaysia and Florida, and were gradually acclimatized to the European climate and replanted in massive pots. A high-tech system to irrigate and monitor the temperature and humidity of each individual tree keeps the complex at its verdant best.
Badeparadis Schwarzwald is located at Am Badeparadies 1, 79822 Titisee-Neustadt. Use of the pool complex, at least for now, is by advance reservation only. Entry to each different zone is priced separately. Prices for day tickets for the Galaxy Schwarzwald start at 17 euros; ages three and under enter for free. Entry to the Palais Vital costs 20 euros and up. Entry is cheapest during the off-season and on weekdays.
