Discover Europe’s Largest Thermal Spa and Water Park

Therme Erding is just ten miles away from the Munich Airport. It has the world’s largest sauna area and also features Europe’s largest slide world. Hotel Victory, a yacht themed hotel is located directly at the therme. It was built to resemble the HMS Victory, the legendary ship of British Admiral Lord Nelson.

Therme Erding is the largest thermal spa in Europe. It is a great destination for visitors who have flown hours to reach Germany. My husband and I stayed at this incredible complex after a 21-hour journey from Florida to Munich. It was a relaxing way to start our European holiday. We found it to be an excellent way to overcome jet lag and recommend it to others visiting Bavaria.

The 45 acre complex uses its natural hot springs rich in minerals for 35 themed saunas and steam baths. Additionally, it has 40 pools and water basins and 28 water slides. All these amenities offer both total relaxation and a fun adventure for the entire family.

Staying at Hotel Victory is ideal for anyone wishing to spend more than a few hours at Therme Erding. Entering the hotel for the first time, we felt as though we were in an imaginary tropical version of Venice. The ship HMS Victory appears to be anchored in the palm lagoon of the sparkling turquoise wave pool.

Click on any photo to enlarge and see a slide show.

The hotel offers overnight guests a chance to relax after a full day at the therme. Guests can choose to stay in a total of seven different room types. Many rooms resemble a modern ocean going yacht cabin. They have slightly curved walls that are clad in dark wood and feature white leather furniture.

Captain’s cabins are family favorites. Besides a large bed for the parents, the rooms feature beds that look like dinghies. The dinghy beds hang on the wall and children climb into them at night to sleep.

My husband and I chose to stay in one of the romantic Serenissima rooms. They are designed with an elegant Venetian flair. The decor includes velvet upholstered furniture and fabric and marble clad walls. The rooms have nice balconies that overlook the palm surrounded wave lagoon.

Each morning, we enjoyed a large buffet breakfast that was served in the casual Harbor restaurant. By far, the most popular tables in the restaurant were those that are built into boats which the children loved. In the afternoon the restaurant featured burgers and salads.

The Victory Hotel also has an a la carte restaurant called the Empire that serves a romantic candlelight evening meal. If you want a cocktail, the Kaleidoscope Bar is located in the lobby. More bars can be found by several of the pools in the therme.

As an overnight guest at Hotel Victory, the entrance to Therme Erding is usually included in your room rate. Guests access the spa directly through the lobby. You first enter the wave pool area and then move on to the other areas of the complex.

The Therme Erding complex is divided into different sections.

• Tropical Spa & Water Park: This family-friendly section is open to all ages. It features the popular wave pool. Unlike many wave pools, here you can float on waves that vary in height, reaching up to 6 feet.
• Galaxy Erding: This section holds Europe’s largest water slide world with 28 slides. After enjoying the exciting slides, you can head to one of its many rest areas to relax.

• Vitality Oasis: This section is a pool and sauna area for those aged 16 and over. It is divided into two parts with one section requiring swimsuits. This area is perfect for those wanting to take a sauna but don’t want to take off their swimwear. There are six saunas and two steam baths. There is also a steam bath gentle enough for children. Children can also enjoy the Flower Petal Pavilion and the Crystal Salt Room in the Tropical Spa area.

• Spa Area & Saunas: This section is referred to as textile free. You can experience the combination of holistic wellness and healthy sweating without swimwear. Here you can pamper yourself with the various health and beauty programs. These programs include complementary features like infusions with essential oils, salt peelings and singing bowl ceremonies.

Throughout Therme Erding, there are 20 different restaurants where you can get a light snack, lunch, or dinner. They offer Italian, Asian, or typical Bavarian cuisine. Our favorite was the Italian restaurant Veneziano, that served excellent pasta dishes and pizza as well as seasonal specialties. They also served gelato, which drew large crowds in the afternoon.

Cocktails were available at any of the pool bars. Many local Bavarian beers were also offered. Visitors could enjoy these while relaxing in the warm thermal waters. Throughout the hotel and the therme, we found that almost all employees speak great English. They are very friendly and helpful.

For those not wishing to stay at Hotel Victory, there are many price options for using Therme Erding. There are choices from a few hours or the entire day. For example, there is the 6 Hours Vitality Oasis* (textile, from 16 years). This choice is priced at 52 Euros. This includes the Galaxy water slide world and wave pool.

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Whether beginning or ending a trip in Munich, Therme Erding and Hotel Victory provides a wonderful experience for all ages. Once we entered the complex, we were in a tropical paradise until the moment we checked out.

The vitamin and mineral rich waters helped to relieve the stress of flying and regenerate our bodies. It was an enjoyable way for my husband and I to recover from our jet lag. When we left after our two day stay, we felt relaxed and ready to continue on with our holiday.