Having fun at Tropical Islands!

If you want to escape the bleak Berlin winter, you should head for the beaches and rainforests inside an aircraft hangar close to Berlin. This place is called Tropical Islands, and we spent some time there and wrote why you should visit this weird and wonderful place an hour’s drive south of the German capital.

When you think about it, Tropical Islands seems to be something out of a Hollywood movie. Something similar to Truman Show where a dome surrounds a different world where everything is under control. This is what happens in this tropical paradise complete with steamy grottos, waterfalls that lead to pools and artificial beaches. Everything surrounded by a rainforest that, sometimes, seems to be from South East Asia and, other times, straight out of South America.

It was early in January 2017 when I took a train from Berlin Ostkreuz to Tropical Islands. The weather was typical of Berlin in the middle of winter, and I felt like going somewhere to swim and enjoy the warmer weather. I didn’t want to travel far away, so Tropical Islands were my place of choice.

The first thing I saw when I left the bus that drove me straight to the door was the immense dome where the park is located. This is the biggest self-supported hall in the world, and it looks even more prominent once you are inside it. It is so big that it could fit the Eiffel Tower on its side!

Inside the dome, the temperature is always around 26º and it made everything somehow familiar to my childhood growing up in the beaches of Bahia, in Brazil. But this place is different. Barefoot people are walking around wearing swimsuits, but you can see where the blue sky backdrop changes into gray tiles that go up into the hangar. This contrast is entertaining and comical at times, and this is one of the many reasons why I loved the day I spent there, exploring the pools and waterfalls of the largest waterpark around Berlin.

After I arrived at Tropical Islands, I went to change my clothes into something more comfortable and decided to explore the area. There are cute little beach huts that seemed to be straight out of a Beach Boys movie. There is lush vegetation all around you, and there are even birds there!

Inside Tropical Islands, I had this feeling of being a child again and going down the water slides and back up again. And be aware that this is where you can find the highest waterslide tower in Germany, with 27 meters high! There is even a hot air balloon that you can ride over the entire park. Of course, the balloon is not a proper balloon but, as you can see in the pictures here, the view is fantastic!

Between everything I saw inside Tropical Islands, my favorite part was the outdoor area, a place called Amazonia. This outdoor area features ample open space, filled with hot water in the winter, where you can enjoy a jet stream that takes you around the pools. I think I spent more than half of day just enjoying the hot water while everything around me was covered in snow. An experience that was quite surreal for me and that everybody should have.

For me, Tropical Islands is the best place to escape the dark and cold winter season in Berlin. But I believe the area must be equally interesting during summer but, since I have never been there during it, I cannot say anything about. Maybe one day I will get back there, and I will let you know here.

Some Essential Information about Tropical Islands

How to get there

You can drive to Tropical Islands all year round, but I think the easiest way to arrive there is by train. There are hourly trains between Berlin and Brand/Tropical Islands. It takes a little more than one hour, and there are buses from the train station that lead straight to the waterpark.

Tickets and everything else

Day tickets are from €42 for adults and €33 for kids. There are different tickets for the saunas and the spa complex.

Overnight stay at Tropical Islands

You can stay overnight at Tropical Islands and enjoy the pools during the entire day. Rooms start from €115, but there are lodges from €99 and tents for €69 per person. It includes breakfast.

Food, drinks and everything else

The prices of food, drinks, and beer inside are fair for a park like this. You can have a meal for two with beers for something around €30, and I loved the Thai food I had there. Drinks and cocktails are around €7, and you don’t need to carry cash inside the park since you will have a wristband that you will pay in the end.