I recently spent three days at Miramar Weinheim (Friday–Sunday), including the Lange Saunanacht on Saturday. I have also visited Therme Erding twice, so that was my main point of comparison.

Arrival and changing facilities

On arrival, you are given a wristband. Unlike at Therme Erding, the wristbands aren't linked to a specific locker, so you choose a locker yourself and need to remember its number.

The sauna-area users share the same changing room as everyone else. You can't change directly in front of your locker because the passageways are quite narrow, although there are an adequate number of changing cubicles and a small communal changing area, which I assume is primarily intended for families.

When you enter the sauna area, there are lots of shelves immediately available for towels and swimming equipment. There are also some small lockers requiring a €2 coin deposit. It would be a nice improvement if these could eventually be upgraded to work with the main wristbands.

Sauna area and atmosphere

The first major difference I noticed between Therme Erding and Miramar was that Miramar felt considerably more FKK. At Therme Erding, people generally cover up when walking between the saunas and pools, whereas at Miramar it was completely normal to see people walking around or relaxing naked on loungers between the saunas and pools.

My impression was also that Miramar's sauna area has an older demographic. The loungers were predominantly occupied by older people and elderly visitors, and there seemed to be slightly more men than women. I saw relatively few younger couples, whereas younger couples seem to be a much more noticeable part of the clientele at Therme Erding.

There were nevertheless some younger visitors, as well as families with small children elsewhere around the complex.

The lake

My favourite attraction in the sauna area was undoubtedly the outdoor lake, with two sandy beaches on either side and two walkways with ladders into the water. You can also swim out to a platform in the centre and take in the view.

If you're looking for somewhere peaceful, I'd highly recommend the lake and beaches. When you're sitting there, it is surprisingly easy to forget that you're actually at a waterpark. This was the star attraction for me, and I had a lot of fun swimming from one beach to the other.

There are also two steam baths. One of them has foam coming from the ceiling during sessions at 1pm and 6pm. I found this particularly entertaining, and there was a good atmosphere with everyone having fun.

Lange Saunanacht

And now for the Lange Saunanacht on Saturday.

The event was scheduled to begin at 9pm, although at that time there were still plenty of people wearing swimwear in the main area and the main changing room was becoming busy. It wasn't until around 9:15pm that the FKK atmosphere really kicked in.

I went back to my locker, put away my swimming gear, and then walked around the complex naked. I've seen a few people asking about this online, so yes: the slides can be used naked, and most people I saw were doing so. I also saw a few people using them in swimwear, although I'm not certain what the official rule was.

I did see a member of staff tell some people who were wearing swimwear near the Blue Lagoon pool that the area was FKK.

The wave machine in the Wellenbad continued operating at intervals, so in many respects the operations of the facility were the same as normal.

One thing I noticed about the Lange Saunanacht was how dark the premises were. There isn't a huge amount of lighting, so although I was having a great time, I would have been interested to see what the demographic looked like more clearly.

Interestingly, the sauna area remained quite busy during the Saunanacht. I had expected it to empty out as everyone moved into the main baths, but that didn't really happen. By midnight the complex was quieter than at the beginning of the evening, although there were still a few people around.

I left at around 12:45am, fifteen minutes before closing. By then, most of the pools were empty.

Sunday

I returned on Sunday. There seemed to be slightly more younger people around during the evening, although the complex was quieter overall.

Possible improvements

• More English signage: Most of the signs were only in German. It would be helpful if English translations could be added underneath in smaller print, particularly given that Miramar attracts international visitors. The staff I spoke to were able to speak English, so this wasn't a major problem.
• Drinking water: I couldn't find any water-drinking stations. Adding some around the complex would be useful, particularly in the sauna area.
• Outdoor pool area: I'd personally like to see Miramar consider replacing the Solebecken outdoor pool and Kneipp-Tretbecken footbath with something along the lines of Therme Erding's Champagne Pool/swim-up pool bar. The existing space feels somewhat underused to me, and a larger pool with a social element could potentially provide more usable pool space while also attracting a broader mix of visitors.
• Hot and cold tubs: There is a hot-tub and cold-tub area, but both pools are fairly small. The surrounding loungers take up quite a bit of space, so I'd be interested in seeing some of that area converted into larger hot and cold pools. I still enjoyed this area, but the pools can become quite crowded immediately after a session finishes.
• Upstairs relaxation rooms: I was surprised by how much of the upstairs area consisted of rooms containing little more than loungers. There were around five rooms like this, and during my visit they didn't appear to be particularly well used. Perhaps they are much more popular during the winter, but I couldn't help wondering whether some of this space could eventually be used for additional attractions.

Miscellaneous observations

• Before visiting, I was curious about the apparent public walkway shown on maps running through the FKK area. It turns out that this is actually a private service road serving Miramar and the adjacent Strandbad Waidsee. It is gated at both ends of the FKK area, so there isn't actually a public walkway running through it.
• Miramar is also a good place to experience German FKK culture if you're curious about it but feel uncomfortable with the idea of being naked somewhere that is genuinely public. The entire area is within a secure leisure complex, so it feels considerably more private.
• There are no rubber mats in the steam baths. Instead, you hose down the area where you sit both before and after use.
• I even saw a turtle on the beach around the outdoor lake, which added to the feeling that the lake was a genuinely natural environment.

Getting there from Frankfurt

Before going, I struggled to work out the best way to get there from Frankfurt because the transport information I found online was a little confusing.

In the end, I simply went to Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof and took the train to Mannheim, followed by an Uber to my hotel in Weinheim.

For the return journey, I used the Frankfurt (Main) → Weinheim (Bergstr) Deutsche Bahn service, which was much more straightforward. I'd recommend checking that connection in advance if you're travelling from Frankfurt.

Verdict

Overall, I had a really great time at Miramar.

The outdoor lake and beaches were the highlight for me, and there is easily enough to do to fill two days, but I think a third day like I did was stretching it a bit. The Lange Saunanacht was also a particularly interesting experience and is worth considering if you want to experience the complex in a completely different atmosphere.

My main reservation would be that the demographic felt noticeably older and less mixed than at Therme Erding. Younger visitors may therefore feel a little more self-conscious, particularly if they're unfamiliar with FKK culture.

That said, I never felt uncomfortable, and the atmosphere was generally relaxed and friendly. I simply wouldn't expect to visit Miramar repeatedly on every trip to Germany, as there are plenty of other thermal baths and waterparks across Germany and Europe that I'd like to try next.

I'd also be interested to visit again in winter to see how the experience compares, although I suspect the outdoor lake will be considerably less appealing when the water is cold.

Overall: a very enjoyable destination, particularly if you like FKK culture and outdoor swimming, with the lake being the standout feature for me.