--- title: Inside the Biggest Water Park in the World description: Thirty miles south of Berlin, inside a former airship hangar which is frosted in snow in the winter, is an unexpected vacation destination. canonical: https://time.com/4727324/biggest-water-park-tropical-islands-resort/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-05-02T16:10:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:42:14.022Z og:title: Inside the Biggest Water Park in the World og:description: Inside the world’s biggest water park it’s warm and humid. Outside, temperatures are freezing og:url: https://time.com/4727324/biggest-water-park-tropical-islands-resort/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb4c7b68c071a6cab/6988c18e0b72e3b06b6ed38c/tropical-islands-resort-germany.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Tropical Islands Lures Winter Tourists og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Inside the Biggest Water Park in the World twitter:description: Inside the world’s biggest water park it’s warm and humid. Outside, temperatures are freezing twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb4c7b68c071a6cab/6988c18e0b72e3b06b6ed38c/tropical-islands-resort-germany.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Inside the Biggest Water Park in the World > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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Worth Your Time is TIME's culture recommendation newsletter, edited by culture editor Eliza Berman. Each week it surfaces the books, shows, films and ideas TIME's editors think are worth your attention, and explains why. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Does TIME have a culture newsletter? Yes. Worth Your Time is TIME's culture newsletter, published weekly. #### Who writes TIME's culture recommendations? Culture editor Eliza Berman writes Worth Your Time, drawing on TIME's critics and culture desk. #### Is Worth Your Time free? Yes. It is a free newsletter available at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-worth-2026q3/newsletters?i=546ac23f-af22-4021-9033-332c16578d14&cr=time-nl-worth-2026q3-v1) by [G. S. McClure / Travel + Leisure](https://time.com/author/travel-leisure/) ## G. S. McClure / Travel + Leisure May 2, 2017 4:10 PM UTC  Visitors lounge at the "South Sea" beach at the Tropical Islands indoor resort on Feb. 15, 2013 in Krausnick, Germany. Visitors lounge at the "South Sea" beach at the Tropical Islands indoor resort on Feb. 15, 2013 in Krausnick, Germany. Sean Gallup—Getty Images by [G. S. McClure / Travel + Leisure](https://time.com/author/travel-leisure/) ## G. S. McClure / Travel + Leisure May 2, 2017 4:10 PM UTC If you’re looking for the biggest water park in the world, Germany likely doesn’t come to mind. But 30 miles south of Berlin, inside a former airship hangar, which is frosted in snow in the winter, is an unexpected vacation destination. [Tropical Islands Resort](https://www.tropical-islands.de/en/) is the biggest indoor water park in the world, and manages to keep its visitors warm (though not dry) all year. The world’s largest indoor water park covers an area of more than 16 acres—that’s more than the size of six city blocks—and can host up to 6,000 guests at a time. The water park caters to vacationers of all kinds. For kids, there’s a paddling area with toys, as well as a waterslide and a water play table. There’s also [Tropino Club](https://www.tropical-islands.de/en/tropical-world/tropino-club-for-kids/) which offers bumper boats, miniature cars, and air hockey. There are also bigger waterslides means that even parents are guaranteed not to get bored.  KRAUSNICK, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 15: (EDITOR'S NOTE. Image was created using the iPhone 5 panorama function) Visitors lounge at the "South Sea" beach at the Tropical Islands indoor resort on February 15, 2013 in Krausnick, Germany. Located on the site of a former Soviet military air base, the resort occupies a hangar built originally to house airships designed to haul long-distance cargo. Tropical Islands opened to the public in 2004 and offers visitors a tropical getaway complete with exotic flora and fauna, a beach, lagoon, restaurants, water slide, evening shows, sauna, adventure park and overnights stays ranging from rudimentary to luxury. The hangar, which is 360 metres long, 210 metres wide and 107 metres high, is tall enough to enclose the Statue of Liberty. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images) Sean Gallup—Getty Images Although traditionally water parks are thought of as family zones, Tropical Islands Resort offers plenty of options for adults, too. A lagoon modeled after one you might find in [Bali](http://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-guide/bali) is a good place for to soak in the sauna, and the “tropical sea” covers the area of three [Olympic-sized pools](http://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-tips/travel-warnings/scientists-test-public-hotel-pools-jacuzzis-for-urine), is kept at a balmy temperature, and is located under a clear roof so guests can feel the sun. **Related:** [**This Insane Waterslide Lands You in a Gorgeous Turquoise Ocean**](http://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/water-slide-maldives-resort) In case lounging by the pool under a sunny sky isn’t relaxing enough, there is a full service spa in the park. The resort also recently opened an outside area, called Amazonia, which is open year-round. Since temperatures in Berlin dip below freezing in the winter, this feature is probably best left for the brave-hearted, or for the summer. For visitors who want to make a vacation out of it as opposed to simply visit for the day, there are several options for overnight stays. The themed lodges provide an extra level of comfort and a tropical vacation feel, as do the rooms at a slightly lower cost. For those chasing a true outdoor beach holiday, tents in the sand—equipped with mattresses and linen—are a great option. If an outdoor water park is more your style, there are plenty of even bigger options, although there is no definitive answer as to which ranks the largest. Two of the biggest are [Ice Land Water Park](http://www.icelandwaterpark.com/), a sprawling series of crystal blue pools in the United Arab Emirates, and [Caribbean Bay Water Park](https://www.everland.com/web/multi/english/caribbean/main.html) in South Korea, which has indoor and outdoor areas and a diving pool. South Korea is also known for its bathhouses, and offers plenty of the typical features, including a sauna, spa pool, and beauty treatments. _This_ [_article_](http://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/family-vacations/biggest-water-park-in-world) _originally appeared on_ [_TravelandLeisure.com_](http://travelandleisure.com) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4727324/biggest-water-park-tropical-islands-resort/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4727324/biggest-water-park-tropical-islands-resort/"},"headline":"Inside the Biggest Water Park in the World","datePublished":"2017-05-02T16:10:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:42:14.022Z","description":"It's housed within a former airship hangar","url":"https://time.com/4727324/biggest-water-park-tropical-islands-resort/","keywords":["Living","Travel","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb4c7b68c071a6cab/6988c18e0b72e3b06b6ed38c/tropical-islands-resort-germany.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"G. 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