Bayreuth

Kreuzsteinbad

Kreuzer

The Kreuzsteinbad is a classic outdoor swimming pool as you may find it in any German town. Nothing fancy, but dearly loved by residents, university students and travellers alike, not only because of the incredibly low entrance fees. It has been modernized and features a 50 m competition pool for serious swimming, a wave pool, diving tower, water slide and a children's pool. There's a playground for children and courts for playing beach volleyball, basket ball, football and badminton, but also plenty of lawn to enjoy some lazy time in the sun. Bringing your own food and drinks is allowed (no glass bottles, though!) – and probably a good idea unless you want to survive the day on fries and ice cream. If you want to use the lockers you'll have to bring your own padlock or borrow one from the front desk (for a deposit of €10). If you plan to only spend a few hours, consider coming after 17:00, as entrance fees will be even cheaper then!

May to Sep: daily 07:00–20:00·Grown-up whole-day ticket: €4.30

Lohengrin Therme

The Lohengrin Therme is all about Wellness and relaxation. It consists of three sections: the thermal baths with different kinds of pools and tubs, the large sauna area and the spa where you can book massages and other treatments. The sauna and the spa are clothes-free zones, towels and bathing gowns can be rented for €2 and €4, respectively. Children younger than 6 are not allowed in any section. The spa has an additional minimum age of 14 and is ladies-only on Tuesdays (except holidays).

thermal baths daily 09:00–22:00, sauna and spa open at 11:00·From €9 for 2 hours in the thermal baths to €21 for a day pass including sauna

SBV-Hallenbad

Probably your best choice if you're into some serious swimming, the SBV-Hallenbad offers a 50-m competition pool and a 5-m diving tower. There's also a variable-depth (30–120 cm) pool for babies and toddlers and a steam bath. The sauna (not included in the normal entrance fee) is women-only on Mondays (mixed after 18:00) and Wednesdays, men-only on Tuesdays (mixed after 18:00) and Thursdays and mixed on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Mon 13:00-21:30, Tue-Fri 06:30-08:00 (swimming only, no sauna) and 13:00-21:30, Sat 08:00-18:00, Sun 09:00-13:00·Adults pay €4 for swimming only and €11 for swimming and sauna (no time limits)

Stadtbad

Bayreuth's public swimming pool in the heart of the city offers a 25 m competition pool, a children's pool, a hot tub, a steam bath and two saunas (non-nude).

Summer season: Tue-Fri 14:00-21:30. Winter season: Mon 15:00-18:00, Tue-Fri 11:00-21:30, Sat 10:00-19:30, Sun 10:00-18:30·Adults pay €4.20 for the first 2 hours, and €1 for every further 30 minutes

Therme Obernsees

A bit outside the core city (but still within the Landkreis Bayreuth) lie the Obernsees thermal baths. If you prefer the sporty side of swimming this may not quite be your cup of tea, but pretty much everyone else should find something here. There are plenty of options for fun and relaxation, indoors and outdoors: pools, water jets, slides, and more than half a dozen different saunas. Obernsees is a good destination for a bike tour, as the bike path along the former railway line between Bayreuth and Hollfeld passes right through it.

May-September: Mon-Sat 09:00-21:00 (sauna until 22:00), Sun 09:00-20:00, October-April: daily 09:00-22:00 (sauna until 23:00 on Fri Sat)·Adults pay between €10 for 2 hours and €15.50 for a day pass, sauna is an additional €5