FAQ's

Both the thermal baths and the sauna close 1 hour before closing time. The baths close 1/2 hour before closing time.

By car

Coming from Stuttgart on the A81 highway, take the Bad Dürrheimer triangle exit.

Coming from Karlsruhe on the A5 highway, take the Offenburg exit. Then take the B33 federal highway in the direction of VS-Villingen. Stay on the B33 to Bad Dürrheim until the second exit.

Calculate route

By train

There are direct connections from all regions of Germany to the train stations in the neighboring towns of Villingen-Schwenningen and Donaueschingen.

From Stuttgart: Schwenningen / Neckar terminus station

From Karlsruhe: Villingen / Black Forest terminus

From Ulm and Zurich: Donaueschingen terminus

You can reach Bad Dürrheim by public bus from these stations at regular times. If you would like to travel by train, it is best to book your ticket with Deutsche Bahn. You can obtain subsequent bus connections from the Schwarzwald-Baar transport association.

Your hosts will also be happy to pick you up from the bus station in Bad Dürrheim on request.

To the timetable

By bus

Some long-distance buses also travel to Villingen-Schwenningen on their numerous bus routes.

With long-distance buses, you can travel cheaply and environmentally friendly for just a few euros.

You can take the public bus from the long-distance bus stops in Villingen-Schwenningen to Bad Dürrheim at regular times.

www.flixbus.de
www.fernbus24.de

Parking is free of charge for visitors to the Solemars wellness and health center. Parking tickets can be validated at the facility.

There are two charging stations for electric cars in Huberstraße in front of Solemar and in the large Solemar parking lot. These can be reserved here.

There are also public parking spaces at the Haus des Gastes, the Minara and the Salinensporthalle.

Find parking space

Just a 5-minute walk from the Solemar wellness and health center is a motorhome parking area with over 300 spaces.

More information

Vouchers can be purchased on site at the wellness and health center, at the tourist information or directly in our online store at  shop.solemar.de

Vouchers can be redeemed until the end of the third year after the year in which the voucher was purchased and can only be redeemed for the service described, subject to availability. Exchange or cash payment are excluded.

Due to the Corona lockdown and strict restrictions, we grant a temporary goodwill.

Vouchers and tickets from 2019 and 2020 will continue to be accepted until 31.12.2024 with a surcharge on the currently valid rates.

All vouchers that expire during the general refurbishment from 2027 will be extended for the duration of this closure.

As a facility dedicated to relaxation and well-being, it is important to us that all visitors, regardless of individual needs and abilities, have the opportunity to take advantage of what our spa has to offer.

That is why there are many different options for people with disabilities or limited mobility at our thermal spa:

• Severely disabled persons receive a day ticket for the price of a 3-hour ticket (thermal baths), or a 4-hour ticket (sauna), on presentation of a valid disability pass (from a registered 50% GdB). If an accompanying person is registered on the card (B), they receive free admission.
• Spacious changing rooms are available.
• All showers are at ground level and can be used with a wheelchair/walker.
• Shower chairs, stand-up aids and shower wheelchairs are available.
• A wheelchair lift is available and can be used in the large indoor and outdoor pools as well as in the intensive pool.
• There are extra high loungers for guests with disabilities.
• The staff will of course help with any queries or questions.

Children aged 3 and over are allowed to use the brine pools under supervision. Due to the increased strain on the cardiovascular system and the risk of inhaling or swallowing the brine water, we ask you not to take a brine bath with your baby/toddler. Children under 3 years of age can play in the sole-free children’s pool. Please remember to bring water wings for your children. If necessary, these can be borrowed from the supervisory staff. Please note that the thermal area is intended for recreation and relaxation. An alternative for families with children is the Minara indoor and leisure pool. For more information, see www.minara.de.

Free aqua gymnastics takes place several times a day. The exact times are advertised on site.

Children from 13 years of age are allowed to use the sauna under supervision, from 16 years of age without supervision. Please note that the sauna area is intended for recreation and relaxation. An alternative for families with children is the Minara indoor and leisure pool. For more information, see www.minara.de.

In our sauna etiquette you will find all the important information for your visit.

• Plenty of time to relax (it’s best to be there 15 minutes before treatment)

• own towel

• Bathing shoes

The Solemar thermal spa was opened in 1987 and is now in its 37th year of operation. Experience from other saltwater spas shows that they usually undergo a general refurbishment every 25 to 30 years and have to be dismantled back to the shell. With 37 years of operation, Solemar has already clearly outlasted this.

Despite the permanent and extensive repair and refurbishment measures that have led to this above-average life cycle of the Solemar, the structural condition of the pool has deteriorated significantly, particularly in recent months.

This was primarily caused by increasing leaks in the pool surrounds. The pools themselves were sealed in 1987 with a high-quality “foil membrane seal” from Steuler-KCH, but the pool surrounds were not sealed for cost reasons, which is increasingly leading to these leaks in the pool surrounds on the ground floor.

The detailed age analysis of the individual installations also shows that large parts of the existing technical systems have reached their theoretical useful life and have already exceeded it in some areas. However, the central systems that have already been renovated in recent years, such as water heating, ventilation units, etc., can continue to be used.

No, unfortunately this is not possible.

A partial renovation of the Solemar thermal baths in several stages is not feasible, as it is necessary, for example, to dismantle the numerous technical systems and trades for the concrete renovations in order to create free access to the concrete walls, supports, pools, etc. everywhere.

At the time of construction, for example, no installation shafts were provided for the disposal and installation of the large filter tanks in the basement, i.e. the ceilings had to be opened up to a correspondingly large extent in order to be able to remove and replace the filters installed one after the other.

It has always been clear that a spa, especially a saltwater spa, is not built to last forever and will have to undergo extensive renovation at some point. In recent years and decades, a great deal has been invested in maintaining the spa, which is why it still looks so attractive after 37 years.

However, as the structural and technical condition of the Solemar has deteriorated considerably, particularly in recent months, due to increasing leaks and brine ingress into the building fabric, the management and the responsible committees have now taken the concrete decision to tackle the refurbishment in a targeted and proactive manner. On the one hand, this is to ensure reliable planning for all parties involved and affected interest groups and, on the other, to prevent an otherwise unforeseen partial closure of operations due to an unplanned outage as early as possible.

The management and the specialist experts commissioned are currently drawing up a concrete refurbishment schedule for both the planning and the work to be carried out over the next few years.

No, only the bathing area is affected.

It is planned to keep the following areas of the wellness and health center open during the renovation work:

√ Black Forest sauna
√ Therapy center in the Solemar
√ Fitness in the Solemar
√ Wellness center
√ SolemarShop
√ Dead Sea salt Cave

The Minara indoor and leisure pool, which was renovated between 2019 and 2021, will of course also be available during this period.

Yes, this was commissioned on October 13, 2023. The investigations will be carried out by the company “Constrata”, which is very experienced in pool construction, in the period “October / November 2023”.

For the extensive and extensive concrete renovation measures required (floors, ceilings, walls), the technical installations must be completely dismantled on the ground floor and basement.

The very large bathing water filter boilers must be completely dismantled and replaced. Many other technical systems will also be replaced and brought up to the current state of the art.

Until the actual start of construction (expected in 2027), there will be no impact on the visitor’s tax and the tourism contribution.

The next steps will be determined by the municipal council as soon as the exact renovation period has been determined.

• Start of the refurbishment measures approx. 2027
• End of the refurbishment measures approx. 2029

If all preliminary investigations, planning, tenders, demolition work, new installations and funding approvals go according to plan, the reopening can be expected after a currently estimated refurbishment period of 2 to 2.5 years (i.e. probably in 2029 if the work begins in 2027).

Various options will be explored and examined by the management and the relevant specialist planners over the next few months. As both interim and replacement pools are generally associated with very high investment costs in the millions, the final consultation and decision on this will take place in the Supervisory Board of Kur- und Bäder GmbH and in the municipal council.

A pause has already been decided for the current plans for the construction project “Extension of the relaxation/lounging area with warm pool and gastronomy in Solemar”.

It is now planned to implement the construction project at the same time as the refurbishment measures so that both the refurbished existing facilities and the new attractions can open at the same time.

No statement can yet be made on this. Initial information on costs will only be possible once the concrete preliminary plans and the cost estimates based on them have been submitted.

The management of Kur- und Bäder GmbH Bad Dürrheim will work out the financing options in close consultation with the Supervisory Board, the municipal council and the finance department, as well as examining the potential state and federal subsidies available and holding political talks on a special service.

Initial talks have already been held with investors in this regard. Ideally, the thermal spa hotel could also be built at the same time as the refurbishment and extension of the Solemar.

A refurbishment of the building fabric and the entire technical installations is planned. This refurbishment will mainly be carried out in the basement of the Solemar-Therme and will not be visible to guests. Once these measures have been completed, the Solemar-Therme will be state of the art in terms of technology and energy efficiency.

The extent to which design and functional conversion measures will also be implemented in the existing building will be examined intensively during the upcoming conceptualization and planning phase.

The Solemar thermal spa is the core element and “heart” of the tourist offer in Bad Dürrheim. Solemar is the “magnet”, so to speak, whose attractiveness and supra-regional reputation draws hundreds of thousands of overnight and day visitors to the town every year.

The annual added value resulting from tourism, which is distributed among all service providers and businesses (accommodation establishments, restaurants, retailers, service providers, etc.), amounts to around 100 million euros. A large proportion of jobs and the associated income in our city are linked to tourism.

The leisure and health infrastructure created by tourism income, as well as the extensive range of entertainment and events on offer, contribute significantly to Bad Dürrheim’s overall attractiveness as a place to live and therefore also to ensuring stable land and property prices.

The investment in the Solemar is intended to maintain and strengthen competitiveness on the tourism market in the future in order to preserve this most important economic sector for Bad Dürrheim for many decades to come, including for future generations.

All overnight guests and holders of the DreiWelten Citizen and JobCard will continue to have access to over 130 leisure attractions free of charge during the renovation period.

However, together with Kur- und Bäder GmbH, DreiWelten Tourismus GmbH will examine the extent to which further attractive attractions or substitute services (e.g. in the form of shuttle or bus travel services to make the wide range of offers accessible without a car) can be offered during the renovation period.

The aim of Kur- und Bäder GmbH Bad Dürrheim is to preserve the special dome construction, which has become a trademark known far beyond Bad Dürrheim’s borders.

It will only become clear after the intensive preliminary investigations whether any renovation work needs to be carried out on the visible wooden structure. The results are expected to be available by the end of December 2023/beginning of January 2024

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