A view of the beach from the Chamaeleon am See beach club at Pinta Beach on the Raunheimer Waldsee in Germany on May 20, 2024. The club area offers food, drink and hookah table service. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
You don’t need to break the bank or hop on a plane to Mallorca to enjoy a day at the beach if you call the Wiesbaden area home.
Pinta Beach offers an affordable waterside escape with a variety of activities on the Raunheimer Waldsee, a lake just west of Frankfurt Airport.
A trip there does require some initial steps, though. Because the beach is a privately owned recreation area, visitors have to pay admission, which must be booked online.
Aside from the challenge of getting a day with conditions hospitable to beachgoing, online tickets can be purchased only up to a week in advance. And there are no refunds in the event of bad weather or cancellation.
A view of the Pinta Beach seating area during the opening week of the season on May 20, 2024. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
Luckily, on the recent May day I went, it was sunny and 75 degrees. I found the online ticketing system easy to navigate on my phone while sitting in my car at the on-site parking lot. The website offers a full English version at the click of a button.
Speaking of parking, be sure to bring some spare change for the cash-only fee of 5 euros.
Reservation options online include park admission and shaded seating arrangements ranging from folding beach loungers to large daybeds. The amenities have expanded significantly in the several years since I last visited Pinta Beach.
It wasn’t hard to imagine how popular this area can be later in the season because there is a slew of activities for all ages.
The ship playground in the Pinta Beach family area at the Raunheimer Waldsee in Germany. Pinta Beach, which is named after one of Christopher Columbus' ships, offers a variety of family-friendly activities. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
The family area at the Pinta Beach park provides a dedicated playspace at the Raunheimer Waldsee for families with young children. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
The family area centerpiece is the ship-themed playground, which is befitting a place named after one of Christopher Columbus’ vessels from the famous 1492 voyage. The family area also houses the cheapest reserved seating, starting at 20 euros for a full-day reservation.
For older children and adults, Pinta Beach offers Aquafun Park, which is essentially an inflatable obstacle course that floats on the lake. An additional fee lets guests use it for one-hour time blocks or get an all-day pass.
Standup paddle boards, paddle boats and inflatable boats are also available to rent at the aqua park.
Pinta Beach's Aquafun Park is an inflatable obstacle course guests can tackle on the Raunheimer Waldsee. According to the park's website, this is the largest attraction of its kind in Germany. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
There’s an abundance of food options on site ranging from the permanent imbiss-style snack bar to food trucks offering burgers, pizza, pasta, ice cream and more.
For guests seeking more adult-oriented fun, the park hosts a beer garden, an adult-only VIP area and the Chamaeleon am See beach club and cocktail bar.
Behind a fence on the far end of the beach, a secluded nudist area provides recreation space for those wanting the freedom to bare it all. Having forgotten to pack sunscreen, I opted out of going to that location.
The beer garden is one of many recreation areas at Pinta Beach on the Raunheimer Waldsee in Germany. This photo was taken during the opening week of the 2024 season at the privately owned beach near Frankfurt Airport. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
After digging my toes in the sand and soaking up some rays, I took to the lake for a swim. The water was a tad frigid at first, but I expected as much, given the fact that there had been rain and hail the day before.
With a little moving around, I eventually adjusted to the temperature and found the cold water quite refreshing.
I stopped by the beach club after my swim for what turned out to be the highlight of the day. I ordered a tropical drink, closed my eyes and stretched out on the padded lounge chair under a straw umbrella.
The cozy accommodation and ambient music playing near the bar provided a much-appreciated vacationlike atmosphere.
A cocktail served at Pinta Beach's Chamaeleon am See beach club at the Raunheimer Waldsee on May 20, 2024. The lake is just west of Frankfurt Airport. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
On slower days, guests can drop in on a space-available basis for tableside food, drink and hookah service using a QR code ordering system. All lounge seating is available for reservation, so access to the beach club may be limited during peak times.
The view of the industrial sand quarry across the lake and the multiple flyovers involving Frankfurt Airport traffic occasionally pulled me out of the moment, but not enough to detract from my vacation vibes. Many patrons even seemed to enjoy the up-close view of the planes.
While it is by no means a Mediterranean or tropical paradise, Pinta Beach does offer a convenient day trip alternative for a beach getaway without the hassle of airline travel or depleting the vacation fund.
I’m sure the family and I will return multiple times this summer, and maybe watching the airplanes will help remind me of how much money our staycations save me.
Pinta Beach Raunheimer Waldsee
Address: Aschaffenburger Strasse 2, Raunheim, Germany
Hours: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m.-8 p.m. The beach is open through September.
Prices: Parking, 5 euros; admission is 6 euros for adults, 4 euros for children 5-17 and free for children under 5; seating reservations range from 20 euros to more than 100 euros.
Information: +49 6142 330 88 10; online booking at pinta-beach.de or chamaeleon-am-see.de
