The Best Spa and Wellness Hotels to Book Near the Harz Mountains

This four-star hotel is in a bucolic setting, overlooking the Harz forest and surrounding countryside. Although Braunlage is known best for its winter season – with Mount Wurmberg at its hub – the area is enjoyable year-round. Rent a Monster Roller – an oversize scooter for exhilarating rides down the mountain – or relax in the hotel’s spa area. There’s a wide range of treatments at Relaxa, including some budget-friendly options.

The Harz Mountains are a magnet for outdoor types, with water sports in the summer and skiing in the winter. You can be active all day, then cosy up by the fire or relax in your private sauna inside one of Torfhaus’s snug wooden cabins. The resort has fine views of the Brocken, and the staff here will be more than happy to help you find the best activities to suit you and your family.

This Medieval-themed hotel sits in Wernigerode, one of the prettiest traditional villages in the Harz Mountains. Colourful half-timbered houses sit cheek by jowl – including the smallest house of all, just under 3m (10ft) wide and 4m (13ft) tall. The Harz narrow-gauge steam railway is easily accessed from here – as is the impressive Wernigerode Castle, for all your fairytale needs.

The spacious apartments at Hapimag Resort Braunlage are set in a quiet, leafy area – close to Mount Wurmberg – each with a private balcony or terrace. You’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to hiking routes from here, being set in a Mittelgebirge region of the Harz. The Königshütte Waterfall is a pretty spot for a picnic and is just a 15-minute drive away.

As a guest at Solehotel Winterberg, you’ll have access to the Harzburger brine thermal bath – a 700sqm (7,534sqft) pool complex with two outdoor pools, a big hot-water indoor pool, a jacuzzi and a therapy pool. If water is not your bag, try the special brine Gabbro sauna, which works wonders for your respiratory system – it may also be the only sauna in the world with a running waterfall in the middle of it. Team your sauna with a salt peel to give your skin an extra-special refreshing treat.

This vast, lakeside resort has a spa area of 3,800sqm (40,903sqft), one of the largest in the Harz region. Get on board with its daily Fit and Fun programme, offering a diverse range of recreational and sporting activities, while the kids can get active in the Young Beach Kids and Teens Club. And with no less than 17 treatment rooms, you’ll always find time for a massage.