Touring Warnemunde and environs

[steviem1]

We are thinking of hiring a cab at the pier and taking a private tour of the area, instead of going to Berlin. Has anyone done this? Would like to know the best places to see in the area: shopping, historical etc. What should the cost be? Any recommendations would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Stevie

[suron]

We are thinking of hiring a cab at the pier and taking a private tour of the area, instead of going to Berlin. Has anyone done this? Would like to know the best places to see in the area: shopping, historical etc. What should the cost be? Any recommendations would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Stevie

 

We were on Star Princess Baltic itinerary last August. If you are interested I have posted a review which can be found at

www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=12469

 

As you will see we took the train from Warnemunde to Rostock and spent time going round there (worth a visit) and we then returned to Warnemunde and ventured around there. It was very easy to do on our own and the town is very quaint. There is a little train which goes around the town too which is a good way to see everything. There was no need to rush our sightseeing as we were in port from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Some passengers opted to take the 3 hours plus each way trip to Berlin and those who did the trip said it was worthwhile but very tiring with over six hours travelling on the train. As we hail from England we felt Berlin was somewhere we could visit as a Weekend Break but for those passengers travelling from afar it made sense for them to see Berlin whilst they were there. Personal choice I guess but we were so pleased we visited Rostock and Warnemunde - they were both so interesting.

 

Hope this helps. You will have a great trip but it is a very exhausting itinerary - you will probably need a holiday afterward to recover!!

 

Good Luck with your plans

 

Suron in Bristol, England

[dbh62ark]

While on our Baltics cruise last year, we used the German train system (http://www.bahn.de) to go to Lubeck and Wismar. We also planned to go to stop on the way back at Bad Doberan to ride the Molli steam train to the ocean, but my husband and I got separated on the train and ran out of time (9:00 p.m. sailing). I understand that Schwerin is also a nice option in that area, but Schwerin Castle was covered with scaffolding last year, so we chose the other villages. I enjoyed Lubeck and loved Wismar, so we had a nice stop in that port. I also visited Warnemunde and Rostock on a previous cruise, and those are also nice options. A private driver is also an option, but all of the villages I listed are easy to do on your own if you want to go independent.

 

Have a great trip,

Donna

[steviem1]

Will consider all of the advice. Would like to not kill ourselves on this trip and taking it a little slower might be the answer.

 

Stevie

[JeannyCT]

... but all of the villages I listed are easy to do on your own if you want to go independent.

I agree, there are many options of interesting places to visit in the north and those mentioned are all easily accessible with a train. Just one thing so you don't get the wrong idea: these aren't villages, these are towns (population, source: wikipedia.de).

Lübeck: 214,000

Rostock: 197,000

Schwerin: 97,000

Wismar: 45,000

Bad Doberan: 11,000

[dbh62ark]

I agree, there are many options of interesting places to visit in the north and those mentioned are all easily accessible with a train. Just one thing so you don't get the wrong idea: these aren't villages, these are towns (population, source: wikipedia.de).

Lübeck: 214,000

Rostock: 197,000

Schwerin: 97,000

Wismar: 45,000

Bad Doberan: 11,000

Geez. Yes, thanks for the clarification BUT my point was that these villages/towns/cities/whatever are very easy to see on foot without the need to use public transportation after you arrive at the train station. You can simply walk to the sights, and the sightseeing areas are very compact like sightseeing in villages.

 

Donna

[JeannyCT]

Geez. Yes, thanks for the clarification BUT my point was that these villages/towns/cities/whatever are very easy to see on foot without the need to use public transportation after you arrive at the train station. You can simply walk to the sights, and the sightseeing areas are very compact like sightseeing in villages.

Welcome to Europe :)

Cities and towns are a lot more compact than they are in the US, that’s just the way it is, one of the differences between North America and Europe.

[Al_Frescoe]

We are thinking of hiring a cab at the pier and taking a private tour of the area, instead of going to Berlin. Has anyone done this? Would like to know the best places to see in the area: shopping, historical etc. What should the cost be? Any recommendations would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Stevie

 

I just returned from a week in Berlin and all I can say is - quaint it ain't!

 

Berlin is twice the size of Paris and most of the quaint stuff was destroyed in the war. Since cruisers won't have much time I would highly reccomend staying in and around the local area. I wish I would have jumped on a train and ventured outside the city.

 

Enjoy.

 

Al

[SueMo]

Two summers ago we rented a van and drove ourselves to Schwerin, Bad Doberan, Wismar, and Rostock. The area is very quaint & the roads are easy to navigate. Parking in the towns can be a hassle, though. Be aware, however, that this being the former eastern Germany, many people do not speak English. If you have qualms about being able to communicate, you probably won't want to go out without a driver.

[cs1]

We are thinking of renting a car and driving to some towns that you listed. We have travelled a lot in Europe and really enjoy smaller towns for a daytrips. Which ones did you enjoy the most and were they "quaint"?

CS

[SueMo]

I liked Schwerin--the castle has beautiful gardens surrounding it and we had fun going into some of the shops around the town square. Also, Wismar had a market set up in the town square (the bratwurst sandwiches sold by a vendor in the square were very inexpensive and delicious!). Bad Doberan is known for the abbey...we really didn't check out the town. For actual shopping, probably Rostock is the best town. What we really found "quaint" were the little chalet type houses that we drove by from town to town--all neat as pins with the laundry hanging on lines in the back yards next to meticulously kept vegetable & flower gardens.