Travelanni

Anni....this thread has been so informative I don't even have any questions - I just want to thank you for your assistance! Initially I was "indifferent" about Warnemunde given I knew we were not going to Berlin (visiting post cruise) but now I am quite excited and this is one of the ports I am most looking forward to! I know we are going to have a great day and can't wait to enjoy your region!!

 

Lydia from Canada

Amazing website Anni!! Thank you so much :))

 

Sent from my DROID using Tapatalk 2

Many thanks to you both for your appreciation, it makes it all worthwhile. I hope you enjoy your visit to Germany as much as I enjoy living here.

Warnemunde is a bit neglected as a destination, most cruisers just pass through en-route to somewhere else but it is a lovely little place and so different to all the other ports in the Baltic which are cities. If you are 'citied-out' so to speak it can make a welcome break.

Happy cruising :)

Anni

www.travelanni.webs.com

Hi Anni

 

So glad I found this thread. I visited your website and it was a wealth of information. I have a logistics question for you. We will be in Warnemude (Norwegian Sun) for almost 10 hours, but have opted not to go to Berlin. My daughter wants to see Schwerin (castle) and I want to do Bad Doberan (Molli train). Is it possible "time wise" to do both? Want to try and keep peace in the family. :-))

 

Kristy

Hi Kristy, thank you for your appreciation.

Although there is no direct train between Schwerin and Bad Doberan, you must change in either Wismar or Rostock, it would be possible to 'keep the peace' :) as the DB trains co-ordinate well with the Molli.

Suggested Itinerary.

Dep. Rostock Hbf. 9:07 Arr. Schwerin Hbf 10:03

Dep. Schwerin Hbf. 14:46 - Change in Wismar - Arr. Bad Doberan 16:29

Dep. Bad Doberan on the Molli 16:36 for round trip to Kuhlungsborn and return to Bad Doberan at 18:21

Dep. Bad Doberan 18:30 - Arr. Rostock Hbf 18:51

Dep Rostock Hbf 19:01 or 19:16 - Arr. Warnemunde 19:21 or 19:36

Or if you prefer more time in Schwerin and a later return to Warnemunde

Dep. Schwerin Hbf 15:53 - Change in Rostock Hbf. - Arr. Bad Doberan 17:27

Dep. Bad Doberan on the Molli 17:36 for round trip to Kuhlungsborn and return to Bad Doberan at 19:21

Dep. Bad Doberan 19:30 - Arr. Rostock Hbf 19:51

Dep Rostock Hbf 20:01 or 20:16 - Arr. Warnemunde 20:21 or 20:36

The changes in both Wismar and Bad Doberan are simply cross-platform. In Rostock the change is from platform 6 to platform 10 but there are 15 mins between trains.

I hope this makes sense to you !

Happy cruising :)

Anni

www.travelanni.webs.com

Hello, I am wondering if you can help me. We are returning from the Princess cruise on June 17 and would like to know if the cruise arrives by 7 am, what time do you think we will be able to get to the train station of warnemuende.We would like to visit Rostock and then go to Berlin and wondered if I need to get the ticket for Berlin in advance ie., now or I can buy the tickets on the day of June 17 at the train station. Thank you in advance for your help.

Regards

Amy

Hi,

The walk from P8 where your ships docks to the railway station is about 10mins. Trains depart Warnemünde for Rostock every 15 mins. (See website - Rostock page) but I would not be in too much of a rush as the shops in Rostock are not open on a Sunday and the museums, restaurants etc. do not open before 10am. Everything, including shops, in Warnemünde is open from 10am.

RE trains depart Rostock Hbf every two hours for Berlin direct (Berlin page).

The most economical option would be a Schönes Wochenende Ticket, 40€ for up to 5 travelling together, which you can buy at any time; on-line, from a machine, from a ticket office or on the train. They are unlimited and always available.

If you have a lot of luggage I would recommend a taxi from the ship to Rostock Hbf. There are plenty of good, safe lockers on Level -1 where you can leave your luggage whilst visiting the city. It would also be worth asking if your cruise line has a shuttle to Rostock Hbf. for departing passengers, some do.

Happy cruising :)

Anni

www.travelanni.webs.com

Hi -

 

I'll be docking in Warnemunde in July. I'm confused as to which of these train stops in Rostok - Neuer Markt, Lange Strasse and Kröpeliner Tor - is the 'Central Station" that you mention?

 

Harry

Hi,

The train stop is Rostock Haupbahnhof (Hbf), the Central Station, where you change from the train to the tram (trolley/streetcar).

The other three, Neuer Markt, Lange Strasse and Kröpeliner Tor are the tram stops in the City. It does not matter which one you use, they are all around the edge of the central pedestrian area.

The Rostock page on my website gives details of how to get from Warnemünde to Rostock City.

Happy cruising :)

Anni

www.travelanni.webs.com

Anni,

My mother was born in Straulsund and her family lived in Demmin for some period. They then moved to the Andernach area where she met my father who was stationed there after WW I in the Army of Occupation. I would like to visit both towns while our cruise is in Port for most of the folks to travel to Berlin. I have looked at you website which gives me information on travel by train to Straulsund but do not know how to get to Demmin or even if it is possible to do in one day. :)

Hi, I am happy to say that it is very easy to get from Stralsund to Demmin. There is an hourly train service and the travel time is about 45mins. Depending on the time you have in port it should be possible to visit both in the one day.

If you would care to give me the date you will be in Warnemunde and the name of your ship I can give you more details for a possible timetable, alternative routes etc.

Stralsund and Demmin are both within the Mecklenburg Lander Day Ticket area.

Happy cruising :)

Anni

www.travelanni.webs.com

Okay, this makes sense now. I guess if we had a larger group, the cost would be less per person but we are only 4 people. I guess we will stick to the public viewing and save 230Euros!

Are the seals all within site for the public to see or is there a "better" vs. a "not as good" time to visit to actually see them?

Hi, The cost is the same whatever the size of the group. What you are paying for is the time and expertise of a Marine Biologist and access to laboratories, research results etc. of no interest to the general public. As I said the group tours are not geared towards tourism.

I have no idea how many seals are working at any time or whether there is a better or worse time to see them except that they have a day off on Sunday although they are still on view, albeit doing their own thing. I just read the information, went along and enjoyed what I saw.

Happy cruising :)

Anni

Thanks. Either I'm doing something wrong, or it's my lucky day! I used bahn.de, German without translation to English, and pulled up what I think is a roundtrip ticket using RE trains (although you have to transfer twice, in Rostock as Schwerin!) TO Berlin and ICE coming back. Here's what the notice gave me, although obviously in cutting and pasting, it's not coming out in very readable form:

 

Ihre Reisedaten

Hinfahrt Bahnhof/Haltestelle Datum Zeit Dauer Umst. Produkte

Warnemünde

Berlin Hbf So, 05.08.12

So, 05.08.12 ab

an 08:37

12:32 3:55 2 S, RE

Rückfahrt Bahnhof/Haltestelle Datum Zeit Dauer Umst. Produkte

Berlin Hbf (tief)

Warnemünde So, 05.08.12

So, 05.08.12 ab

an 18:13

20:42 2:29 0 ICE

Reisende

2 Erwachsene, 2. Klasse

Ihre Angebote für die gewählte Verbindung

Klasse

Verfügbare Angebote Konditionen Umtausch / Erstattung Preis für alle Reisenden*

Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket

Hinfahrt

Gültig für bis zu 5 gemeinsam reisende Personen, Sa. oder So. ab 0 Uhr. Gültig für beliebig viele Fahrten am Geltungstag, unabhängig von der angegebenen Verbindung. Umtausch und Erstattung ausgeschlossen. 69,00 EUR

Weiter

Sparpreis

Rückfahrt

Zugbindung, d.h. Ihre Fahrkarte ist nur in den auf Ihrer Fahrkarte aufgedruckten Zügen gültig. Umtausch und Erstattung 15 EUR; ab 1. Geltungstag ausgeschlossen.

----------

I'll be traveling Sun. Aug. 12, but since prices aren't listed yet for that date, I used the previous Sunday. I asked for hin und rundfahrt (sorry, spelling may be wrong) and 2 people. Am I missing something, or is it just my lucky day? Or is it just that I'm looking so far in advance that the price is fairly low for the ICE?

Hi, you are absolutely right but it is very unusual. I had been looking at the two journeys separately, it never occured to me to put it in as one journey (hin und rückfahrt) because, as I said, normally the two types of ticket are completely separate with no way to combine them. Must be a special deal for holiday time and to sell more seats on that Sunday ICE which is usually fairly quiet as the majority of travellers are people returning to Rostock after the weekend who don't want to pay the higher ICE standard single fare.

It is a VERY good deal so grab it ASAP.

Good luck

Anni

I thought I had all my ports researched and my notes finalized and now I find out about the Seal training station!! To fill the day we had thought about going to the Rostock Zoo, but think we'll see Rostock town, come back to Warnemunde and take the ferry across and see the seals! Thanks for the information, Anni.

Lynn

Hi Lynn, I don't think you will be disappointed, I loved it. Have fun.

Happy cruising :)

Anni

Never mind about my previous post, Anni. I played around more with bahn.de and answered my own question, I think! It looks like a Schoenes Wochenende ticket to Berlin combined with the ICE train back would be 69 euros for the two of us, and I can go ahead and purchase the tickets in about a week if I want. (The prices are not expected to go up, disappear, sell out, right?)

 

If for some reason we need to get back sooner on RE trains, it's my understanding that I can pay 15 euros to change it, although I didn't get as far as figuring out how that would affect the weekend ticket I had just purchased - whether I can simply use that to get back to Rostock/Warnemuenda or if I need to do anything further.

 

69 euros for the two is us is a good deal, and will give us more time in Berlin, unless there's a HUGE problem (we will have to be back on board the ship at 10:30PM).

Hi, I think you have calculated the ICE price for only one person. My calculations IF you can get tickets at the special savings price are as follows:-

Schönes Wochenende Ticket for 2 people on RE = 40 euros

Savings Fares on ICE one way @ 29 euros per person = 58 euros

Total price for 2 people = 98 euros.

If you miss out on the savings fares or want to make the decision to come back on the ICE while in Berlin then the ICE tickets would cost the standard fare of 53 euros pp and can be bought on the train.

Standard tickets on the ICE never sell out but the special savings fares do sell out quickly at holiday times, there are only a limited number. They can only be used on the train you nominate when purchasing and can only be changed or refunded before the day they become valid, not on the day of intended use. So in other words you would have to decide either to change or apply for a refund on your ICE savings fare tickets before you got to Warnemünde or lose your money, you could not make that decision in Berlin on the day. There are no refunds on Schönes Wochenende tickets.

The two types of ticket are entirely separate. What you do with one has absolutely no effect on what you can do with the other.

Hope this has clarified things for you

Anni

Hi Anni. Just a quick question: I will be buying a Schoenes Wochenende ticket, as I'll be in Berlin on a Sunday. If I wanted to go back to Warnemuende on the ICE train instead of the RE train, there's no discount for having the weekend ticket, is there? Would I simply buy an ICE ticket at the quoted price? Thanks.

Hi, unfortunately you are quite right, there is no discount but even using the Schönes Wochenende one way is cheaper for 2 people than the standard RE price.

Happy cruising :)

Anni

www.travelanni.webs.com

Hi Rostocker - I wanted to ask your opinion about the Seal Station tour that was offered to us. I email them and they have two tours but they seem expensive. I was wondering, can you see the seals without the tour or do you think the tour is worth it?

here is the info:

A guided tour will cost 120,- €, takes one hour (but it’s planned for groups). We can arrange it for you and your family too, if you like it.

I will propose you another one; I think, it will be the better one for you and your children. It names “Harbour Seals close up”, takes one hour and will cost 250,- €. At this offer you will come in to our work area. My colleague will give you a lot of information’s about our work, you can ask a lot of questions, take some pictures and the whole time you be with the animals…

Hi, the tours are expensive as they are designed for Educational Groups such as schools etc. which usually have around 30 people in them and want an in-depth, lecture-type tour of the whole facility rather than just to watch the seals. It is not a tourism tour.

As described in their webpage (part of the main University site)

http://www.marine-science-center.de/frame/msc-frame_eng.html

the public are welcome to view the training etc from the sun deck of the facility. Monday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm, entry fee 6€ adults, 4€ children. There is no need to book.

It is a nice 10 min walk along the mole from the cross-river ferry and a fascinating experience to watch the seals working and interacting with the researchers.

Happy cruising :)

Anni

My DH is limited in his ability to walk long distances. Are there taxis that meet the cruise ships?

 

Do you know of local tours that do not have walking has the major part of there tour. We want to stay in the Warnemunde or Rostock area while in port, but do want to be able to see what is there. Thank you.

Hi, there is a taxi rank right outside the cruise terminal and another in the railway station, 10 mins walk from the ship.

The central areas and main areas of interest in both Rostock and Warnemunde are pedestrian precincts so it is difficult to see the sights without walking. I do not know of any tours, except some of those offered by the ships, which do not include a lot of walking in their tours for this very reason. Those which whiz around the outskirts in a bus are really not worth it. The one exception is a mini-bus tour offered by the Tourist Office but last year it only operated in English for a party of 8, pre-booked. Details here

http://rathaus.rostock.de/sixcms/detail.php?template=seite_tourismus_citytours_en&_sid1=rostock_01.c.13291.de&_sid2=rostock_01.c.39228.de&_sid3=rostock_01.c.39792.de

Happy cruising :)

Anni

www.travelanni.webs.com

Hello I was just wondering if there is a store close by the terminal where I might get some beer steins if so do you know about how much I might be looking at to spend?

Thank you in advance, Kelly

Hi, In Warnemunde you can buy beer steins in almost any souvenir shop at varying prices depending on the size and quality you want. The closest place would be 'Karls Pier 7' which as the name suggests is right on the pier, next to the berths. The shopping area of town is 10 mins walk away. For further details about Warnemunde and how to walk into town from the ship please see the web site.

Happy cruising :)

Anni

www.travelanni.webs.com

thanks, Anni. I'm thinking about going to Rostock for the 11 a.m. walking tour (does it operate on Sundays?), and then moving onto Schwerin to visit the Palace. Finally, returning to Warnemunde for the evening (our ship is in port from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.). Does this itinerary make sense? And if so, I assume we would take the train to Rostock with the tram into the city centre, and then return to the train station to travel to Schwerin, correct? and in Schwerin we can walk to the Palace?

thanks again for all of your help.

 

Ruth

Hi, thankyou for your appreciation.

As far as I know the tour operates on every day when there are cruise ships in port, including Sunday.

The tour finishes in the Market Place from where you will be able to get a tram back to the main station in plenty of time for the 13:07 to Schwerin. The walk from Schwerin Hbf. to the Schloss takes about 20mins. For details of the best route please see the web site.

Happy cruising, :)

Anni

www.travelanni.webs.com

Thanks Anni! This maybe the best thing to combine with something else Rostock. I am the person on the other thread also interested in a tour about the Cold War and reunification.

For the Seal Station, is this trip completely walkable, meaning, walk to the ferry by the cruise dock, then walk to the Seal Station when we get off of the ferry? How far of a walk? It would be great if no taxi were involved. It would make for an easy day.

Thanks for the website. The seal pictures are adorable! My kids love animals.

Also, thanks for the link about the Strandkord! This is great info!

 

Update:

One more question. I was just on your website and I see the Rostock Historical Society tour at 11AM (also mentioned above). Is this close enough to the Seal Station to walk from one to the other? For example, if we did the tour first, could we still take the ferry, walk to the tour site, then walk back to the Seal Station?

Hi, thank you for your appreciation.

The Seal Station is in Warnemunde and the Historical Society Walk is in Rostock. Details on how to get from one to the other are all on the web site.

The ferry dock is a ship's length from the entrance to P8, literally under the bow of the cruise ship on P7. The Seal Station is about 500yds from the ferry dock on the other side.

An easy day would be to go into Rostock on the train, do the tour then spend a little time looking around, maybe have lunch. Return to Warnemunde on the train, take the ferry and visit the Seal Station, cross back to town, walk along Alter Strom (street along the waterfront) to the beach and spend the rest of the afternoon and evening there. The sun does not go down until 8-9pm in summer.

Happy cruising :)

Anni

www.travelanni.webs.com

Anni,

Have beenenjoying your thread, it has great information. Thanks.

Hi, Thanks for the appreciation. Have a great time in Germany.

Happy cruising :)

Anni

www.travelanni.webs.com

I may have missed it but what time is the historical society tour in Rostock?

Hi,

The Walks start at 11am from the Kröpeline Gate.

I have added a page with more details to the web site.

Happy cruising :)

Anni

www.travelanni.webs.com

Thanks Anni for the great info.

I have a question. Part of our family is going to spend the day in Warnemunde (we'll rent a strandkorb part of the day).

I have heard that you can take a ferry to see the seals. Do you know what this is exactly, what time of year you can see the seals, and where to catch this ferry?

Hi, the place you are thinking of is the Seal Research Station, part of the University of Rostck. Here is their very good web site which gives all the details:

http://www.cams2010.uni-rostock.de/program/visit-of-the-seal-station/

To get there you take the cross river ferry , which is next to the Cruise Terminal, and walk along the East Mole towards the river mouth. The Seal Station is on the right at the end of the mole.

Did you know Strandkörben were invented in Rostock? The children might be interested in this web site seeing as you are going to use one, then they can show off their knowledge along with the photos.

www.bartelmann.com/historie/strandkorb-anno-1882/beach-chair-history.html

Happy cruising :)

Anni

www.travelanni.webs.com

Since my husband is quite tall, we thought it would be more comforatable in first class.

 

Forgot to say that it is generally agreed among travellers that 2nd class on an ICE is far more spacious and comfortable than Economy on an airplane. ;)

Anni

Anni, you are a peach! Thank you so much for checking this out. We will plan to take the ICE 1611 on Aug. 11 to Munich. I was looking at the DB website and entered a "dummy" booking, just to see what it gives for the seating configuration. Since my husband is quite tall, we thought it would be more comforatable in first class.

 

If we want to have two seats next to each other, similar to airline seating, what would we request? Open saloon? What is the Compartment seating? Sorry to sound so ignorant -- just want to get it right when the time comes to make the reservations. Thanks again for all your help!:)

Hi, thanks for the title! My favourite fruit, I'm flattered.

It is a matter of personal opinion of course but I have travelled in both 1st and 2nd class on ICEs and really cannot see a lot of difference. The main space difference is width, 1+2 seats across in 1st, 2+2 seats across in second. Leather seats in 1st and upholstered seats in 2nd, both very comfortable.

Compartment seating is 6 or 8 seats in an enclosed space, two sets of 3 or 4 facing each other which cuts down on leg room. OK for a family or group of friends but the chances of getting one to yourselves is virtually nil. Compartment seating is often used by families with children and does not have luggage storage other than overhead racks.

When you book choose 'open saloon', not 'open saloon with table'. The table cannot be moved which makes getting in and out awkward and you have 2 other seats facing across the table so the leg room is cramped. The 'open saloon' seats are in pairs so you have more privacy and can stretch your legs under the seat in front. In both 1st and 2nd class these seats are airline type, good recline with fold away arm rest and a let down table in the back of the seat in front plus electric outlets for laptops etc. You will automatically be given a pair of seats, side by side if you leave the other choice as is. I'm afraid that you cannot choose the exact place within the car or the direction in which you face but that is immaterial as the train changes its direction of travel at least twice between Rostock and Munich.

This web site has some nice photos of ICE interiors.

http://europeforvisitors.com/germany/trains/ice-trains-photos.htm

Happy cruising :)

Anni

www.travelanni.webs.com

 

Also, for the Rostock-Munich trip on Aug. 11, there is a train from Rostock Hbf to Munich leaving Rostock at 9:29, arriving in Munich at 18:42. The website says there are no connections, so I'm assuming that we just stay on the train until we get to Munich. Our ship docks at 7:00 the morning of Aug. 11. Do you think we will have enough time to make the 9:29 to Munich? The website also says, that due to construction, the train will leave 25 minutes early, so that would make it around 9:04. Too early?

 

Hi, as promised I have been in touch with DB. This is the answer which I was given.

A glitch in the system meant that incorrect trackwork warnings were in place for the ICE Warnemunde to Berlin for the months of June, July and August

This has now been corrected and the present on-line timetables etc. will apply for the rest of the summer.

From June 1.

ICE Departs Warnemunde 6:58 Mon - Fri, 9:01 Sat. No service Sun.

So you will have plenty of time to catch the ICE 1611 direct to Munich (changes in Berlin are during June only) departing Warnemunde 9:01 arriving Munich 18:42. This information was obtained from the DB Travel Office but please check on-line nearer to your travel date.

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query2.exe/en?ld=9667&country=GBR&rt=1&OK#focus

Sorry about the confusion but I can only give the information which DB gives to me.

Happy cruising :)

Anni

Hi Anni! A couple of questions I am not clear about .... where do we put our luggage on the train? Is there a separate rail car just for luggage, do we check it before we board the train, or keep it with us at our seats?

 

Also, for the Rostock-Munich trip on Aug. 11, there is a train from Rostock Hbf to Munich leaving Rostock at 9:29, arriving in Munich at 18:42. The website says there are no connections, so I'm assuming that we just stay on the train until we get to Munich. Our ship docks at 7:00 the morning of Aug. 11. Do you think we will have enough time to make the 9:29 to Munich? The website also says, that due to construction, the train will leave 25 minutes early, so that would make it around 9:04. Too early?

 

You mentioned the limited number of standard fare tix on sale 92 days prior to travel date. Is the standard fare the same as 2nd class?

 

Sorry for all the questions! Your help is greatly appreciated! :)

Hi, the first question is easy! On ICE trains there are large luggage spaces/racks at both ends of every car and one space for luggage in the middle. It is quite safe to put your luggage there, you can easily see it and in my 20 years of using DB I have never heard of anyone having their luggage stolen. If you have luggage in the aisle or taking up a seat you may be asked to move it to the space provided.

Now for the difficult bit. I am very confused as I have checked three different versions of the DB site (including the German site which is always up to date) and find that there are no longer any indications of delays due to trackwork. This is very worrying as I have given a lot of info on this subject on CC and it all now seems to have changed. I will check in person tomorrow at the main station and post again as soon as I have it straight.

If the info I am getting now is correct you will have plenty of time to catch the ICE direct from Warnemunde to Berlin and connect with an ICE to Munich there. This would be completely different from the info on the same sites a week ago when the ICE went direct to Munich and the timetable was affected by trackwork.

The limited special fares on offer from 92 days vary. They are a reduction, often quite considerable, on either the standard 2nd class fare, the 1st class fare or both. You never know until they appear!

I am sorry about the confusion but I can only go on what the DB web sites tell me and they are most definitely confusing at the moment but I will sort it out.

Anni

Anni,

 

this is a wonderful thread but it's so long now, I hope you don't mind me asking a couple of questions that are probably already answered!

we will be docking in Warnemude in June, on a Sunday. Our plan is to spend some time in Warnemude, Rostock, and Schwerin. But I did find a post from you indicating that shops in Rostock and Schwerin are closed on Sundays. Can you tell me what you would recommend doing in those towns on a Sunday? Also, we will use the train service...should we purchase a day ticket, or individual tickets?

 

appreciate your help....

 

Ruth H. (from Toronto)

Hi, With the exception of seaside/tourist towns like Warnemunde and some shops in large railway stations there is no Sunday shopping in Germany. Museums and tourist attractions are open Sunday, if they have a day off it is usually Monday. Cafes and restaurants are open of course.

A day ticket is always the best option if you are going further than Rostock. However, if you buy a Mecklenburg Lander Ticket (eg for Schwerin) you will still need local transport tickets for the tram journey from the Rostock central station to Rostock city centre. For more information and prices please see pages 'Tickets - Deutsche Bahn' and 'Tickets - Local Transport' on my web site.

Happy cruising :)

Anni

www.travelanni.webs.com

Thanks for all your information. I know you have discussed this many times before, but I have a couple of questions about train from Warnemunde to Schwerin.

 

First, I see you have always mentioned the stop Schwerin Hbf as the stop for visiting Schwerin. I have noticed that it appears on google maps that Schwerin Mitte is closer to center of town/castle. Is there a reason for one stop over the other for visiting the area?

Hi,

Thanks for your appreciation and for asking this question, the reasons for choosing one over the other are both practical and my personal choice.

You are quite right about the distance, although it is not very much, but although on a map the Mitte station looks close to the castle there is no 'as the bird flies' route between the two. In Schwerin the centre of town is the modern, shopping/ business part of town. The area of most interest to visitors is the older part between the Pfaffenteich (the small lake near the Hbf) and the Castle.

Getting off in Schwerin Hbf is much easier for visitors who are not familiar with the train journey. It is the main station therefore you get more advanced warning of its approach and there are always a lot of people getting off and on so it is a reasonably long stop. German trains usually stop for the minimum time necessary, you have to be ready. Its no good starting to put your coat on as the train stops!! Schwerin Mitte is only 2mins from Hbf so you have to be standing by the door as soon as the train leaves Hbf and sometimes there is no-one else getting off or on, could be tricky if you have a problem operating the doors or something. I personally don't think either Mitte station or the area is a very nice introduction to a very lovely town.

The walk from Hbf is very pleasant, along the lakeside and through the older, pedestrian area of town. It also takes you past the Tourist Information Office. The walk from Mitte is across a car park, through a very modern, multi-level shopping mall of the type found in every city all over the world, across a busy traffic route and down a couple of very non-descript shopping streets.

As a local, if I was going to Schwerin alone simply to shop (not my thing !) I would probably use Mitte, at least for the return journey but never with visitors.

The above is just my opinion, others may disagree. It would be interesting to hear from visitors who have used Mitte.

Happy cruising, :)

Anni

http://www.travelanni.webs.com

Hi Anni,

 

Sorry to bother you again. Once last question.. I understand that From Kiel Otsekai Port is about 1 mile from the train station.. Would it be too far walking to the train station from the pier?

I am going to Lubeck.

Thanks...

Hi, Sorry but I can't help you there as I am not familiar with the city of Kiel, I have only ever been there as a visitor by car. Maybe it would be a good idea to ask this question on one of the Kiel threads so either a local or someone who has already been there from a cruise ship can help.

Good luck

Happy cruising, :)

Anni