Can't decide what to do with Warnemunde. Aarghhh!

[HawaiiUK]

We won't be going to Berlin, I know that. But what to do with that long day? Because I don't have any 'must-sees' for the German portion of our cruise, I am now dithering like crazy and can't decide between staying in Warnemunde or catching the train somewhere. Lubeck sounds nice, but if the train journey is about 2.5hrs, that's almost as bad as trekking to Berlin - and I guess I want the day to be fairly relaxed. Rostock? Easy to get to certainly. My husband and I both speak enough German to get by, so we don't need to book a tour and can D-I-Y it. But, but, but ...

 

Anyone else having trouble deciding what to do with these days? Or is it just me? :rolleyes:

[Alaskanb]

It was one of the easiest ports for us -- a Friends of Dave walking/train tour :) http://www.friendsofdavetours.com We are doing the Hansa tour. This tour is conducted by Dave and explores the Hanseatic history or our area and focuses on our medieval history during a time the Germanic states ruled the Baltic. Pirates and territorial expansion dominate the tales told on this tour. Find out why many people from this region have Swedish ties

 

Begin the day with a walking tour of charming Warnemünde, enjoy a stop for coffee and cake and then depart for Hanseatic Wismar, a UNESCO World Heritage city! After touring Wismar, delight in a delicious, a la Carte German lunch in a 555 year old brewery! Afterwards explore the Gothic quarter and enjoy free time to shop or sip a glass of wine on the market square before returning to Warnemünde.

[LiftLockCouple]

Try this site for some other ideas. http://travelanni.webs.com

[HawaiiUK]

Thanks, that site is helpful. Oh well, I guess I don't have to decide until virtually on the day!

Enjoy your walking tour, Alaskanb - it does sound well organised! (Without wishing to sound snobbish or pretentious, I just don't want to spend the day surrounded by English-speakers when I could be practising my German)

[hylasgirl]

We won't be going to Berlin, I know that. But what to do with that long day? Because I don't have any 'must-sees' for the German portion of our cruise, I am now dithering like crazy and can't decide between staying in Warnemunde or catching the train somewhere. Lubeck sounds nice, but if the train journey is about 2.5hrs, that's almost as bad as trekking to Berlin - and I guess I want the day to be fairly relaxed. Rostock? Easy to get to certainly. My husband and I both speak enough German to get by, so we don't need to book a tour and can D-I-Y it. But, but, but ...

 

Anyone else having trouble deciding what to do with these days? Or is it just me? :rolleyes:

 

 

This was one of my all time favorite cruise stops. It has seriously gone down in one of my "Groundhog Day" days.

 

I'm not sure your age or your interests but my husband and I rented bikes (just simple bikes) and we biked down the coolest trail. ALL day... stopping at places here and there for a glass of wine or cup of coffee. I later found out it was a part of the 400+ miles Baltic Sea Bike Trail. The scenery was just amazing. It was like biking through this amazing forest with the ocean on the other side. Warnemunde is really really a charming town. We had friends that took the train to Rostock and others that took the tour to Berlin and after chatting with everyone, I wouldn't have changed our day for anything. WE LOVED Warnemunde. The people were so friendly. The town was easy to navigate and the bike ride was just amazing. I'll do another cruise again that stops here.

 

But please spend some time here. It is SOOOO cute!

[LiftLockCouple]

Thanks, that site is helpful. Oh well, I guess I don't have to decide until virtually on the day!

Enjoy your walking tour, Alaskanb - it does sound well organised! (Without wishing to sound snobbish or pretentious, I just don't want to spend the day surrounded by English-speakers when I could be practising my German)

 

We are planning a DIY train trip to Schewrin. We will visit the Castle, and probably take a lake cruise, maybe visit a museum before returning to Rostock and Warnemunde.

[RJHNorthyorks]

We're planning to catch the train to Rostock and explore. I found lots of info on the Internet including a self guided walking tour. We're then returning to the port to explore. We all speak reasonable German and have used German railways on land hols before so seems very achievable.

[sddsddean]

We got the bus to Bad Doberan, rode the Molli steam train to Kuhlungsborn where we had lunch at a beachside cafe, came back on the Molli to BD, got the train to Rostock, tram into town, had a good wander, then tram and train back to Warnemunde. A great day out for under €20 each plus lunch. If you want to know how to do it, drop me an e mail for an info sheet.

 

Simon

[Gail Boertzel]

Hylasgirl -

 

Where did you rent bikes? Did the bike rental place give you some guidance as to where to ride? I take it that where you rode traffic was not an issue. Do you remember the cost, roughly, and for how many hours. Bike riding is my favorite way to see things because you cover more ground than walking, but much easier to make stops than if in a vehicle.

 

Thanks for your help...

[HawaiiUK]

The Molli train sounds interesting. Mind you, I'm wondering about a segway tour in Warnemuende. Has anyone done that? My husband, daughter and I were going to do one in Annecy last year, but the place was closed during the period we had available. Thought it might be fun.

[DanL]

Train trip to Schwerin & Wismar using Mecklenburg Lander ticket Euro 26 for 2 people.

Much info on travelanni site.

 

We are wondering what to do in Kiel, other than Lübeck. Any ideas??

[sddsddean]

The Molli train sounds interesting. Mind you, I'm wondering about a segway tour in Warnemuende. Has anyone done that? My husband, daughter and I were going to do one in Annecy last year, but the place was closed during the period we had available. Thought it might be fun.

 

Saw the segways lined up in the cruise terminal carpark when we were there, but didn't do it. Are you going to Copenhagen? I can recommend the segway tour run by Seamus there. http://tourscph.com/

 

Simon

[Travelanni]

Train trip to Schwerin & Wismar using Mecklenburg Lander ticket Euro 26 for 2 people.

Much info on travelanni site.

 

We are wondering what to do in Kiel, other than Lübeck. Any ideas??

 

Hi, You may find this interesting.

 

A very nice ferry ride from Kiel towards the Baltic is La Boe, a small, charming seaside town with a nice beach. But the main interest here is the

Laboe Naval Memorial . Started in 1927 and completed in 1936 as a monument to the World l war dead of the Kaiserliche Marine.

After Germany's surrender in May 1945, the Marine-Ehrenmal was confiscated by the British occupation forces. However, it was not destroyed as other military memorials, being dedicated as a personal tribute to German naval war losses. As the British Military Administration stated, the memorial did not “glorify war and the spirit of aggression, but belongs to those whose intention is a personal tribute to the seamen who died for their country.”

The Kreigsmarine dead of World War II were added and in 1954 it was returned to the German Naval Association and rededicated to commemorate the sailors of all nationalities who died during the World Wars.

The monument consists of a 72-metre high tower with an observation deck 85 m above sea level. Underneath is the Hall of Rememberance. This is a very special place of pilgrimage to people of many nationalities (including myself) who lost family at sea during a war. http://www.deutscher-marinebund.de/geschichte_me.htm the page is in English

Part of the complex is a naval museum and the grounds feature various artifacts including the World War II-era German Submarine U-955, the world's only remaining type VII U boat, which is open to the public. http://www.warmuseums.nl/gal/061gal.htm

Traditionally every ship passing the Memorial (and there are dozens every day going to and from the Canal) dips its flag in salute as this is the only memorial in the world to commemorate ALL sailors of ALL nations.

 

However it is by no means a grim place. The setting is beautiful and both the exterior and interior architecture is unusual and interesting. The little town is very pleasant with cafes and restaurants as well as the usual shops for souvenirs.

There is a regular ferry service between the Bahnhof (quite close to the Cruise Terminal) and La Boe. The ride takes an hour through the sheltered waters of the fijord. More details at http://www.sfk-kiel.de/en/index.php

 

Happy cruising, :)

Anni

http://www.travelanni.webs.com

[DanL]

Great idea. Thanks Anni.

Laboe & Kiel. My thought is Kiel first then as day warms (mid June, assuming sunny weather) ferry to Laboe.

[SoBaycruiser]

Hi, You may find this interesting.

 

A very nice ferry ride from Kiel towards the Baltic is La Boe, a small, charming seaside town with a nice beach. But the main interest here is the

Laboe Naval Memorial . Started in 1927 and completed in 1936 as a monument to the World l war dead of the Kaiserliche Marine.

After Germany's surrender in May 1945, the Marine-Ehrenmal was confiscated by the British occupation forces. However, it was not destroyed as other military memorials, being dedicated as a personal tribute to German naval war losses. As the British Military Administration stated, the memorial did not “glorify war and the spirit of aggression, but belongs to those whose intention is a personal tribute to the seamen who died for their country.”

The Kreigsmarine dead of World War II were added and in 1954 it was returned to the German Naval Association and rededicated to commemorate the sailors of all nationalities who died during the World Wars.

The monument consists of a 72-metre high tower with an observation deck 85 m above sea level. Underneath is the Hall of Rememberance. This is a very special place of pilgrimage to people of many nationalities (including myself) who lost family at sea during a war. http://www.deutscher-marinebund.de/geschichte_me.htm the page is in English

Part of the complex is a naval museum and the grounds feature various artifacts including the World War II-era German Submarine U-955, the world's only remaining type VII U boat, which is open to the public. http://www.warmuseums.nl/gal/061gal.htm

Traditionally every ship passing the Memorial (and there are dozens every day going to and from the Canal) dips its flag in salute as this is the only memorial in the world to commemorate ALL sailors of ALL nations.

 

However it is by no means a grim place. The setting is beautiful and both the exterior and interior architecture is unusual and interesting. The little town is very pleasant with cafes and restaurants as well as the usual shops for souvenirs.

There is a regular ferry service between the Bahnhof (quite close to the Cruise Terminal) and La Boe. The ride takes an hour through the sheltered waters of the fijord. More details at http://www.sfk-kiel.de/en/index.php

 

Happy cruising, :)

Anni

http://www.travelanni.webs.com

 

This is fascinating. Our ship will be transiting the Kiel Canal in late June from east to west. I believe we will be dropping off passengers in Kiel for an all day excursion on which passengers will then meet up with ship later. No others will be allowed to leave the ship. So my question is, can the U-Boat be seen from the cruise ship as it enters the waters near Laboe as it prepares to enter the canal?

[epixx]

Hylasgirl -

 

Where did you rent bikes? Did the bike rental place give you some guidance as to where to ride? I take it that where you rode traffic was not an issue. Do you remember the cost, roughly, and for how many hours. Bike riding is my favorite way to see things because you cover more ground than walking, but much easier to make stops than if in a vehicle.

 

Thanks for your help...

 

I'm not hylasgirl, but we did the same thing in Warnemunde. HeinBloed, who lives in Germany described the location of the bicycle rental shops as follows:

 

 

In Warnemünde there are two bike-rental companies within 5 minutes walking distance.

 

"One is located in the railways station building

the second is located downtown next to the tourist office

 

Renting bikes is quite reasonable in Warnemünde:

 

One day: 6-7 EUR = 10-11 USD"

 

 

Note that these prices were from 2008. Also note that we got off the ship a bit late and found that the bikes we needed (we needed 4 of them, including a kid's bike) were not available at either shop by that time. We asked at one of the 2 bike shops recommended by HeinBloed and were directed to a 3rd bicycle shop that was actually closer and more convenient to the bike trail. We paid about 35 EUR (2008) for all 4 bikes for the day.

 

The town of Warnemunde is pretty crowded, and we were unable to ride right through the town, but the bike trail was absolutely fantastic, one of the best we've ever ridden. The trail has pedestrian and bicycle traffic, but really nothing else. It's really easy to find. Just walk or ride the bike to the beach area, where you will see a promenade. As you face the beach, turn left and keep going into the woods! Have a great day. We found it to be an incredibly memorable one.

[lynncarol]

We did almost the identical excursion as Simon except we took a train to Bad Doberan. The Molli was really fun and you can hop on and off at will. Also enjoyed our stroll around Rostock.

 

We got the bus to Bad Doberan, rode the Molli steam train to Kuhlungsborn where we had lunch at a beachside cafe, came back on the Molli to BD, got the train to Rostock, tram into town, had a good wander, then tram and train back to Warnemunde. A great day out for under €20 each plus lunch. If you want to know how to do it, drop me an e mail for an info sheet.

 

Simon

[Travelanni]

This is fascinating. Our ship will be transiting the Kiel Canal in late June from east to west. I believe we will be dropping off passengers in Kiel for an all day excursion on which passengers will then meet up with ship later. No others will be allowed to leave the ship. So my question is, can the U-Boat be seen from the cruise ship as it enters the waters near Laboe as it prepares to enter the canal?

 

 

Hi, the answer is YES. The Memorial is at the entrance to the fijord, on the port side with the u-boat lying on the beach below the building. I'm not sure how close the main shipping channel is to the shore but the fijord is quite narrow at this point (the Memorial was built on the site of a defence battery) so you should get a good view. The entrance to the Canal is on the starboard side, further up the fijord.

Enjoy your transit of the Canal, it is considered to be the third great canal of the world after the Panama and the Suez. It is next on my list of freighter cruises to complete the set. (Panama 3 times and Suez 5 times.)

http://www.kiel-canal.org/english.htm

Do not miss the transporter bridge at Rendsburg! It is the only transporter bridge in the world to be combined with a railway bridge and one of only four in the world still operating as a public facility as opposed to a tourist attraction. The others are in Newport and Middlesborough-UK and Bilbao-Spain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transporter_bridge

Even the railway bridge is a feat of engineering, to gain height in the short distance between the railway station and the canal the tracks form a complete loop around the town.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendsburg_High_Bridge

Excuse the rambling but when water and feats of engineering meet I'm a bit of a nut! :rolleyes:

Happy cruising :)

Anni

http://www.travelanni.webs.com

[Coolcruise02]

We are planning a DIY train trip to Schewrin. We will visit the Castle, and probably take a lake cruise, maybe visit a museum before returning to Rostock and Warnemunde.

 

We did this and then went to the beautiful beach at Warnemunde and rented a wicker canopied beach chair called a "Strandkorben" and enjoyed a wonderful late afternoon/early evening on the beach. There is also a nice pier and and a lighthouse.

 

[brazilgirl]

We had a wonderful day in this port. We rented a car at the port and drove to Lubëck. We visited the Old Town , the Cathedral and a wonderful puppet musuem. We the had lunch near the river,,,lovely.

 

Upon return to Warnemunde w, we walked around the pier , very pretty. Very nice day .

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[SoBaycruiser]

Hi, the answer is YES. The Memorial is at the entrance to the fijord, on the port side with the u-boat lying on the beach below the building. I'm not sure how close the main shipping channel is to the shore but the fijord is quite narrow at this point (the Memorial was built on the site of a defence battery) so you should get a good view. The entrance to the Canal is on the starboard side, further up the fijord.

Enjoy your transit of the Canal, it is considered to be the third great canal of the world after the Panama and the Suez. It is next on my list of freighter cruises to complete the set. (Panama 3 times and Suez 5 times.)

http://www.kiel-canal.org/english.htm

Do not miss the transporter bridge at Rendsburg! It is the only transporter bridge in the world to be combined with a railway bridge and one of only four in the world still operating as a public facility as opposed to a tourist attraction. The others are in Newport and Middlesborough-UK and Bilbao-Spain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transporter_bridge

Even the railway bridge is a feat of engineering, to gain height in the short distance between the railway station and the canal the tracks form a complete loop around the town.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendsburg_High_Bridge

Excuse the rambling but when water and feats of engineering meet I'm a bit of a nut! :rolleyes:

Happy cruising :)

Anni

http://www.travelanni.webs.com

 

 

Anni,

You and my husband are two peas in a pod when it comes engineering marvels. He loves things like that. (Have you ever seen the Falkirk Wheel in Scotland?). His other passion is WWII military hardware. So you've come up with two big things to make the day more interesting. The only problem is that our balcony room is on the starboard side and we are suppose to enter the canal at 6am! So he'll have to get up very early and go to the other side of the ship to see the UBoat. Thanks!