Welcome to NE Germany - happy to help you enjoy

[tetleytea]

Wismar was a lot like Talinn, with all the medieval and the modern mixed together. But really it's the country we liked (albeit our impression was a bit skewed, based on where we visited). Very happy, friendly, active people. They don't know English very well, but very friendly. We had lunch at a medieval Gothic church (Saint Nicolai), put on by the members of that church. Paid 2 euros between the both of us. When the volunteer cook realized we were tourists, she loaded down our plates with more food than we could eat; and she refused more money. We donated euros out front instead. We rented a car at the port, which turned out to be very much the right thing to do. I got to do 140mph on the autobahn.

[Kruizefan]

We are on a Princess Cruise that is docking in Hamburg and would like to go into Berlin. Is that too long of a ride, are there tour companies that would take you from Hamburg to Berlin?

 

Is the Berlin Wall really worth the trip or would we be better seeing the sights of Hamburg? This is our first trip to Germany.

 

Thanks in advance for all your help.

 

Kathy:D

 

Kathy,

 

maybe you've heard for 25 yrs there is no more a Berlin Wall :D

 

Take the ICE train to Berlin and you won't regret it!

 

Hamburg is a nice city but there is much more to be seen in Berlin!

 

I' ve guided some friends in Berlin, who called at Hamburg on the Golden P. ten yrs ago.

We had a wonderful day in capital city and came back to Hamburg close to midnight.

 

 

Gruß aus Hamburg

 

.

Edited July 17, 2015 by Kruizefan

[tetleytea]

Everyone knows the Berlin Wall no longer holds anyone back, but not everyone may know the Berlin Wall is simply no more at all.

[GradUT]

We are on a Princess Cruise that is docking in Hamburg and would like to go into Berlin. Is that too long of a ride, are there tour companies that would take you from Hamburg to Berlin?

 

Is the Berlin Wall really worth the trip or would we be better seeing the sights of Hamburg? This is our first trip to Germany.

 

Thanks in advance for all your help.

 

Kathy:D

 

Are you actually docking in Hamburg or are in docking in Kiel (for Hamburg)?

 

If you are docking in Hamburg, then it might be possible to take the train to Berlin for the day, provided you have a long stay in Hamburg. If your time in port in not long enough for Berlin, then I'd recommend taking the train to Luebeck.

 

If you are docking in Kiel, you are much too far from Berlin for a daytrip by train, but not too far to go to Luebeck by train. (Travelanni has provided in train times earlier in this thread.) We made this daytrip on our recent Baltic Cruise when we docked in Kiel and it was a wonderful day! (Our friends who stayed in Kiel said they had a disappointing day; we had an enchanting day in Luebeck.)

[StarTrkGeek]

Are you actually docking in Hamburg or are in docking in Kiel (for Hamburg)?

 

If you are docking in Hamburg, then it might be possible to take the train to Berlin for the day, provided you have a long stay in Hamburg. If your time in port in not long enough for Berlin, then I'd recommend taking the train to Luebeck.

 

If you are docking in Kiel, you are much too far from Berlin for a daytrip by train, but not too far to go to Luebeck by train. (Travelanni has provided in train times earlier in this thread.) We made this daytrip on our recent Baltic Cruise when we docked in Kiel and it was a wonderful day! (Our friends who stayed in Kiel said they had a disappointing day; we had an enchanting day in Luebeck.)

How far is Luebeck from Hamburg, by train? What's in Luebeck to do?

Alan

[GradUT]

Luebeck was one of the foremost cities in the Hanseatic League and is now designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 

Here's a link from Travelanni's blog about cities in Northern Germany which talks about Luebeck. I also got some information from the Luebeck tourism office (which Travelanni mentions) and from the Lonely Planet Germany and Rough Guide Germany guidebooks (from my local library).

 

http://travelanni.webs.com/lbeck.htm

 

The travel time from the Hamburg Hauptbahnhof (main train station) to the Luebeck Hauptbahnhof is approximately 45 minutes. Times and fares can be found on the Deutsche Bahn website: http://www.bahn.com/i/view/GBR/en/

[want2bcruizin]

We will be disembarking our Royal Princess cruise in Warnemunde May 4, 2016 and heading to Berlin were we plan to stay for 3 days before heading to Munich for about 5 days. I understand there is a national holiday of some kind during some of this time and wonder how this will impact us. Will museums be opened and how will this affect transportation and train schedules?

 

Any information would be helpful. We may use the ships transferr for our train to Berlin so that we do not have to worry about our hauling our luggage. We have not yet booked our hotels so any suggestions would be helpful too.

[StarTrkGeek]

We will be disembarking our Royal Princess cruise in Warnemunde May 4, 2016 and heading to Berlin were we plan to stay for 3 days before heading to Munich for about 5 days. I understand there is a national holiday of some kind during some of this time and wonder how this will impact us. Will museums be opened and how will this affect transportation and train schedules?

 

Any information would be helpful. We may use the ships transferr for our train to Berlin so that we do not have to worry about our hauling our luggage. We have not yet booked our hotels so any suggestions would be helpful too.

The Rick Steves Guidebook recommends staying in the East Berlin neighborhood of Prenzlauer Berg. Just do a search in this neighborhood on Trip Advisor.

Alan

[Sauer-kraut]

We will be disembarking our Royal Princess cruise in Warnemunde May 4, 2016 and heading to Berlin were we plan to stay for 3 days before heading to Munich for about 5 days. I understand there is a national holiday of some kind during some of this time and wonder how this will impact us. Will museums be opened and how will this affect transportation and train schedules?

 

Any information would be helpful. We may use the ships transferr for our train to Berlin so that we do not have to worry about our hauling our luggage. We have not yet booked our hotels so any suggestions would be helpful too.

 

May 5th is Ascension Day (Christie Himmelfahrt) it will be a bank holiday and the museums and most shops will be closed. On the 15th and 16th is the Pentecost and that Monday is a national holiday as well. The village I used to live in always had a wonderful fest that weekend, so lperhaps you'll find something like that going on and make some new friends over schnapps and bier. :D

[Travelanni]

May 5th is Ascension Day (Christie Himmelfahrt) it will be a bank holiday and the museums and most shops will be closed. On the 15th and 16th is the Pentecost and that Monday is a national holiday as well. The village I used to live in always had a wonderful fest that weekend, so lperhaps you'll find something like that going on and make some new friends over schnapps and bier. :D

 

Ascension Day on May 5th is also celebrated as Men's Day when it is traditional for the men to have a day out together while the women enjoy themselves with the children. The men's day usually involves something outdoors and, in most cases, a great deal of beer and schnapps so watch out for parties of men (young and old) towing small hand carts full of 'supplies'. OK in the morning but it can get a bit 'hairy' in the evening, especially around rail stations, when the carts are empty and the returning revellers are full.

Pentecost (or Whitsuntide) is part of a long weekend, May 14th to 16th, and much more sedate, the whole family enjoying themselves together at the first weekend on the beach or at one of the Pentecost fairs held in many towns.

 

As Sauer-kraut says most shops (with the exception of those in airports, railway stations and tourist areas) will be closed on 5th and 16th . The main train schedules are not usually affected but it is best to check on http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en if you intend to travel.

It would also be a good idea to check with the web sites of any museums you intend to visit as some do stay open on Public Holidays for obvious reasons.

 

Enjoy :)

 

Anni

http://www.travelanni.webs.com

Edited July 29, 2015 by Travelanni

[want2bcruizin]

Thanks for the explanation of the May 5 holiday. I will know to watch for groups of drunken men returning fron their day's celebrating! I'm sure we can find things to do to fill our day but it helps to be able to plan for this.

 

Marion

[daffodiliaz]

 

1. Correct - you only need the single tickets to Rostock for the journey before 9am (one ticket per person @ 1.90 each, remember to validate them on the platform). The return is covered by the Lander ticket. Just one point, should you decide to have a look at Rostock on the way back you will need to buy tickets on the tram, the Lander Ticket is only valid on the trains, not the trams or buses.

 

Happy cruising :)

Anni

http://www.travelanni.webs.com

 

Hi Anni,

I've visited your website and it's been a big help in my planning, so I thank you.

I sail in a couple weeks and plan to take the train to Schwerin. I know which tickets to purchase thanks to your website. My concern is validating the tickets.

 

Single ticket for Warnemunde to Rostock must be validated as you stated above.

 

Do all tickets (single, day, Lander) require validation?

 

The Lander ticket is valid after 9AM. If it requires validation, can it be validated in Warnemunde as long as it's used for train out of Rostock after 9AM?

 

Is the validation just a one time thing, or is it each time you board a tram, train, etc?

 

Lots of questions but I'm sure there's a simple answer. ;) I'm new to tram/train transport.

 

Separate topic: Schwerin Castle is closed on Monday (our port day) but we still plan to look around the grounds and town. Do you know anything about the 1.5hr lake cruises on http://www.weisseflotteschwerin.de/ ? If so, is there nice scenery and would you recommend? We're considering, weather permitting.

 

Thanks in advance!

[Travelanni]

Hi Anni,

I've visited your website and it's been a big help in my planning, so I thank you.

I sail in a couple weeks and plan to take the train to Schwerin. I know which tickets to purchase thanks to your website. My concern is validating the tickets.

 

Single ticket for Warnemunde to Rostock must be validated as you stated above.

 

Do all tickets (single, day, Lander) require validation?

 

The Lander ticket is valid after 9AM. If it requires validation, can it be validated in Warnemunde as long as it's used for train out of Rostock after 9AM?

 

Is the validation just a one time thing, or is it each time you board a tram, train, etc?

 

Lots of questions but I'm sure there's a simple answer. ;) I'm new to tram/train transport.

 

Separate topic: Schwerin Castle is closed on Monday (our port day) but we still plan to look around the grounds and town. Do you know anything about the 1.5hr lake cruises on www.weisseflotteschwerin.de/ ? If so, is there nice scenery and would you recommend? We're considering, weather permitting.

 

Thanks in advance!

Thank you for your appreciation, glad to have been of help

 

The lander ticket does not require validation as it is already dated but must be signed and it will be inspected, along with the signatory's ID, on the main line train.

 

Local transport tickets, single and day, require validation. Each ticket needs only to be validated once. In the case of the train from Warnemünde to Rostock the ticket must be validated in the orange box on the platform before getting on the train, in the case of trams and buses the orange boxes are on board.

BTW the price of a single ticket is now 2€ :(

 

The cruises you mention are very good. I took my Australian visitor on the 4-Seen Linie and she rated it as the highlight of her visit to Schwerin.

There are two types. The 4 Seen Linie cruises the 4 inner lakes; nice scenery, beautiful houses, quaint holiday homes, house boats and views of the interesting old harbour. The Heidenseelinie and the Grosseinselline cruise the main lake, the Schweriner See, viewing some of the islands and places around the lake, a lot of open water and I think take slightly longer than the first. All the cruises give the opportunity of some magnificent views of the castle.

My recommendation would be the 4-Seen Linie.

Happy cruising :)

Anni

www.travelanni.webs.com

Edited August 16, 2015 by Travelanni

[SuiteCruisin14]

Travelanni:

 

I have enjoyed skimming through your page and I apologize if you have answered these questions.

 

We are sailing on the NCL Escape in October when she makes her first voyage to Southampton. We will be arriving by overnight train from Zurich 4 days before and will be using Hamburg as a base for excursions.

 

Is the Hamburg Card the best way to get around the City using public transportation? We also plan to visit Berlin one day, what train gets us there the fastest?

 

Any other suggestions you have for our visit are greatly appreciated. We would love to see a "castle" of two, also.

 

Lynda

Edited August 21, 2015 by SuiteCruisin14
adding info

[StarTrkGeek]

Travelanni:

 

We also plan to visit Berlin one day, what train gets us there the fastest?

 

Lynda

The ICE train is the fastest -- approximately 1 hour 40 minutes.

Alan

[pompeii]

Wismar was a lot like Talinn, with all the medieval and the modern mixed together. But really it's the country we liked (albeit our impression was a bit skewed, based on where we visited). Very happy, friendly, active people. They don't know English very well, but very friendly. We had lunch at a medieval Gothic church (Saint Nicolai), put on by the members of that church. Paid 2 euros between the both of us. When the volunteer cook realized we were tourists, she loaded down our plates with more food than we could eat; and she refused more money. We donated euros out front instead. We rented a car at the port, which turned out to be very much the right thing to do. I got to do 140mph on the autobahn.

 

Tetley, we'll be up that way in less than two weeks. Can you give more information on the church where you had lunch? Is it in Wismar?

[Sauer-kraut]

Tetley, we'll be up that way in less than two weeks. Can you give more information on the church where you had lunch? Is it in Wismar?

 

There is a Nikolaikirche in Wismar, I don't know how often they put on a lunch. There was nothing being served the day I visited 5 years ago. You can't miss this church it has a really high steeple and is near a small stream. Look for the bridge with the pigs on the pillars. :D

 

St.-Nikolai-Kirche Wismar

Spiegelberg 14

23966 Wismar

 

[Travelanni]

Travelanni:

 

I have enjoyed skimming through your page and I apologize if you have answered these questions.

 

We are sailing on the NCL Escape in October when she makes her first voyage to Southampton. We will be arriving by overnight train from Zurich 4 days before and will be using Hamburg as a base for excursions.

 

Is the Hamburg Card the best way to get around the City using public transportation? We also plan to visit Berlin one day, what train gets us there the fastest?

 

Any other suggestions you have for our visit are greatly appreciated. We would love to see a "castle" of two, also.

 

Lynda

Hi Lynda, thank you for your appreciation.

Hamburg is a great city both for itself and as a base. There is plenty to see and do and it is well connected to the surrounding area. Just Google 'Hamburg Tourism' and a click on the pictures at the top which interest you will take you to the individual web sites.

 

The Hamburg card is very good value if you intend to use even just a few of their discounts.

http://www.hvv.de/en/tickets/day-tickets/hamburg-card/

 

If none of the discounts interest you then one of the transport only tickets

offered on the above site is also good value.

 

If you stay at either of the InterCity Hotels you receive a free public transport card valid on all buses, trains and ferries for the duration of your stay.

 

The public transport coverage of the city is excellent and, as Hamburg is based on the river, the ferries are a great way to sightsee and also to use as a means of HOHO transport.

 

As stated the quickest way from Hamburg to Berlin is the ICE train. The service is approximately every hour and the cost is 156€ return per person if you book on the day or around 135€ return for two people if you book one of the special offers, in advance (the sooner the better) on the internet.

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

 

The two 'castles' near Hamburg of which I am aware are in Plön

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plön_Castle

and Schwerin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwerin_Palace

 

Both are easy to reach by train.

 

Enjoy Hamburg and Berlin, they are my two favourite cities.

 

Happy cruising, :)

Anni

http://www.travelanni.webs.com

Edited August 22, 2015 by Travelanni

[Kruizefan]

Hi Lynda, thank you for your appreciation.

 

The public transport coverage of the city is excellent and, as Hamburg is based on the river, the ferries are a great way to sightsee and also to use as a means of HOHO transport.

 

The most popular river Elbe ferry boat line is # 62 from "St. Pauli Landungsbrücken" to "Finkenwerder" which you can do as a roundtrip.

 

Day ticket for 1 person is € 6 and up to 5 persons it's € 11,20.

 

 

Gruß aus Hamburg with Tapatalk

Edited August 24, 2015 by Kruizefan

[SuiteCruisin14]

THANK YOU for the great info to all who replied, I have copied it to save for reference. We are so excited to be visiting Germany as part of our 15 day, European, 50th Anniversary trip ending with the Escape.

 

We can't wait to mee everyone we have "met" on CC.

 

Lynda

[NVYN]

Hi Anni,

 

Thank you so much for all of these valuable information on this forum. I use them for our Baltic cruise next year; unfortunately, our ship will dock at the commercial one in Rostock. Our plan is going to Schwerin first then return to visit Rostock town before heading back to our cruise port.

 

From what I learned from here, besides taxi and rental car options, our family of 4 could take bus to Lütten Klein then train to Rostock train station and another train to Schwerin.

 

Please let me know:

 

1) How much the bus ticket from cruise port to Lutten Klein and the train from there to Rostock?

 

2) I am still confused about the train tickets between Rostock and Schwerin. Is it true there are two kinds of tickets: Mecklenburg-Vorpommern- and Mecklenburg Lander? Which would be best for a family of four? Either tickets would cover the trip from Schwerin back to Rostock, correct?

 

3) To explore the Rostock town, we must buy different tickets for the tram from Rostock train station. Is there any kind of tickets that will cover this and those in my question #1?

 

4) Which tickets I could purchase online with credit cards?

 

Thank you so much for your help on this matter.

[GradUT]

NVYN--While this might not apply to your cruise, when we were on the HAL Eurodam in July, we docked in Rostock. The ship provided a free bus to Rostock and a free ferry to Warnemuende. The bus to Rostock went to the CBD which was about a 20-minute walk to the bahnhof (train station).

[Boiler Cruiser]

Hi, I am starting to do research on a place to stay in Amsterdam, one night, pre-cruise. Your post came up with the search function. Do you have any recommendations? Most of the smaller places that I have found will not allow a one night stay. They want 2-3 nights stays. :(

Thank you!

 

My DW and I are staying at the Vondel Hotel in Amsterdam pre-cruise next summer. It is near Vondel Park, and within walking distance of the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum. Also a short walk from the Liedesplein.

 

Try them...very good reviews on TripAdvisor.

[Boiler Cruiser]

Here's the link to the Vondel Hotel website: http://www.hotelvondel.com/en

[jmps]

Hi Anni,

 

Thank you so much for all of these valuable information on this forum. I use them for our Baltic cruise next year; unfortunately, our ship will dock at the commercial one in Rostock. Our plan is going to Schwerin first then return to visit Rostock town before heading back to our cruise port.

 

From what I learned from here, besides taxi and rental car options, our family of 4 could take bus to Lütten Klein then train to Rostock train station and another train to Schwerin.

 

.

 

We rented a car from Sixt in Warnemunde and drove to Schwerin. The drive was easy with the Autobahn and "country" roads along the way. It is a very flexible way to see the area. We had a wonderful lunch in a small cafe. They met us at the pier with the car. I would think they would do the same for you. Get a GPS with the car for a small charge and you will always know the way. The car was an Audi A3 for only around $60 for the day. It was one of the best days on that cruise.

Edited November 19, 2015 by jmps