There’s a charming little town in Germany that has been flying under the radar for far too long. You’ve probably only heard of it if you’ve looked into or gone on a Northern Europe Cruise, many of which take you to the port of Warnemunde Germany – the best little town you’ve never heard of.
Germany is packed full of cute towns, charming little places with picturesque storefronts and iconic countryside architecture. Warnemunde is definitely one of them. You might be thinking it’s going to be a boring port of call on your cruise around Northern Europe, but I promise it will turn out to be one of the best little towns of the whole trip.
Warnemunde, Germany, is a popular seaside resort town for the locals, located along the Baltic Sea, just two hours north of Berlin. The larger town of Rostock is close by. From Warnemunde, you can take a 45-minute tourist ferry or 20-minute train ride into Rostock.
Planning your trip to Warnemünde?
- Rent a car from the airport through Discover Cars.
Where to Stay in Warnemünde:
- Yachthafenresidenz Hohe Dune ⇒ Read reviews on Trip Advisor.
- Hotel Am Alten Strom ⇒ Read reviews on Trip Advisor.
- Strand-Hotel Huebner ⇒ Read reviews on Trip Advisor.
Best Tours and Experiences in Warnemünde:
- All-in-One Berlin Shore Excursion from Warnemunde and Rostock Port – Embark on a full-day shore excursion from Warnemunde Port to Berlin, discovering the city’s key landmarks
- Half-Day Rostock & Warnemünde Shore Excursion for Cruise Ship Passengers – Experience an action-packed day of adventures with a Hanseatic Rostock and Warnemunde shore excursion.
- Berlin & Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Tour from Warnemünde and Rostock Port – Maximize your time at the shore with a full-day shore excursion to Berlin, where you’ll visit the infamous Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp to learn about its dark past.
Want to go to Berlin instead?
The other option when docked in Warnemunde is to take a day trip to Berlin. Just note that it takes 3 hours to get there and 3 hours to get back, so it’s a full day of driving. I highly recommend booking a private tour that you can customize. A private tour is more expensive, but can be booked for up to 7 people. A group tour costs around $145/pp. These tours include key landmarks such as Charlottenburg Palace, the Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie
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What To Do in Warnemunde Germany
When I saw Warnemunde on the itinerary for our cruise, I was a bit worried that it would be boring. I thought there would be little to do and we’d end up spending most of the day on the ship for lack of something better to do. Boy was I wrong. In fact, we burned up every second we had in port at Warnemunde and we were all sad that we couldn’t stay longer.
If you go by what the travel guides say, there’s nothing in Warnemunde to see except a lighthouse and a teapot building. Many cruise ship passengers choose to go to Berlin for a day trip rather than stick around Warnemunde. If you choose to do that, you can book the Berlin day trip in advance here. Just be aware that it’s a long trip and will require a 3-hour train ride each way.
Why not stick around and enjoy this cute little town instead?
Thankfully, the guidebooks are wrong about Warnemunde. The lighthouse and teapot building are the least exciting things to see in Warnemunde. Read more about this little town.
The fun comes in the form of strolling about the seaside promenade, people watching, sitting down at the many open-air beer gardens for a pint and sampling the local food. You can tell this is a popular summer spot for locals.
The beach was packed and the promenade was humming with activity – and those weren’t just cruise passengers we were strolling along with. I can see why it’s popular. It’s a perfect day trip from the city; a great place to hit the beach and relax in a really beautiful environment.
The walking street along the canal is called der Alte Strom or the Old Channel. It’s basically a promenade of pubs, restaurants and shops, lined with dozens of working fishing boats and tourist boats carting people out and around the area. Just walking along the canal is plenty of fun for one day.
⇒ You can book a half-day tour of Warnemunde and Rostock here.
Or just wander around, check out the shops, sit down for a beer and people watch, grab an ice cream cone from any of the dozen vendors, have a fantastic seafood lunch or stroll out to the beach and check out the pier.
For restaurants, try Zwanzig12 on the main promenade and Zum Strumer, which is further off the tourist path. Near Zwanzig12 are dozens of other choices that most likely won’t require reservations, so you can just sit down where ever looks good to you.
What To Do in Rostock
Rostock is home to Germany‘s oldest university and also has a top performing arts school. Its income is mainly from cruise ship tourism and the manufacturing of ship parts, which you can see taking place along the waterways while on the tourist ferry.
Kropeliner Strasse, in the middle of town, is a lively pedestrian street, lined with shops, restaurants and bakeries. It’s bigger than the promenade in Warnemunde and houses big brand stores, along with plenty of great local shops.
You can easily spend a few hours window shopping. From there, it’s an easy walk to the Cultural History Museum, St. Peter’s Church, with its impressive observation tower, and St. Mary’s Church, home to a famous astronomical clock.
Eating & Drinking in Warnemunde & Rostock
As you already know, eating and drinking are two of my favorite things to do while traveling. We take seriously our mission to try all the food and drink so we can bring it back home and share it with you. Both Warnemunde & Rostock presented many delightful food & drink opportunities.
Before leaving home, I heard that Fischbrotchen (a fried fish sandwich) is the thing to eat in the area. When we arrive, we found that Fischbrotchen was being sold everywhere we turned. There were food trucks, restaurants and seaside food stands selling the famous fish sandwich.
There was halibut, mackerel, butterfish, flapper, bismarck, herring and pickled herring, etc. As it turns out, this fish sandwich is what Warnemunde is most known for.
Of course, there are also the typical German foods one must eat while in Germany, along with the obligatory beer that is brewed so artfully in Germany.
For lunch, we found a fantastic little restaurant, Burwitz Legendar, in the town square in Rostock where we sampled some Schweineschnitzel and Bratwurst. We also picked up a supplemental bratwurst while we were walking along the Kropeliner Strasse. Who doesn’t like a hotdog stand!
For drinking, we were overwhelmed with choices. I’ve always been in love with German beer. You can order pretty much anything and it’ll taste delicious. It’s not as complicated as the microbrew scene we have in the U.S.
You can just order a dunkel or a weissen and be ensured you’ll drink a decent beer. There’s no worry of extra-bitter hoppiness, intense coffee flavors or uber alcoholic Imperial bombs. Just a great beer.
With all these thing to do, it was extremely difficult to climb back on board that cruise ship and set sail for another town. I enjoyed Warnemunde and Rostock so much that it ended up being one of my favorite stops on the cruise, rather than one of the most boring.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the meaning of Warnemünde?
The name “Warnemünde” is of German origin and has historical significance. It is a combination of two words: “Warne” and “Münde.”
“Warne”: The first part, “Warne,” refers to the river Warnow, which flows through the area. The Warnow River is approximately 155 kilometers long and flows into the Baltic Sea.
“Münde”: The second part, “Münde,” translates to “mouth” or “estuary” in German. Therefore, “Warnemünde” is the mouth of the Warnow River, where it meets the Baltic Sea.
What is Warnemünde known for?
Warnemünde’s picturesque beaches, maritime charm, historic landmarks, and vibrant atmosphere contribute to its reputation as a popular and enjoyable destination for visitors from near and far.
Where is Warnemünde in Berlin?
Warnemünde is not located in Berlin; it is in a different region of Germany. Warnemünde is a district and seaside resort town situated on the Baltic Sea coast in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It is approximately 210 kilometers (130 miles) north of Berlin.
Conclusion
I hope to make it back there someday. If you’re ever so lucky to be able to spend some time in Warnemunde or Rostock, I encourage you to do so. You’ll love it.
More likely, you’ll be on a cruise like the one I was on, where you’ll dock in Warnemunde Germany and have the opportunity to take an excursion to Berlin. While Berlin is obviously a really great city that is worth visiting, it takes half of your time in port just to get there by train or bus.
Why not spend the time leisurely enjoying the towns of Warnemunde and Rostock instead? You’ll see a local side of Germany, enjoy some local food and drink and have a peaceful and relaxing day in port instead of a harried and crazy trip to Berlin. That’s just my two cents.
Be Prepared For Travel
Planning is the most important part of any successful trip. Do it the easy way:
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- Find and book the best hotel (our favorite booking site is Expedia)
- Research flight options (our favorite tool is Skyscanner)
- Book a tour (we always use Viator to find the best tours)
- Rent a car through Discover Cars (they search the best deals for you!)
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Laura Lynch, creator and writer of Savored Journeys, is an avid world traveler, certified wine expert, and international food specialist. She has written about travel and food for over 20 years and has visited over 75 countries. Her work has been published in numerous guidebooks, websites, and magazines.
I want that sandwich!!! Looks like a cute town to visit. 😉 I’ll keep it in mind if I go back to Germany.
Now that’s the sort of town I could cope with! Sometimes it’s better to stray away from the well known places and seek out places that the locals enjoy. I could quite easily spend a day or two relaxing with those surroundings!
I agree, Heather. Sometimes we’re in too much of a rush to see the big things and don’t slow down to enjoy the little things.
The food and the beer look amazing! 🙂 Can’t wait to visit Germany!
It looks like one of those towns where there might not necessarily be as many sights but still plenty to do. People watching, eating and drinking are my favorite ways to explore a place and so often the guidebooks don’t have anything on all of that. The fish sandwich looks delicious by the way!
Yes, that’s exactly right. There’s nothing really to see. It’s just about relaxing and enjoying the scenes around you.
I would love to visit Germany one day! When I saw that fish sandwish I was like “I need to have that!” haha 😀
It was really overwhelming how many choices there were for fish sandwiches. I think we need to go back and try one from every stand! 🙂
I am in love with these pictures!
I didn’t hear about this town – but it looks really lovely! A bit in a Dutch style 😉
Thanks, Laura! We’ll be there on August 24th and will do as you recommended. My friends and I will visit Berlin before the cruise. How did you get from the ship to both Warnemunde and Rockport? That’s my only concern, since I really don’t know the distance to either, nor the accessibility to various types of transportation.
Hi Yolanda. So glad you’ll get to check out Warnemunde. Our ship docked right next to Warnemunde, so you don’t have to take any transportation there, except your feet. If you want to go to Rostock, you can take a little boat that leaves from the same dock as the ship, or you can walk into Warnemunde and take the tram that goes directly into Rostock.
Thank you Laura! I have been Googling all day our day in Warnemunde. We had decided that we didn’t want to do the Berlin option and I was wondering if there would be enough to see. You have helped me immensely. We will be there August 25th. We are investors in a local craft beer brewery so we can do research!
I’m glad I could help out with your plans. It’s a cute town, worthy of just walking around and enjoying the people watching, but I do recommend hopping over to Rostock too. Have a great time.
are there any needlework shops in warnamumde?
Jean, I’m sorry I don’t really know if there are. You could google it and see if anything comes up. It’s a pretty small town, but it’s possible.
Take public transportation into Rostock and in the city center you will find every sort of shop, including department stores.
Great tip Jim. Thanks.
unless you are there on a Sunday! Sunday shops are closed in Germany.
Just wanted to say, we did go to Berlin (6 hours total travel time there and back by train) as we hadn’t been there before. Very interesting historical city. Saw the wall, ally museum, Brandenburg gate, etc. Glad we saw it, but next trip we will definitely stay in Wunermunde and save the 6 hrs for fish sandwiches and beer!
Thank you for the post
Whew, that’s a lot of travel time! Glad it was worth it. Berlin is a great city.
Warnemunde and Rostock look lovely. Would like to visit these places in the future. My reason for visiting these places also has to do with the fact that my grandfather worked as a slave labourer in WW2 in the aircraft factory Heinkel. He came back traumatised and went into hiding and never went back to Germany. Is there anything left regards the history of the factory?
Wow, what a story he has to tell, I’m sure. I don’t think there would be any history of the factory remaining in that area, but you never know.
Love your info…we will be on cruise ship in April….we are flying into Copenhagen from Oklahoma…we are thinking of flying from Copenhagen to Berlin and spending a few days and then back to spend a couple nights in Copenhagen before we get on cruise ship…that way we can visit the other towns when we do Warnemunde port..What are your thoughts?
Hi Hazel, I think that sounds like a great plan. I love both Copenhagen (we have info on the site!) and Berlin. A few days in each would be great. The best part is how easy and inexpensive it is to fly between them. I think you’ll definitely be glad you have the chance to check out Warnemunde and Rostock. Both very cute.
I’m so glad I saw this section, now I know what to do when we dock to this place. Thank you for your candid answer.
You’re welcome, Mina. Have a great time.
Thank you so much for this information. I am just starting my research for a cruise next June. While Berlin would be interesting, not sure I’d like the hours of travel. This sounds much more interesting.
I’m sure you’ll enjoy it, Lynn. It’s a nice, relaxing way to spend the day in this port.
We four arrive on a cruise on 19th August can you arrange private trip by minivan to Berlin sightseeing with English speaking driver
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Was wondering what to do after we returned from Schwerin at 3:00 pm. Now I know! Glad I read this article. Rostock sounds like a plan after that and dinner in Warnemunde. That fish sandwich (whatever they call it) looks delicious! Thanks
Schnitzel is an Austrian dish, not “typically German” as you called it. As an Austrian, it hurt me to read that. Other than that, very useful article!
Sorry to offend you, Sandra. I wasn’t implying that the dish originated in Germany, just that it’s typical of Germany – a food you can find readily in Germany.
Visited Warnemünde in winter while my spouse was doing a pre-Doc at the Max Planck Institute in nearby Rostock, the town reminded me of coastal Northern Denmark in many ways, not least with the small fisherman’s houses and dockside smoked fish. Even in the cold and snow the town is enchanting.
Isn’t it? It’s very enjoyable. Thanks for your feedback, Bill.
thank you so much for the article. i am so glad that we read ịt
Visited Warnemunde on a cruise and it’s so utterly charming! Returning on a cruise this year, after 10 years(!) and it’s the one port I am so excited about visiting again,