Berlin by Cruise Ship?

Northern Europe (Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea) lends itself to cruising–that’s why it was a natural destination for my new cruising guidebook. While in most cases the ship ties up right in the city center, the “port of Berlin” is an exception. Cruisers visit Berlin by the tens of thousands via the northern German port town of Warnemünde, which is a whopping 150 miles away. From Warnemünde, cruise lines charter buses or trains (in the case of my cruise, two entire trains), and over a thousand travelers from each ship get an early start and make the three-hour trip to the German capital for a busy five hours before hopping back on the same train or bus for the three-hour return trip. It’s a long day, but if you’ve never seen Berlin, it’s a real hit. While I didn’t make the excursion south, everyone I talked to enjoyed their day. I stayed in the north, visiting Warnemünde, a beach town with a popular boardwalk; and Rostock, less than a 30-minute train ride away.

The cruise port of Warnemünde feels made-to-order for the arrival of cruise ships. Here you see the port, the terminal building (with exchange desk, tourist info, clichéd bars and eateries, and souvenir shops), buses gathering for various excursions, the train station (where private trains chartered by the cruise line await to whisk their cruise travelers south)...and the town itself, awaiting your business.
The cruise port of Warnemünde feels made-to-order for the arrival of cruise ships. Here you see the port, the terminal building (with exchange desk, tourist info, clichéd bars and eateries, and souvenir shops), buses gathering for various excursions, the train station (where private trains chartered by the cruise line await to whisk their cruise travelers south)…and the town itself, awaiting your business.
Northern German beach resorts feel a bit like English ones: prepared for bad weather. Here, the beach is decorated with traditional rentable windshield lounge chairs.
Northern German beach resorts feel a bit like English ones: prepared for bad weather. Here, the beach is decorated with traditional rentable windshield lounge chairs.

(Photo by Trish Feaster. Read her blog at The Travelphile.com.)

Even on a blustery day, the promenade of Warnemünde was packed with people bundled up and out looking for a nice sausage.
Even on a blustery day, the promenade of Warnemünde was packed with people bundled up and out looking for a nice sausage.
Rather than spend six hours on the train side-tripping to Berlin, I toured Rostock, which has a rustic Hanseatic League flavor evoking a day when it was an economic powerhouse.
Rather than spend six hours on the train side-tripping to Berlin, I toured Rostock, which has a rustic Hanseatic League flavor evoking a day when it was an economic powerhouse.
Comments

7 Replies to “Berlin by Cruise Ship?”

  1. I have actually lived in Berlin and visited it several times since living there. I will be visiting Berlin again in September 2013. I still have many things to see and do.

  2. My husband and I spent four months in Europe a couple of years ago. One of our excursions was a 12 day Northern cruise. We also skipped Berlin and spent the day walking around Warnemunde and Rostock. We took a short boat ride from Warnemunde to Rostock. It was very enjoyable, beautiful architecture, lots of pictures. I would highly recommend it.

  3. As in most cases, If traveling to Berlin, a savvy traveler will come up with much cheaper alternatives to the ship’s excursions. The port is immediately adjacent to the train station and it’s very convenient to take the train into central Berlin – especially if your schedule accommodates one of the direct connections to Berlin via ICE high-speed train. (Otherwise you’re likely to transfer in Rostock – which is quite convenient). All easy to plan and book online.

    Not only will the trip be cheaper, it will likely be faster (especially ICE direct) and nicer. The ship charters are likely to be busses or old, less desirable train stock.

  4. I’m glad to see that you’re finally giving northern Germany some coverage. For too long, a lot of your fans seemed to be of the opinion that it wasn’t worth visiting, because Rick Steves doesn’t write about it.

  5. I think I would pass on Berlin, I have found that these cities are frustrating to see in just a few hours. When we travel in Europe we usually give big cities two to three days. That is the downfall of cruising, it looks good on paper, but when you really try to see these big sites in one day intervals you don’t see too much for the cost.

  6. I like how clean ‘n’ green Warnemünde seems in the first shot, which I wouldn’t have credited to a busy seaport. Notice the exhaust-puffing power team: a giant ship, 5 big lorries, 5 buses, and a train line. But apparently the many thick trees, abeted by energetic seawind, are doing a good job offsetting the damage.

  7. Judy – re your comment – “I have found that these cities are frustrating to see in just a few hours. When we travel in Europe we usually give big cities two to three days.”

    I agree. However, sometimes those few hours are your only opportunity (for the time being). Key to enjoying the experience is to realize the limitations and work within them. If one takes it as an opportunity for a simple overview – knowing that you’ll need to return to fully experience the city – you can have a great day. In the case of Berlin, we decided to take a segway tour (knowing that in any event, we’d be seeing things from the street anyway if we took a walking or ship’s bus tour). It was a great way to make use of those hours. I expect we’ll visit Berlin in the next few years and will get to know the city better.

    In almost all cases, doing advance research (perhaps via Rick Steves’ publications) will result in a richer experience that takes better advantage of your limited time than is offered by the ship’s excursions.

Comments are closed.