Rostock
Introduction
Rostock is the largest city in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, sitting in the Mecklenburgian part of the state near the Pomeranian border. Its official name, the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock, points to the two threads that run through a visit: a long trading past and a student present.
On the German Baltic coast, Rostock ranks behind only Kiel and Lübeck, and it was the largest coastal and most important port city in East Germany. That port heritage shapes the city you encounter today, from the waterfront to the historic core.
Before you go
Rostock stretches along the Warnow River estuary to the Baltic Sea, and its Warnemünde district — literally "mouth of the Warnow" — is both a popular seaside resort and the city's long-standing main port. The city was an important member of the Hanseatic League and later one of the most significant ports of East Germany, with shipbuilding at its core until the East German economy collapsed in 1989/90; a few shipyards remain. Warnemünde harbour was the main base of the East German fishery fleet, and today the port is one of Germany's more important Baltic ferry ports and the country's most important for cruise ships. Plan around the seasons rather than specific dates: the tourist information office in the city centre on Universitätsplatz keeps longer hours from May to October and shorter ones from November to April, when it closes on Sundays. Rostock is generally safe, particularly in the medieval city centre and the Warnemünde resort area, though you should watch for pickpockets in crowded places and keep your distance from drunk people at night. Swimming in the Baltic can be dangerous when currents are strong or waves are high, and during cyanobacterial blooms in summer; popular beaches use flags, with yellow warning of conditions that may be risky for untrained swimmers and red prohibiting bathing altogether. Bathing is banned at all times in the Stadthafen old port area in the city centre, and it is strongly advisable to respect that rule, as heavy ship traffic on this part of the Warnow poses a constant danger.Getting there
Rostock–Laage Airport, about 20 km south of the city, is a military airbase with a small civilian section. There is no regular public transport to and from it: a few companies offer private transfers, and the municipal transport operator runs an on-call bus that must be pre-booked. Unless you are arriving on one of the few direct flights, it is usually more convenient to fly to Hamburg or Berlin Brandenburg and continue by train.
Rostock Central Station is the main rail gateway. From Hamburg Central Station there are frequent daily trains, and a Schleswig-Holstein-Ticket lets up to five people travel together from Hamburg. Deutsche Bahn also runs numerous daily connections from Leipzig and Berlin Central Station, plus a couple of ICE trains a day from as far away as Munich. By car, take the A1 from Hamburg to Lübeck and then the A20; from Berlin, follow the A24 towards Hamburg until the A19 crosses it and continue on the A19. Long-distance buses, mostly Flixbus, arrive at the central bus station next to the main station, with some services calling at the ferry terminal and at stops in Warnemünde near the centre and at the beach. As a Baltic ferry hub, Rostock is served by Scandlines from Gedser in Denmark and by Stena Line and TT-Line from Trelleborg in Sweden; all these ferries dock at the ferry terminal on the eastern side of the Warnow River, where buses link to the Dierkower Kreuz tram hub and Lütten Klein S-Bahn station. Most cruise ships call at the passenger terminal in Warnemünde, next to which S-Bahn trains and some long-distance services depart. The Berlin-Copenhagen Cycle Route also passes through Rostock.
Getting around
Rostock's buses, trams, ferries and trains all belong to the Verkehrsverbund Warnow (VVW), so you buy a ticket for the network rather than for a single operator and can switch between modes on one ticket. The fare zone covers Warnemünde as well as the centre. A single ticket is valid for a one-way trip with transfers along the way; a day ticket is valid until the next day; a group day ticket covers up to five people; and separate bicycle and ferry tickets are available. Reduced fares exist for eligible passengers. If you stay overnight, the tourist tax (Kurabgabe) includes public transport use.
The tramway is the backbone of inner-city travel, while buses reach places the trams do not. The S-Bahn links the centre with Warnemünde and other parts of the city, and Rostock Hauptbahnhof sits next to the central bus station (ZOB) for intercity coaches. Buses call frequently at the ferry terminal (Rostock Seehafen Fähre), connecting it to the Dierkower Kreuz tram hub and the Lütten Klein S-Bahn station. Taxis suit specific point-to-point journeys rather than everyday travel. The historic core is compact and best explored on foot, but the centre and Warnemünde are separate places, so use public transport for the longer hops. The Berlin–Copenhagen Cycle Route also passes through the city.
Where to stay
Rostock levies a tourist tax on leisure stays in formal accommodation, charged per day on top of your room rate. In return you receive a guest card, physical or digital depending on where you stay, which covers public transport across the city for the length of your visit and gives discounts at various facilities and tourist-oriented operators — ask each time you plan something, whether a museum, the zoo or a harbour cruise.
- Dock Inn Hostel Warnemünde — dorms; prices run high in summer.
- sweet dream hostel & pension, Güstrow — an alternative outside the city; regional express trains between the two towns run frequently, non-stop and take about 20 minutes, and a Deutschlandticket covers both the train and local transport in each town.
- Blue Doors Hostel KTV, Doberaner Straße 96 — private rooms only, no dorms; free internet, a well-equipped kitchen, good bathrooms, a downstairs lounge with TV, DVD and VCR plus board games, books and a dart board.
- Blue Doors Hostel Altstadt, Beginenberg 25-26 — private rooms despite the name, in an old town house around the corner from the medieval Steintor and two minutes on foot from the Neuer Markt, yet quiet; spacious common room with pre-orderable breakfast, a smaller third-floor lounge, a fully equipped kitchen, and very spacious dormitories under high stuccoed ceilings.
- Hotel GreifenNest, August-Bebel-Straße 49 b — a terrace and an easygoing ambiance.
- Penta Hotel, Schwaansche Straße 6 — wide beds, good air conditioning, an underground car park in the basement with lift access to all floors, a fitness centre and sauna, and wheelchair accessibility.
- Yachthafenresidenz Hohe Düne, Am Yachthafen 1 — a luxury hotel with its own yacht harbour next to Warnemünde.
Food & drink
For breakfast or a later coffee, Rostock has several chain bakery cafés spread across the city: Junge and Sparre both have branches in Warnemünde among their many locations, and Nowak operates several cafés in Rostock. Budget eating clusters in a few areas: in the city centre you'll find Zum Alten Hafen on Strandstraße and Fränkis Körri Braatwurscht on Breite Straße; around Doberaner Platz there's KTV Kantine, Pinky's pizza manufaktur, Marktkrug and Das Kumpirhaus; and near the Marienehe train stop, Rostocker Fischmarkt & Fischbratküche is both a fish restaurant and a shop.
For something mid-range, Leon's on Kröpeliner Straße is a steak house, Café in der Likörfabrik sits on Grubenstraße, Zur Kogge on Wokrenterstraße serves from Tuesday to Sunday, La Dolce Vita on Warnowufer offers Italian food, and Zuii's Restaurant on Am Strom is a Chinese-run restaurant and bar serving German and Asian food in a setting that suits a drinking crowd, with friendly staff though the food can be hit or miss. For an upscale treat, Gläserne Konditorei & Kaffeehaus Röntgen on Lange Straße is a patisserie with all-day breakfast, an ice-cream parlour and cocktails, and booking a table in tourist season is recommended. To drink, Brauerei Trotzenburg brews its own beer, and Alex by the City Hall is a relaxed bar and restaurant. Clubs include Bunker Rostock, with techno and 1990s rave in a bunker on the grounds of the former Neptun Werft shipyard; Helgas Stadtpalast, hosting live concerts and club nights from indie to electro in a GDR-era building; JAZ e.V. with live music and techno nights; ST-Club Rostock for student parties from rock to electronic; and UKW – Kraftwerk Rostock, a techno club in an old power plant.
What to see and do
Start in the old town, where the Petrikirche has the tallest tower of the three remaining churches and offers views over the town, river and harbour; you can climb the steep spiral stairs or take the lift installed in the former bell shaft to reach the lower platform. St. Mary's Church is the greatest of Rostock's churches, a huge brick Gothic building with an astronomical clock and fine historical altars. Much of the fortifications on the land side survive, and you will encounter three remaining gates: Kröpeliner Tor, Steintor and the oldest, Kuhtor. Guided tours are available, including some led by a guide dressed as a medieval night-watchman.
Head north to Warnemünde for the sandy beach and a swim if the weather is warm enough, the lighthouse with its panoramic views of the Baltic, and the Teapot, a circular building near the lighthouse and harbour entrance that houses restaurants and tourist facilities. The Alter Strom canal area has restaurants, pubs and a fish market. Between Nienhagen and Warnemünde, the Gespensterwald is a woodland of wind- and salt-spray-shaped trees, popular for walks along the cliffs and beach. In town, the KTV district is where you will find the highest density of bars, cafes and small shops, with Doberaner Platz as a meeting point. You can also take a harbour cruise on the Warnow, since ferries and sightseeing boats link the city harbour with Warnemünde, watch the sunset from the quay, or see a show at the Stadthalle or a Hansa Rostock match at the Ostseestadion.
When to go
Rostock has an oceanic climate strongly influenced by the Baltic Sea, which tempers the winters and shapes the summers. In winter, the maritime influence keeps conditions slightly milder than elsewhere in Germany, with Arctic blasts tempered rather than settling in as deep, sustained freezes. Expect cold, changeable weather instead of a long hard freeze. The open-sea station at Warnemünde sees smaller variations than the inland downtown, so the coast and the city centre can feel noticeably different on the same day.
Summer is the season for warm days and the year's longest sunshine. The continuous landmass to the south and east allows stronger bursts of heat to build, and the highest temperature on record fell in July. Even so, Warnemünde on the open sea is generally less warm on an average summer day than the northern side of the Baltic, making the coast the cooler choice when the heat pushes in.
Three days in Rostock
Day one: Start in the old Hanseatic centre, where the University City's historic core sits close to the Stadthafen. Wander from Universitätsplatz down toward the harbour, then follow the Warnow River out to Warnemünde, the district on the German Baltic where the river meets the Baltic Sea. Swimming and bathing are possible from May to October, though the water is bracing even in high summer.
Day two: Use Rostock as your base for the wider region of Mecklenburg and Western Pomerania. The city's Hanseatic League heritage is the thread to follow, and the Mecklenburgian and Pomeranian landscapes beyond the city reward a slower day. Note that many places close on Sundays, and that April and November can be raw and grey, so plan indoor stops for those months.
Day three: Reach Rostock by rail from Hamburg Central Station, or via Laage Airport, with Berlin Brandenburg and Lübeck also within range. Rostock Central Station puts the city centre within easy reach. Unless you are continuing on to Kiel, spend the last day along the Warnow and around the Stadthafen, where the East German past and the Hanseatic present sit side by side.