WARNEMUNDE

The beautiful red-brick Hanseatic city of Rostock and the nearby seaside resort of Warnemunde are best known as departure points for Berlin, which is three to five hours away by train (so make sure you have enough time in port before embarking on a trip to the German capital). Many cruise passengers go straight to Berlin. But if you've already been there, or if you live in Europe and Berlin is an easy weekend for you, take time to explore Rostock and Warnemunde instead. These charming places offer traditional architecture and long-standing maritime traditions. Warnemunde - the mouth of the River Warnow - gets most of the attention, despite being a small suburb of Rostock. With a population of 35,000 compared to Rostock's 200,000, Warnemunde is an operational fishing port and an attractive seaside resort with vast sand dunes on both sides of the river mouth. You'll see rows of old half-timbered houses, sleepy squares, modern hotels with spas and boats galore. Ice-cream stalls and hundreds of screeching seagulls complete the seaside atmosphere. Summer is regatta season and, apart from the constant buzz of ferries to and from Denmark, Finland, and Sweden, hundreds of sailing boats can be on the water at any one time. The season culminates in Warnemunde week each July when 2,000 sailors gather for seven days of yacht races and nightly parties. Medieval Rostock appears even smaller thanks to miles of rolling countryside and forest around the city. The city's merchants made a quick profit from beer and fish exports in the 12th century and - to facilitate trade and protect their powerful fleet - were instrumental in forming the Hanseatic League, a famous union of wealthy trading towns in northern Germany. The city later became famous for aircraft manufacture; the Heinkel factory was located in Warnemunde and in the 1930s produced aeroplanes for the Luftwaffe. Although some of the city's magnificent buildings were destroyed during World War II, you can still see the city's great markets, bridges, walls, and gates. Even the newer buildings are designed in the traditional style of red brick and stepped gables. The skyline is dominated by three imposing churches, including St. Peter's, which was one of the tallest buildings in the world. Rostock has the distinction of being the oldest university town in northern Germany and also has a high school for the performing arts. Like many other places in Germany, the city produces excellent beer, but nowadays its income comes mainly from cruise ship tourism and, to some extent, from the production of ship parts. The lively pedestrian zone of Kropeliner Strasse is lined with shops, restaurants, and bakeries and is fun to walk around. From there, it's an easy walk to the Museum of Cultural History (whose treasures include a splinter from Christ's cross), Petrikirche (St Peter's Church), with its observation tower, and Marienkirche (St Mary's Church), built-in 1230 and housing a famous astronomical clock. Rostock has a long-standing association with tall ships and enthusiasts can organize a cruise to coincide with the annual Hanse Sail Rostock in August, when around 200 junkers and other classic sailboats sail into the harbor for four days of racing, fireworks, and markets. This event attracts local sailors, who moor for the festivities, along with hundreds of thousands of visitors.