How could I possibly visit everything that this city has offer in only three days? That’s what I always ask myself when I plan a city trip to a European city – be it London, Paris, Berlin, Milan or Stockholm – and the answer is and probably always will be: not possible! But what I think when I muse over Rostock is that it is a perfect city to spend three days in! Here, you can have it all – culture, nature, the beach – it may be smaller, but is much more comfy than bigger cities, and you can’t get lost very easily (Just imagine: running around in a city with a map so big that you could easily use it as a tablecloth – horrible!!! 🙂 )
So, I want to make some suggestions for three unforgettable days in Rostock.
Day One:
It’s a “must” to visit at least one of the numerous churches in Rostock which are really beautiful. For example the “Kloster zum Heiligen Kreuz” (Abbey of the Holy Cross) and the “St. Marien Kirche” (St. Mary’s Church) are situated in the city center and can be reached easily by foot. While walking from one church to another you will likely catch a glimpse of “Kröpeliner Straße”, and you could choose some shops to look at for the next days’ shopping tour. If you are interested in history, you should pay a visit to the “Kulturhistorisches Museum” which you can find in the “Kloster zum Heiligen Kreuz” – you can kill two birds with one stone. The museum’s exhibition contains paintings, coins, furniture, craftwork and everyday life’s’ objects. There is no entry fee, so have a look and be marveled! After visiting the churches you could go to Warnemünde – sun (hopefully), beach (definitely) and the sea (Avoid the jellyfish! :-)) It’s a 20 minutes’ journey by the S-Bahn No. 1 or 2 from the main train station. I bet you would be about to starve when you arrive in Warnemünde. So, why not have a nice fish sandwich to satiate your hunger? Along the way to the beach there are some places where you can get authentic and “truly” local typical sea food. But watch out! Cheeky seagulls will try their best to steal it. On the beach you can relax a bit, enjoy the sun and take a nap before going for a nice long walk along the beach. On the way back you could walk up the lighthouse – you’ll have an amazing view of the beach and sea. Before going back to Rostock, you could have tea at “Salsarico” where you can have the most delicious Mexican food – and some nice cocktails for a fitting finale. By the time you are back in Rostock, you will be longing for your comfy and soft bed after so much walking!
Day Two:
Okay, I admit it. The day before would have been a bit exhausting due to all the walking – I promise that on day two we will take things a bit easier! For example, visiting the Botanical Garden is a nice opportunity to relax and veg out. Read this blog entry about it and you will know what I’m talking about! On the way back to the city center you could stop for a nice meal at the “Kumpir Potato House” and guess what you can have there – really yummy potatoes dishes. Be honest, you’d be looking forward to going shopping because you’d remember some of the nice shops you went past on day one while doing the “church tour”. Well, just enjoy yourself and have an ice-cream at “Eiscafe Milano” in “ Rostocker Hof” if you want to have a sit-down and put all your shopping bags down for a few minutes. A nice place for having tea is “Alex”, which is right at the end of the “Kröpeliner Straße” at “Neuer Markt”. They have really good food as well as drinks. The “HMT” (University for music and technic) enriches the cultural life of Rostock – there is a large variety of events every day. It is a great opportunity to finish off an amazing day.
Day Three:
How time flies! Could there be a better start to day three than having a nice morning stroll along the harbor? No! You could even catch a ferry to the other side of the Warnow to Gehlsdorf – the “better” part of Rostock (exclusive and high class houses). You can admire redeveloped villas and the promenade (with all the expensive yachts).
Do you want to have some real fun on the last day of the tour? Then I’d suggest that you leave Rostock and go to “Karls adventure land”, only 20 minutes away. There is so much to see and do – you will be overwhelmed. You could look for treasures in the treasure-house, do handicrafts, play on the “potato sack slide”, play minigolf, drive a tractor, go climbing, try to find out your way through a corn maze and so much more!
An alternative could be visiting the zoo in Rostock, if you’d prefer a more relaxed afternoon. Either way, you’d have a fantastic third day! You could have a very good meal in “Zum alten Fritz” and enjoy typical North German “cuisine”. (They also have really delicious chocolate cakes if you can’t resist having an amazing dessert!) Last but not least, I would suggest that you go to the “Barfuss” (= barefoot), a bar where you have to take off your shoes. That would be my “grand finale” of an unforgettable trip to Rostock!
Well, what can I say? I hope that I may have convinced you to come to Rostock and have three amazing days in our “Hansestadt”! Hope to see you soon! 🙂