First time cruise through Baltic and St Petersburg

The train to Rostock was very simple. The Warnemunde train station is about 5 minutes walk from where the Getaway docked, and you can't really miss it if you are getting off the ship. Follow the water round, keeping it on your right, and in 5 minutes you have to cross the train tracks - the station is on your left. There are self-service machines and an office to help you.

The journey itself is quick and the announcements for each station are clear. There is also a conductor on board who can assist you. The only thing to note is that many of the smaller stations are tagged with the main station name in addition to their own, so you'll start seeing 'Rostock' on station signs before you actually get to Rostock station - however, they are very clear when you reach the main station so just hang on until you see plain 'Rostock' on the sign.

It was very straightforward, and we all enjoyed Rostock.

I did this cruise a few years ago. As others have said, you'll be fine in cities other than St Pete do go out on your own. Or, check the Ports of Call forum and tripadvisor.com to find independents for far less than NCL excursions. We toured with Alla in St Petersburg, and it was hundreds less than the cruise line's excursions and we saw so much more in much smaller groups (ours was only 16, and the cruise line tours had 50 to 100!). It started to sprinkle a little bit the second morning and we walked past hundreds of people standing in line in the rain waiting to get into the Hermitage--they were all on the ship's tour and we had early entry to the Hermitage having booked through Alla. It was great to be in the museum before the crowds! We arranged the tour through our roll call. All the private companies get great reviews, so I don't think you could go wrong with any of them--Alla, SPB, TJs, etc.

The train to Rostock was very simple. The Warnemunde train station is about 5 minutes walk from where the Getaway docked, and you can't really miss it if you are getting off the ship. Follow the water round, keeping it on your right, and in 5 minutes you have to cross the train tracks - the station is on your left. There are self-service machines and an office to help you.

 

The journey itself is quick and the announcements for each station are clear. There is also a conductor on board who can assist you. The only thing to note is that many of the smaller stations are tagged with the main station name in addition to their own, so you'll start seeing 'Rostock' on station signs before you actually get to Rostock station - however, they are very clear when you reach the main station so just hang on until you see plain 'Rostock' on the sign.

 

It was very straightforward, and we all enjoyed Rostock.

Hello,

Did you have any trouble with not speaking German doing this on your own? Was the information and the train announcements also in English?

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Hello,

 

Did you have any trouble with not speaking German doing this on your own? Was the information and the train announcements also in English?

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I was a bit insulated from that as I had a guide with me. However, the conductors all spoke fluent English, as did all the shop assistants/museum people we encountered.

The train announcements weren't in English, but they were so clear that there was no problem detecting which station you were at. I was able to tell when we arrived at Rostock/Schwerin without the guide needing to tell me. I was also able to order coffee and cakes at a shop without the guide.

I was a bit insulated from that as I had a guide with me. However, the conductors all spoke fluent English, as did all the shop assistants/museum people we encountered.

 

The train announcements weren't in English, but they were so clear that there was no problem detecting which station you were at. I was able to tell when we arrived at Rostock/Schwerin without the guide needing to tell me. I was also able to order coffee and cakes at a shop without the guide.

Thank you. Did you have to change trains at all to get to Rostock from Warnemunde?

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No. It's a 21 minute direct ride to Rostock. Getting to Schwerin requires a change at Rostock.

You can even pre-book tickets here: https://www.trainline.eu/trains/warnemunde/rostock-hbf?gclid=CM2hya_TjtQCFQIG0wod_cQGGg&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CPXEzK_TjtQCFYOIdwodRR4Alg

No. It's a 21 minute direct ride to Rostock. Getting to Schwerin requires a change at Rostock.

 

You can even pre-book tickets here: https://www.trainline.eu/trains/warnemunde/rostock-hbf?gclid=CM2hya_TjtQCFQIG0wod_cQGGg&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CPXEzK_TjtQCFYOIdwodRR4Alg

Thanks so much! I heard two different things initially. It sounds doable for sure. Were there any shops/restaurants you found that you would recommend in either Rostock or Warnemunde?

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You've reminded me that there is actually a short tram journey from Rostock hauptbahnof (main station) to the centre of Rostock. You get to the tram by going down to the lower floor of the station - it's quite easy to spot. It was a less than ten minute journey and you get off when you hit the big square with a fountain and statues in the centre (also a market). That's probably what the other information was referring to.

There was a great bakery in the university square of Rostock. Mainly cakes and sweets, although I think they did have some savouries. It's the only one on the square so you can't mistake it. There were also some restauants on that first square by the tram, next to the cathedral.

We ate in Schwerin, so weren't really looking for anything more substantial. I didn't really see much that was touristy or otherwise a nice shop in Rostock. There were better shops in Schwerin or Warnemunde.