Scottishclover

Seriously, no need to stress about taking the train. It takes just over an hour from Hamburg Main Station to Kiel on a regional train and there’s at least 3 an hour. Just get your ticket on the day, you can’t reserve seating on regional trains anyway. Go on to the Deutsche Bahn and look for timings. Then taxi from station to the port in Kiel.

You could DIY and take the train from Warnemuende on your own. Check Deutsche Bahn for train times and ticket prices which vary acc to the train. A regional train is €44 Rostock to Berlin. ICE is a bit quicker but most likely more expensive. There’s the occasional direct train from Warnemuende but most of the time you would change in Rostock ( it’s an easy change). Then in Berlin take one of the “free” walking tours. I find Berlin one of the least expensive capital cities, so it can be visited without breaking the bank. The journey is around 3 hours each way, only you can decide if it’s worth it. To make the most of the day, you would need to do a lot of forward planning, as some of the sights in Berlin are quite spread out. If it were me, I would stay and go to Rostock in the morning and wander round Warnemuende in the afternoon. It’s quite charming. My daughter is currently living in Rostock and any friends she has had over have absolutely loved it. There’s lots to keep you interested, especially all the Hanseatic architecture. It would make for a much more relaxed day. If this is something you’d be interested in, let me know and I can provide a more detailed itinerary- I lived there many moons ago and have been twice in the last 6 months so know the town well. Going to the castle in Schwerin is also a possibility ( not Mondays) but be aware that depending when your cruise is, there is some work going on the train line Rostock- Schwerin so the normally 1 hour journey is much longer. Hope this helps with your decision making.

You may want to rethink the order of your day. The last few times I have been on Victoria Street, it has been jam packed with tourists. Shoulder to shoulder and I had to weave in and out to get down to the Grassmarket. I couldn’t imagine being able to take a decent photo without someone else in it. You might want to think about going there really early on to avoid the crowds and get the best photos. Same goes for Royal Mile. Calton Hill is a large area so crowds would not impact your views there so perhaps that might be the last stop of your day? I am not a photographer so I’m not sure if afternoon sun would impact your photos. Of course, it’s Edinburgh so afternoon sun is definitely not a given😂

On our Baltic cruise in 2022, the only place we got caught out with no cash was when we travelled on a local bus on the island of Bornholm. It was partly my fault - had I been more organised I could have had the app downloaded for tickets. We did one of those free walking tours in Stockholm and the guide even took her tips by card payment😂 On that particular cruise we didn’t stop in Warnemuende ( many Baltic cruises do) but I have visited a lot as my daughter lives there. Germany is the one place that you need cash, not everywhere takes card and some places only take German EC cards!! My daughter says she would never go to Berlin without cash as lots of places don’t take cards so it may be handy to have some Euros if your cruise stops in Germany.

Just wanted to say how much I am enjoying your review. I love the balance between ship information and your port activities. And I also appreciate the gluten free food photos. The gluten free rolls at breakfast are new I think! My sister lived in New Zealand for 5 years and we didn’t go to visit as my nervous flyer husband couldn’t face the long flight from Scotland. Looking at your photos I wish we had taken the opportunity. Thank you for taking the time to review. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

We were in Kotor last July and did THAT hike. I echo Edinburgher’s sentiments. We were up early to beat the rush and walked straight onto one of the first tenders (Celebrity). It took us a bit to find the start of The Ladder of Kotor but we had started by 8:30 am which was our goal. The hike goes way higher than the fortress - it’s probably a quarter of the way up to put it into perspective. While it is steep, the switchbacks help and if you are a regular hiker you would have no problem managing it. In fact we found the ascent fairly easy.The views are amazing - my 20 year old kept using the word “insane”. After around 2 hours uphill we found a plateau which seemed a good turning point. However, we found the way down very difficult as the temperature was getting so high, and I was very grateful to be off the mountain at 12:30. To let you know how hot it was, my top was so soaked with sweat, it was practically transparent. On the way up there was some shade but on the descent the sun was brutal. Saying that, it was one of the best hikes we have done and we’ve hiked all over the world. We were so glad we did this hike as although Kotor is postcard pretty we found the streets completely overcrowded. Definitely aim to start as early as possible, bring more water than you need ( we were out well before the bottom) and wear sun protection. But do THAT hike!!

Definitely do this tour! Takes you a bit off the beaten path. Only one of the villages is what I would call touristy and wasn’t crowded at all. The villages feel authentic and the scenery was just stunning. Like Edinburgher, we did this through the ship ( Celebrity) so can’t comment on the tour company you mentioned. There was just enough information about The Godfather but I found the information about the actual mafia more interesting. However the scenery is the highlight. We were so glad we chose to do this excursion.

Just know the bus from Edinburgh to St Andrews stops at every wee village and town on the road and takes 2 hours, which is double the usual driving times. My daughter is at uni there and takes the bus because she gets it for free (under 22). It would be a bit shorter for you getting on near Forth Road Bridge but it is really a slow route. So that’s around 3 and a half hours travelling for you with just a few hours in St Andrews. The train is quicker and the local buses from Leuchers go every 15 mins. Leuchers is just a few miles outside of St Andrews. Shame about Rabbies schedule - that wa my go to suggestion as I often see their tours when I am up in St Andrews.

Due to a change in port times in Flam, our original plans to get the train up the valley and bike down won’t work. We are thinking in booking the bus to the trailhead with Norways Best and doing the hike up Mt Prest. Has anyone done this? Would love to hear your experience. Thanks.

We are a train or walk family - we very rarely take an Uber or taxi. Travelling on public transport is much more interesting. The train to the Hauptbahnhof take around half an hour, leave every 15 mins and costs €3.20. You can look at ticket options on Verkehrsverbund Berlin ( VBB). Perhaps a daily ticket for transport is better for you. It’s 3 zones (ABC) from the airport but in Berlin itself 2 zones (AB) cover most journeys. You can use trains, underground, trams etc on this ticket. The train station is underneath the airport and is well signposted. Tickets can be purchased at the machines on the platform or on the App. One thing to note is that Hbf will probably not be the last destination. Also, depending where you are staying in Berlin, other stops in the city may be closer. To clarify: Deutsche Bahn is the company responsible for railways in Germany. Book on their site. IC: intercity ICE: intercity express RB: regiobahn ( regional) no seat reservations S- Bahn: trains within city centres only, like a suburban line U-Bahn: underground. Berlin has an extensive underground and we use it a lot as a lot of the different attractions are spread out. Have fun in Berlin. It’s a great city😀

The regional trains are even busier now due to the €49 Deutschland ticket available to German residents. My daughter is making good use of hers on the Rostock - Berlin route. If you are a tourist with luggage best to travel on IC trains with seat reservation if possible. Something to know about Germany - there is no such thing as a queue. Most of us tourists learn that the hard way😂

Yes this is correct. I would advise you to book direct with Deutsche Bahn. They have an international site in English. Also reserve a seat too just to be on the safe side. Mindyou most Germans would probably forego the IC train for the regional one because of the Deutschland ticket, so the IC might be quieter. Still it’s worth booking a seat. The earlier you book in advance the cheaper the fare. It can creep up quite substantially if bought on the day. You can’t really go wrong. Get on at Berlin Hauptbahnhof and stay on until the train stops. Warnemuende is the end stop. Don’t worry about not speaking German, there will always be Germans who will jump at the chance to practise their English. Seriously, don’t stress, this journey is very straightforward.

Hi, I’ve had a wee look at the seating plan. I assume it is the intercity(IC) train. The shaded line is at the back of the seat. Have a look at the table configurations to confirm. The luggage storage areas are also indicated on the plan so you can see if you could get a seat near those. I would have no qualms about leaving my luggage there and sitting within eyeshot or even further down the carriage.

Aperol Spritz was 1$ over classic package last summer but a Campari Spritz was included. Makes no sense to me!

Train station in Warnemuende is very near the port. No problems there. 5 mins walk at most. Book through Deutsche Bahn and if you can get the App as it gives you any up to date changes about your journey. Second class is comfortable enough, I don’t see a need for first class. Definitely go on and reserve a seat - it’s a popular route. You can see the seating plan before you choose your seat. I always prefer open saloon - you never know who you might be stuck in a compartment with. Often the luggage storage is at one end of the carriage but if you book a seat which is back to back with the one behind there is normally a space in between to stash small/medium sized luggage. The overhead storage is a bit narrow to stow big luggage, which is a huge design flaw. An alternative is to get a train to Rostock and change there for Warnemuende. Rostock HBF is very manageable and trains leave from there to Warnemuende every 20 mins. It’s a stress- free change. Hope this helps. Any more questions, just ask. I’m pretty familiar with this route.