Berlin or Poland???

[angeleyes27]

We are trying to decide if we should go to Berlin and see the sights on our own or rent a car and drive to Poland to see the shore. Can anyone who has gone to Berlin tell me whether they thought it was worth it? We are not big city or museum people or Royal Palace people. My husband and I both have some Polish ancestry so we thought that may be interesting and it is an hour away by car. But we don't know if we will really be missing something if we don't go to Berlin. Thank you.

[hallasm]

Difficult question - Berlin is a excellent place to visit - however a long drive - with your Polish ancestry I will vote for a visit to Poland - some nice places to visit along the coast.

[RJ2002]

I agree that Berlin is a great city, but the excursion from Warnemunde would be a long one. We did the exact same cruise this year (NCL Star, 9 Day Baltic Capitals). We had been to Berlin before, so it was an easy choice for us to tour the surrounding area of Rostock and Schwerin rather than take the one day trip to Berlin.

 

I think I would agree with hallasm. Get in touch with your heritage. Rent a car and explore the border area of Poland.

 

Berlin is a magnificent city with much history. Perhaps you can make it back there sometime.

 

(By the way, we spoke with a couple on our cruise who rented a car at Warnemunde. They said the rental process was easy, but a word of warning... they rented a GPS as well, but got frustrated because they couldn't switch the voice instructions from German to English. Might want to consider taking one from the US if you think you'll need one.)

[LindaM]

Being 100% Polish myself, I concur you need to set foot on your homeland. Berlin is wonderful, but it is a BIG city. I felt very emotional and connected when I was in Poland!

[4774Papa]

I assume your ship stops at Warnemunde. We have not done a Baltic cruise, but lived in Germany for four years. Also, we took an 8 day bus tour of Poland.

 

Your big problem is that both options are poor. You have far to travel for both. Berlin is a must see and if you haven't been there, it is very interesting. However, you spend so much time getting there and back, I would go to a closer city nearer the Baltic.

 

As for Poland, there is not a major Polish city close to Warnemunde. I suggest that you plan another trip to visit Gdansk, Warsaw and Krakow at a minimum.

[Markanddonna]

Do you know what areas your ancestors came from? We are going to Krakow in May after a TA cruise. We understand it is a wonderful city to visit and has a lot of history AND we will spend a day in the countryside trying to get a sense of where a few of our ancestors came from.

 

I read somewhere that Poland is not the best country to rent a car. The point was that some of the roads are in poor condition. I suppose it is a matter of opinion and where you are traveling.

[4774Papa]

Do you know what areas your ancestors came from? We are going to Krakow in May after a TA cruise. We understand it is a wonderful city to visit and has a lot of history AND we will spend a day in the countryside trying to get a sense of where a few of our ancestors came from.

 

I read somewhere that Poland is not the best country to rent a car. The point was that some of the roads are in poor condition. I suppose it is a matter of opinion and where you are traveling.

Our bus tour in Poland traveled over most of the country in 1989 and we did not find the roads to be a problem.

 

Again, the NW part of Poland, nearest Warmunde Upper Silesia and prior to WWII peopled primarily by Germans.

[RJ2002]

Do you know what areas your ancestors came from? We are going to Krakow in May after a TA cruise. We understand it is a wonderful city to visit and has a lot of history AND we will spend a day in the countryside trying to get a sense of where a few of our ancestors came from.

 

I read somewhere that Poland is not the best country to rent a car. The point was that some of the roads are in poor condition. I suppose it is a matter of opinion and where you are traveling.

 

The OP has not been back here yet, but I am fairly certain they'd be renting the car in the Warnemunde area, and then driving to nearby Poland. Krakow would unfortunately be too far to drive. I've been there too and agree it is a wonderful city.

[angeleyes27]

I am sorry to not reply back. My son was in the hospital and now I just found out that my father has 2 leaky valves today in his heart, so my mind has been elsewhere.

It would be nice to see Poland. It sounds like that is the consensus. When things settle down around here, I will check into it and see what there actually is along the coast. Right now, I am not thinking too clearly because I am just overwhelmed with personal things. Thank you.

[LondonTowner]

We did a Baltic cruise in September and one of our ports of call was Gdansk. We knew nothing about it apart from Lech Walesa and Solidarity. However, we werepleasantly surprised at how lovely it is. It was also our cheapest port of call.

 

If you do decide to rent a car in Germany to take into Poland make sure you tell the car hire company you will be crossing the border.

[4774Papa]

If you drive from Warmunde, Germany to Szczecin, Poland, the closest city (on the border with Germany), a one-way trip will take 2.5 hours (5 hrs round-trip). I would suggest that this would be about as far as you would likely travel. Major cites like Gdansk and even Pozan are just too far for a day trip.

 

 

Be aware that Szczecin is in Pomeramia, which had been largely German for at least two hundred years. Not sure were your Polish relatives are from, but I doubt if they came from Pomerania. Pomerania was given to Poland after WWII, when the borders of Poland were moved West, giving the Soviet Union portions of formerly Eastern Poland.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Szczecin

[angeleyes27]

I didn't realize that the closest city was so far! I thought it was about an hour and a half. Is this city scenic or have interesting things to do? Thank you.

[Travelanni]

I didn't realize that the closest city was so far! I thought it was about an hour and a half. Is this city scenic or have interesting things to do? Thank you.

 

Hi, I agree that it would be a good thing to see your 'homeland' as it were but to answer your question re Szczecin the answer, sadly, is that it is not scenic and there is very litttle of interest. It is a bit of a forgotten town, no longer German but without any real Polish history. I went there as I too have a family connection and was very disappointed.

However, if you just want to go somewhere in Poland I would suggest Swinoujscie, a coastal city on the German border.

http://www.swinoujscie.pl/en/contents/content/227/2874

 

It is very easy to get to from Warnemünde, through some of the prettiest country in Mecklenburg and across the island of Usedom, around 2 hours drive. For a detailed route etc. see

http://www.dlinaputi.ru/en/Rostok/Svinoujsce

 

You could return to Rostock, via the A110 from Anklam. through Demmin, an old medieval town, and Dargun where there is a wonderful semi-restored monastery

 

A couple of points about hiring a car.

If you want an automatic you have to order early as they are not standard in Germany and most hire firms have only a limited number.

If you tell them you are going to Poland it may cost more as Poland is renowned as a place to lose your car, especially a late German model. . There are secure, attended parking lots which are well worth the cost for your peace of mind.

Hope this helps you make up your mind. I, personally, would still do it in preference to Berlin. The time you would get to see that wonderful city, either on a tour or by driving, is much too short for such a long day.

Happy cruising, :)

Anni

www.travelanni.webs.com