Warnemünde cruise port

Step off onto a Baltic beach town, or ride the train to the Brandenburg Gate

Warnemünde is the seaside resort at the mouth of the Warnow river, the cruise port for Rostock and the Baltic gateway to Berlin. Ships tie up at the Warnemünde Cruise Center with the beach, the lighthouse, the Alter Strom canal and the train station all within a 10 minute walk, and the big decision is whether to spend the day here and in Gothic Rostock, 20 minutes by train, or commit to the long day to Berlin, about 3 hours each way. SmartCruiser lists every cruise that calls at Warnemünde from every line, priced with taxes and fees included, with the sailings that carry SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit or instant savings at the top.

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Dockedwalk-off pier beside the beach and the train station

EuroRostock 20 min by train, Berlin about 3 hours each way

Jun to AugBaltic summer, 65 to 72F and long evenings

All inevery price includes taxes and fees

Start here

Three ways to do Warnemünde

Go all the way to Berlin, do Rostock and Schwerin, or stay on the beach; the buttons filter the list of sailings below.

Big day

Berlin

Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, Checkpoint Charlie and a stretch of the Wall, 12 to 14 hours door to door
About 3 hours each way by chartered train or coach on the ship’s tour, roughly 4 to 5 hours in the city; ship tours run about $250 to $400
Only worth it on a call of 12 hours or more, and the ship’s tour is the only version that guarantees your return

Best for: first-timers who may never be back, history buffs, long calls

Nearby

Rostock and Schwerin

Rostock’s Hanseatic old town, St. Mary’s astronomical clock and the 400 ft tower lift at St. Peter’s, 20 minutes by S-Bahn for about 2 euros
Schwerin’s fairytale castle on its lake island, about an hour by train or coach
Back at the ship by mid afternoon with time for the beach

Best for: couples, repeat Baltic cruisers, anyone on an 8 to 10 hour call

Easy day

The beach and the Alter Strom

A 2 mile white-sand Baltic beach 5 minutes from the gangway, with hooded wicker Strandkorb chairs to rent
Climb the 1897 lighthouse, lunch at the Teepott, fish rolls from the boats along the Alter Strom canal
Ride the passenger ferry across the river to Hohe Düne for the view of your ship

Best for: families, budget days, the second visit

Live from the cruise lines

Warnemünde cruises: SmartCruiser picks first

Every cruise that calls at Warnemünde from every line, priced live with taxes, fees and port expenses included. The picks at the top are sailings where booking with SmartCruiser gets you something extra: instant savings or bonus onboard credit. Below them, every other sailing that stops here, with full sorting by home port, line, month, length and price.

SmartCruiser picks

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Every cruise that calls at Warnemünde

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Prices are per person, double occupancy, in US dollars, and include cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses as published by the cruise line at the moment you load this page. Fares are capacity controlled and change daily; the fare is confirmed when you book. Flights, hotels and transfers are extra unless the line’s offer says otherwise. SmartCruiser instant savings and bonus onboard credit are provided by SmartCruiser on top of the cruise line’s price and are not available when booking direct; amounts are per stateroom, vary by stateroom category and are shown for the lowest category offered. Special SmartCruiser rates are pricing SmartCruiser holds on that sailing for its clients, with extra onboard credit; you book your own stateroom and travel on your own. Senior fares apply to guests 55 and over; resident fares need proof of residency in a listed state or province at check-in; police and fire fares apply to active or retired police, fire and EMT personnel with ID. Qualifier-fare savings are measured against the best fare the cruise line offers the general public for the same stateroom category on the day the list was pulled, updated weekly.

Where you start

Home ports that sail to Warnemünde

Pick a home port and the list above filters to cruises leaving from there; Copenhagen and Stockholm send the Baltic loops, and Kiel and Hamburg the German sailings that call next door.

Copenhagen7 to 11 night Baltic capitals cruises with Warnemünde as the Berlin day, Princess and Norwegian among them StockholmBaltic itineraries that run south through Tallinn, Riga and Gdansk to the German coast KielMSC and the German lines on 7 night Baltic loops that start an hour down the coast HamburgBaltic and Scandinavia sailings of 7 to 14 nights that round Denmark to reach Warnemünde Southampton12 to 14 night Baltic cruises from the UK with Berlin as the headline port AmsterdamOceania, Regent and other premium-line Baltic voyages OsloScandinavia and Baltic sailings that cross to the German coast on the first or last day

In port

Things to do in Warnemünde

Decide on Berlin before you sail; everything else here is a train ride or a stroll, and the beach is a better afternoon than most people expect.

Berlin by train or coachAbout 3 hours each way (150 miles), 4 to 5 hours in the city for the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, Checkpoint Charlie, the East Side Gallery and Museum Island from the bus. Ship tours use chartered trains or coaches and run about $250 to $400 per person; honest answer, it is a long day with more time in a seat than on the ground, but it is Berlin.

Rostock old townThe Hanseatic city 20 minutes up the river by S-Bahn (about 2 euros each way, trains every 10 to 15 minutes), then tram 5 or 6 to Neuer Markt. St. Mary’s church with its 1472 astronomical clock, the Kröpeliner Strasse shopping street, the Kröpeliner gate, and a lift up the rebuilt 400 ft tower of St. Peter’s for the view; 3 to 4 hours is plenty.

Schwerin castleA 19th century palace on an island in Lake Schwerin, the seat of the state parliament and a UNESCO site since 2024, with gardens and an old town. About an hour by regional train from Rostock or by ship coach; 5 to 6 hours all in.

The lighthouse and the TeepottThe 121 ft brick lighthouse of 1897 opens for the climb from spring to fall for a few euros, and the Teepott beside it, a 1960s East German shell-roofed landmark, holds restaurants and a sea-voyage exhibition. Both are 10 minutes from the gangway at the end of the promenade.

The beach and the StrandkorbNearly 2 miles of fine white sand running west from the lighthouse, with the hooded wicker beach chairs for rent by the hour or the day and a swim that is brisk even in August. Changing rooms and showers by the promenade.

Alter Strom canalThe old harbor channel 5 minutes from the ship, lined with fishing boats selling smoked fish and Fischbrötchen, cafes, amber shops and the old captains’ houses. The hour-long harbor boat trips leave from here.

Ferry to Hohe DüneThe passenger ferry crosses the river mouth in 5 minutes for about 2 euros to the yacht harbor on the far bank, which is the best place to photograph your ship with the lighthouse behind it.

LübeckThe Hanseatic capital with the Holsten Gate and the marzipan shops, about 2 hours by train with a change in Rostock, so it is realistically a ship-tour day of 7 to 8 hours.

Pick your style

Which lines call at Warnemünde?

About 160 calls from 20 lines were booked for 2026, the German lines among them; these are the lines Americans sail most.

      Princess CruisesSky Princess, the biggest ship of the 2026 season, on Baltic cruises from Copenhagen and SouthamptonSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Norwegian Cruise LineBaltic capitals cruises from Copenhagen and Stockholm with a long Berlin daySmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      MSC CruisesMSC Magnifica and sister ships on Baltic loops from Kiel and Warnemünde itselfSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Regent Seven SeasSeven Seas Grandeur made her first Warnemünde call in August 2026 on a luxury Baltic voyageSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Ritz-Carlton Yacht CollectionEvrima on yacht-style Baltic and Scandinavia itineraries, first call summer 2026SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
    

Timing

When to go

Warnemünde has a cool Baltic climate with a season from late March to late December; June to August are the warm, busy months, and May and September are quieter with fewer ships in port.

April to Mayhighs 50 to 60F, cold sea, fresh wind off the Baltic, the first transatlantic and British ships of the season and empty beach

June to Augusthighs 65 to 72F, 17 hours of daylight in June, the beach in full swing, and the busiest cruise days of the year with two or three ships in on some dates

Septemberhighs 60 to 65F, the warmest sea of the year, fewer ships and a calm Berlin day without the summer crowds

October to Decemberhighs 38 to 55F, grey and showery, a trickle of German and British ships through to the last call in late December

Good to know

Warnemünde questions we answer every day

Where do cruise ships dock in Warnemünde and how far is it to town?

At the Warnemünde Cruise Center on the west bank of the river mouth, which takes up to three ships and sits about 1,000 ft from the train station and the Alter Strom canal; the beach and the lighthouse are 5 to 10 minutes on foot and the promenade runs the whole way. Ships that arrive when the pier is full go to the commercial port at Rostock Seehafen across the river, where the cruise line runs shuttles, so check your ship’s berth in the daily program. No tendering.

Can I get to Berlin on my own?

You can, but we only recommend it on a call of 12 hours or more. Regional and intercity trains run from Warnemünde or Rostock to Berlin in about 2.5 to 3 hours and tickets are roughly 20 to 50 euros each way if booked ahead, but the timetable does not bend for your ship and a delay on the way back has no safety net. The ship’s Berlin tours use chartered trains or coaches, run about $250 to $400, and the line holds the ship for them; for most first-timers that is the right call. Everyone else should enjoy Rostock, Schwerin and the beach.

How do I get around locally?

On foot in Warnemünde. The S-Bahn to Rostock Hauptbahnhof leaves every 10 to 15 minutes, takes 20 minutes and costs about 2 euros one way or about 7 euros for a day ticket that also covers Rostock’s trams and the river ferries; buy at the machines on the platform. Taxis wait at the terminal gate. Shops close early on Saturday afternoons and most are shut on Sunday, but restaurants and the beach are open.

What currency and language, and will my phone work?

The euro, and cards are widely accepted, though some small shops and the fish boats want cash; ATMs are in the terminal and along the Alter Strom. German is the language and English is spoken in the port area and on the trains. Germany is on Central European Time, 6 hours ahead of US Eastern, and US plans with European roaming work everywhere; there is no free wifi at the pier.

Is Warnemünde safe?

Yes. Germany is at the State Department’s lowest advisory level and Warnemünde is a family beach resort. The only real risk is the clock: a missed train from Berlin means a missed ship, so leave the city with a wide margin or go with the ship. Keep an eye on bags in Berlin’s tourist squares and on crowded trains, as you would in any big city.

Do I need a passport?

Yes. Every Baltic and Europe cruise requires a valid passport, and we recommend six months of validity beyond your return date. Germany is in the Schengen zone, where the EU’s biometric entry and exit system is being phased in from 2026, so allow a few extra minutes at your first European arrival.

Are taxes and fees included in the prices here?

Yes. Every price on this page includes the cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses. Flights, hotels, shore excursions and gratuities are extra.

Talk to a Warnemünde cruise specialist

We know which Baltic sailings give you a 13 or 14 hour Berlin day and which ones are better spent in Rostock and on the beach, so call us to check availability and book the Baltic cruise that fits. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 6 ET.

1-800-444-1560