I see our cruise ship arrives in Warnemunde. We want to travel to Berlin, but the cruise ships excursions are expensive. Has anyone used another tour company to get from the port to Berlin quickly and toured us around. I really hate large groups when traveling. Prefer less than 20 people. Thank you. Mary
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8141 posts
The cruise ships put you on buses and take the 130 mile drive into Berlin.
Independent travelers take a short bus ride to Rostock, and a train into Berlin.
You really won't be on the ground in Berlin that long before you have to take the bus back.
Warnemunde is a resort/beach town for the Germans, and it's a very beautiful small port city. We just enjoyed our Saturday when a large flea market is in town. I ran into my sister and brother in law walking down the street too.
Posted by
the Netherlands
2487 posts
Do yourself a favour and resist the temptation of Berlin. Nearby Rostock has an interesting historical centre, which can keep you busy for the best part of a day.
Posted by
Greeley, co, usa
2404 posts
I also would recommend against Berlin. That said, if you must, there are non cruise company tours available, usually for much less. SPD-TOURS.COM is one. I haven’t used them but i am considering them for a St. Petersburg tour.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8141 posts
We went on a SPD tour in St. Petersburg, and they are a very good operation. They take our credit cards for payment too.
Posted by
Washington DC
27110 posts
Berlin is 140 miles from Warnemunde, so it is simply not possible to get there quickly. And Berlin is generally a place one goes for multiple days in order to visit the museums (large) and historical sites (time-consuming). Its architecture is mostly modern, so it's not a particularly good destination for just being driven around. I agree with the others: Stick to northern Germany so you'll have time to do some sightseeing rather than spending practically all your time on a bus or train.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7297 posts
I urge you to think about more than just saving money from the cruise ship excursions. Here's an example of what you can find in the Search box on this newsboard:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/germany/12-hours-in-warnemunde
Posted by
Atlanta, Ga, USA
2023 posts
We went to Berlin from our cruise. It was a long train ride and we spent six hours or so sight seeing and had no regrets whatsoever. It was worth it for sure. The sight seeing was on our own but train ride and short bus ride provided by cruise ship (Celebrity).Don't remember the cost but it was reasonable. We arrived back to ship late--maybe 11 pm or so. We were not with a large group at all. I look at it this way--this was a perfect chance to see Berlin. We had seen many parts of Germany all on our own. Looking back I think the cost of train/bus was about $60 pp--this was about 5 years ago.
Posted by
Atlanta, GA
1075 posts
For ports that are far away from the city you intend to visit, I think the cruise ships excursions are well worth the money. Think about it – would you rather pay to get yourself to your next port because you missed getting back in time since Berlin is so far away? That costs a whole lot more than the 30% or so premium you will pay when using a ship’s excursion that guarantees you get back to the ship on time and if for some reason you don’t, they will pay the cost of transporting you to the next port and make the arrangements for you.