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Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania [1] (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) is a state in Germany, located in the northeastern corner of the country between Berlin and the Baltic Sea.

Regions

The interior of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is flat and low-lying, as is most of northern Germany. There are a large number of lakes formed by the action of glaciers long ago.

Baltic Sea Coast - features picturesque beaches and steep, dramatic chalk cliffs in some locations
Mecklenburgische Seenplatte - large lake area

Cities

Rostock - The largest city, on the coast of the Baltic Sea, with medieval buildings in city center, seaside resort (Warnemünde) and the oldest university in the Baltic region
Schwerin - State capital of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
Stralsund - A well-preserved medieval city center of world cultural heritage value
Greifswald - university town
Wismar - A well-preserved medieval city center of world cultural heritage value
Neubrandenburg - college town
Bad Doberan
Sassnitz: on the island of Rügen (Ruegen), major fishing port with the longest outside mole of Europe, chalk-cliffs north of the town ("Königstuhl" => "Kings chair")
Peenemünde: on the island of Usedom, V1-museum, small motorcycle racing course

Other destinations

Rügen - Germany´s largest island in the Baltic just off the coast, location of many seaside resorts and scenic sea cliffs, great bathing beaches
Usedom - nice island in the east of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
Müritz - Germany´s second largest lake, with a national park on its eastern shore
"Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft" ("Western Pomeranian Lagoons") National Park on the coast between Rostock and Rügen
Jasmund National Park on Rügen Island

Culture and History

Talk

In the larger cities (especially Rostock) you can get around well with English. Elsewhere, only younger people regularly understand English, so learning a few basic German phrases can be helpful.

Travel to Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, visa requirements

By air

Rostock airport (Laage, RLG) has few international flights, so the best choice are usually the airports of Berlin and Hamburg.

By train

Trains from Hamburg and Berlin to the major cities (Rostock, Schwerin, Stralsund) leave every 1-2 hours. There are also regular train connections from Poland (Szczecin).

By boat

From Denmark (Gedser) there are frequent ferry connections to Rostock. Trelleborg in Sweden has several departures a day to Rostock and Sassnitz on Rügen Island. There are also ferry lines from several Eastern Baltic ports, primarily to Rostock.

By car

The fast motorway network (Autobahn) has been considerably extended during the last years and all larger cities now have excellent connections. In the summer months, especially on weekends, the motorways and all roads to the coast can be congested.

Get around

The train network is well developed and even smaller towns have regular connections. Take some time though - a 50km ride can take an hour or more, which is considerably longer than elsewhere in Germany. Bus connections are usually only available when no concurring train service is present and many lines are infrequent. In rural areas, travelling by car is the most comfortable way to get around. The quality of the roads is generally very good. Locals often drive aggressively, disrespecting speed limits and overtaking recklessly.

A very interesting way to get around is by bicycle. There are special touristic bikeways along the Baltic coast and from Berlin to Rostock. Most regular roads also make attractive bike routes. Main roads often have separate bicycle lanes beside them. If they don't, keep off - riding there is both dangerous and unpleasant!