The former East Germany, with it's vastly improved tourist infrastructure and low prices, offers an ever-growing list of prime tourist destinations 
Though they're virtually the same city, Rostock and Warnemünde couldn't be more different. As it was in the Hanseatic days, Rostock is all business. Traffic fills it's streets and bombed-out areas have been replaced with the functional, postwar buildings of the times.
The fishing village of Warnemünde, on the other hand, is just plain fun and despite it's rise to resort status has lost little of it's charm.
But lively Rostock is still worth a few days exploration. Examples of medieval and renaissance architecture are plentiful throughout it's Altstadt. There's the 1490 Hausbaumhaus, one of the few remaining wooden structures; the Marienkirche (St. Mary's Church) continues to cast a dramatic shadow, and the 355-foot steeple of the Petrikirche tops the skyline. And nearby is the 13th-century Rathaus, with it's 18th-century baroque make-over. Traditional gabled patrician houses line Wokrenterstrasse and some of the original city wall still remains.
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The pedestrian Kröpelinerstrasse bustles with window-shoppers and sidewalk cafes. The Universitätsplatz, with it's Fountain of Happiness, is a magnet for young people and fine restaurants abound.
The town also remains a vibrant seaport. From it's Warnow River piers, boats leave every half-hour (10:30am-4:30pm, $3.75 RT) for the 45-minute trip to Warnemünde (the 20-minute train ride is about $5 RT).
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