Warnemunde

Sailors have stopped in at this restaurant's bar for more than a century. The smoked fish sampler, served on a lazy Susan, is delicious, and the house specialty of fish soup is best washed down with some Rostocker Doppel-Kümmel schnapps. An accordionist entertains the crowd on weekends.

Inland from the lighthouse is this yacht marina. Once the entry into the port of Warnemünde, it now has bars, plenty of good restaurants, and touristy shops. The fishing boats lining the Strom sell the day's catch, smoked fish, and bags of fried mussels.

In the Deutsches Bernsteinmuseum, which adjoins the main factory, you can see a fascinating exhibit of how this precious "Baltic gold" is collected from the sea and refined to make jewelry. The museum has pieces of amber that are between 35 and 50 million years old.

Children enjoy climbing to the top of the town landmark, a 115-foot-high lighthouse, dating from 1898; on clear days it offers views of the coast and Rostock Harbor. In summer, adults can enjoy a cold beer from the Marlower Brauhaus trailer at the base of the lighthouse.

Ribnitz-Damgarten, 30 km (19 miles) northeast of Warnemünde, is the center of the amber (in German, Bernstein) business, unique to the Baltic Coast. Amber is a yellow-brown fossil formed from the sap of ancient conifers and is millions of years old. Head for a beach and join the locals in the perennial quest for amber stones washed up among the seaweed.

This bar is open until 3 am Friday and Saturday. Roof access gives you the chance to sit under the stars and watch ship lights twinkle on the sea.

The beach fronting the resort town of Warnemünde is one of Germany's most popular and it can get fairly crowded in summer. The expansive beach, with its soft, clean sand, is fabulous for sunbathing, relaxing, or walking. The pleasant sea breeze invites kite flyers and you can purchase different kinds of kites from the open-air market along the promenade. Food and drinks are available from many vendors and at several supermarkets in the town itself. Amenities: food and drink; parking; showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: sunrise; sunset; swimming; walking.