Lubeck
 

First, please let me thank everyone for all the extensive advice on the thread, Scandinavian cities trip—so much good advice, and in great detail! I really do appreciate all your time and insights.

However, we have changed the trip. Instead of the original list of destinations for the week after the conference in Copenhagen, we’re visiting a few different cities before the conference—in a completely different area. They are Brugge, Belgium, Maastricht, Netherlands, and Lubeck, Germany. We’ve just booked the open jaw ticket into Brussels and back from Copenhagen, so that’s all set.

Basically, we decided to visit one city we’ve always wanted to visit—Brugge, to make a quick stop to see friends in Maastricht, and to explore a new destination—Lubeck mid-way on the way to Copenhagen. Lubeck’s old town area and history seem fascinating. The more we looked into these cities, the more we wanted to visit them instead of the original ones. So we changed. We plan on traveling by train to each. It is shaping up to be Brugge four nights, Maastricht two nights, Lubeck three nights, before Copenhagen four nights.

We welcome any suggestions and ideas, especially for Lubeck. There’s a lot of information on this forum about Brugge, but not for Lubeck. Three nights in Lubeck the right amount of time? Hotels? Favorite restaurants?

So, my apologies for asking all those Scandinavian cities questions, then changing the destination.
Kathy

Kathy - I think 3 nights will be more than enough time. We stopped in Lubeck as part of our Baltic cruise in 07/09. You'll find more information about Lubeck at www.cruisecritic.com - look at the forums a/k/a "Boards" (top left hand side of home page. Click on the link which will take you to a list of foums including a section on "Ports of Call" that talks about Lubeck. In addition, if you do a search in the "Northern Europe" forum of Lubeck you'll find a lot of information. We rented a car in Lubeck and drove over to Schwerin. We really enjoyed that stop much more than the few hours we walked around Lubeck. I'd encourage you to go there as part of your stay in Lubeck.

pandandhank,

As someone who is undecided about which sidetrips to take from Hamburg, can you tell me what it is that you liked about Schwerin more than Lubeck?

Hi kathleen, 18 years ago we lived in the town of Stade which was not too far from Lubeck. I did a google search and found the website for the city, hope this helps.

http://www.luebeck.de/languages/eng/...ait/index.html

You should be able to find useful information here.

Enjoy your trip,
Susan

Luebeck's Old Town is a gem in my opinion, but it can be seen in 1 - 1.5 days, which gives you time for excursions, for which there are many options.

1. Travemuende and neighbouring seaside resorts. Travemuende is Luebeck's ferry port connecting it to Sweden, Finland and the Baltic Republics by ro-pax ferries. At the same time Travemuende has been the traditional seaside escape for the better off merchant families in the olden days. Some nice mansions remain and the walk along the coast and some cliffs towards Niendorf, a small fishermen's port and marina and the nearby posher Timmendorfer Strand can be pleasant.

2. Hamburg, Germany's second biggest (and in my unimportant opinion most beautiful) city. Scenic port, statelty mansions around the Alster Lake in the city centre, worldclass shopping, great restaurant scene, top-class ballet, a decent opera, some of Germany's best theatres and a diverse and thriving nightlife scene make it a feel-good city - even if some might argue that it doesn't have landmark sights equalling the relevance of i.e. the dome in Cologne. But in contrast to other cities, it's very convincing as an ensemble. As your trip revolves around cities of teh Hanseatic League, Hamburg would certainly be a good fit to complement your impressions. Allow for at least 1 full day, if not more. It's a 40 min. train ride, I would think.

3. Schwerin, to each their own and while I think Schwerin is pleasant enough, I am not sure it would be my choice with such a limited time in Luebeck and with Hamburg at its doorstep.

4. Wismar, also a medieval, red-brick dominated city (in contrast to Schwerin, which is dominated by more baroque and classicist architecture), much sleepier than Luebeck and in proximity to Rostock and some quite nice coastline either near Boltenhagen or in the direction of Rostock.

Restaurants in Luebeck:
1. Restaurant at Schiffergesellschaft (Captains' society), a bit touristy, but still serving reliable hearty local fare of above average quality in a medieval setting with long benches and tables.
http://www.schiffergesellschaft.com/

2. Zimmermann's Luebecker Hanse, a bit hidden, but very central close to St. Petri church and the Puppet theatre, it offers warm and most attentive service and much better than average classic cuisine with a seasonal touch.
http://www.luebecker-hanse.de/

3. Wullenwever, Michelin-starred cuisine, upscale ambiance
http://www.wullenwever.de/#menue

4. Cafe Niederegger, for some marzipan covered cake and to buy some delectable gifts or souvenirs a visit to the cafe of the world's best marzipan maker (family owned and the recipe remains a secret even within the company - for a reason as the marzipan tastes better than any other competing product in my opinion), should be part of your agenda. Opposite city hall. Also an outfit in Travemuende by the port, but the bigger choice for sweets is in the main one in Luebeck city centre.
http://www.niederegger.de/en/cafe_ni.../cafe/cafe.php

And finally: No visit to Luebeck would be complete without paying a proper tribute to Germany's arguably greatist novellist and author of all time: Thomas Mann (and his also quite gifted brother Heinrich, both of them sons of one of the city's wealthiest merchants) at the Buddenbrook Haus. I would encourage you to read one of Thomas Mann's brilliant novels, be it his humanist master work of Magic Mountain or the more entertaining, but stunningly nobel-prize winning Buddenbrooks, a family saga that will give you splendid insights into the city's past. In fact it caused a furore in its days among the city's upper class as many could see themselves portrayed not so favourably in the book.
http://www.buddenbrookhaus.de/

You've certainly picked three great towns - I enjoyed all of these. I was in Lübeck for a day in late 2007, and although we didn't do the town exhaustively, I felt a day was enough for me (it was really cold). There is quite a nice museum in the Holstentor, which kept us quite busy and out of the cold. You can go up a lift in the Petrikirche to a viewing platform and get a fantastic view of the whole town, which allows you to see where all the old structures are. And as HSV says, the Café Niederegger is great - a big, plush café in the old style. We had marzipan coffees there. I never even knew you could flavour coffee like this and I think it was quite successful!

Lavandula

Thanks everyone for the amazing mass of information on Lubeck (or Luebeck). This forum is an endless well of knowledge! With all the new links to search through, I’ll be busy for days gathering details.

Patandhank, I’ll look through that site and locate the section that discusses the ports of call and Lubeck. Also, I’ve read about nearby Schwerin, so that’s an idea for a side trip. Thanks

Susan, Appreciate the link. It appears on first glance to be very informative and will take a while to completely explore.

Hsv, Incredible, thorough list. Thank you. It’s nice to know that we’ve allotted ample time to take a short side trip. You’ve listed a couple of places that sound interesting, so one should work. If Wismar isn’t far away it might be a good possibility. It appears that “medieval” and “the Hanseatic league” are themes on this trip, with Brugge at one end and Lubeck at the other. Mann’s book, Buddenbrooks, might just be a good read for city insights into that time period. There’s still time to read it before the trip, so thanks for that suggestion.

Lavandula and hsv, We’ve read about the marzipan fame, so we’ll definitely try that, probably at the Café Niederegger which sounds beautiful in an old world style. The platform idea to view the city seems like a nice idea. With all these suggestions, I hope three nights will be enough. I love cities which have an intact, old town identity, and both Brugge and Lubeck seem to have just that.

Thanks for the restaurant suggestions and descriptions. Any thoughts on good, reasonably priced places to stay in the old town?
Kathy

Hotel:
I think the best option would be the Radisson. It's a bit corporate and sterile, but the value should be reasonable and it's right by the river across the street from the Old Town.
http://www.radissonblu.com/hotel-luebeck

I'll second the recommendation for Cafe Niederegger. The cakes and marzipan are stunningly displayed and delicious to eat. Don't know what their secret marzipan recipe is but I suspect it may have something to do with using less sugar than other marzipan makers. Also be sure to see their life-size marzipan figures of famous Germans!

Luebeck is wonderful and you have already gotten marvelous advice. Yes, do read Buddenbrooks. I read it with my book club while I lived in Stuttgart and it was great fun to visit the place where it all happened.

We absolutely loved this little city and had a wonderful, memorable meal at the Schiffergesellschaft mentioned by hsv. If you enjoy history and food, this place is fantastic. You simply can't beat the medieval ambience.

We needed a hotel with parking, within easy walking distance of the historic center, and we hate to stay in chains. We found the Park Hotel am Lindenplatz to be really quite charming and a great value.
http://www.parkhotel-luebeck.de

GaryCA - We enjoyed the beautiful gardens at the Schwerin Castle for one thing and we enjoyed going through the castle itself. Don't get me wrong, it's not that we didn't like Lubeck - Schwerin just seemed a little more relaxed.

Another interesting site, although in a different direction, was to go to the V2 Rocket Factory in Peenemunde. Good museum to tour.

I have relatives in Lübeck and I am often there. I share the opinion that one day will be enough for Lübeck.

I also spent considerable time in Schwerin. Schwerin's main attraction is the castle which is really gorgeous, both from the outside and from the inside. IMO, a few hours in order to visit the castle, are sufficient for Schwerin. You can do it as a daytrip from Lübeck.

Otherwise, there is a new option: On your way to Lübeck, you might stop in Bremen. Bremen is a city with a beautiful historic district (Schnoorviertel), a gorgeous medieval city hall and a spectacular state-of-the-art science museum.

If you have a car, tour Lubeck first, then drive about 5 miles East. You will instantly know when you've passed from the old West Germany to the old East Germany. Not ony are there still a few remnants of the old Iron Curtain no man's land, but you will notice a huge differenve in architecture, roads and even power lines. It's eerie.

Hsv, Rebecka, Hausfrau, Patandhank, Echnaton, and Otzi,

Thanks for the new replies. We have three nights in Lubeck, but really only two days.

We’re travelling around by train, arriving in Lubeck from Brugge (a change in plan), so I think the first day will be just getting there and getting settled in. We’ll stay at the Hotel zur alten Stadtmauer and will spend the entire day in the old town area. Our itinerary is: arrive in Brussels from US, then a short stay in Maastricht, then Brugge, Lubeck, and ending in Copenhagen, and flying back to US.
We’ve decided on the last day in Lubeck to train to the nearby medieval town of Wismar for a day trip (Schwerin is a second option). I’m curious to see the change in architecture and surrounds from Lubeck to Wismar, and interested in Wismar for itself.

We’re really looking forward to visiting Lubeck, exploring the historic town, and eating in all the above mentioned restaurants.

Reading Buddenbrooks now!
Thanks Kathy

I loved Wismar. It is less spectacular, but on the other hand less polished and less touristy than Lübeck. In the side streets you feel as if time stood still in the 1920s. Medieval - hm.
In case you are interested, my personal impressions of Wismar with photos and travel tips are here: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/f86bd/1921/

My late mother raved about Buddenbrooks when we were in Lübeck and I should probably add it to my very, very long list of classics to read. I've only read Mann's "Death in Venice" and "Dr. Faustus" so far and they are excellent too. Only got halfway through "Magic Mountain", however.

Have a "wunderbar" trip, kathleen!

quokka,

I'm planning on one daytrip from Hamburg. I'm still torn between one full day in Luebeck or splitting a day between Wismar and Schwerin. Everyone is so enchanted with Luebeck and I hate to miss it, but I'm also attracted to the idea of getting both the Hanseatic flavor of Wismar and the contrasting baroque aspect of Schwerin with its castle. If you had to choose, which would you do? thanks

Gary, this is a tough choice. Don't misunderstand me - Lübeck is spectacular and gorgeous and absolutely worth seeing, though a bit busier than the other two.

I had to make a similar choice last year, when I travelled to the Baltic Sea coast (Kühlungsborn) and had one overnight to play with. I decided to focus on Wismar and only do a quick stopover in Schwerin. Day 1 included an 8 hour train ride, so there wasn't much time. I stopped in Schwerin for three hours, which was a race but better than no time at all, then continued to Wismar for the night. The next day was fully devoted to Wismar (which was an ok amount of time malthough I could have stayed longer).

Allow me to mention that Schwerin is mostly 19th century historism in all varieties, there is little baroque in town except the small quarter around Schelfkirche. The palace has one Renaissance wing, the rest is also 19th century.

In your case this is a win-win situation, both options are good ones, although stuffing Wismar and Schwerin into one day is a lot.
Is this your first time in the region? Have you seen more of the brick gothic architecture of the Baltic Sea coast before, or is this new to you? If it is your first encounter with Hanseatic history, I'd vote for Lübeck, the old head of the Hansa, whose wealth still shows in its old town.

Yes, it's my first time in Northern Germany. I'm getting the idea that a more leisurely day in Luebeck might be the best option. I am especially attracted to the brick gothic. I keep vacillating on this, but I leave in a couple of weeks so I will probably make an impulse decision.

bookmarking - thanks