Baltic Coast Vacations

The Baltic coast is saltier and windier and has a more international outlook than other regions of the former East Germany. Throughout the Cold War, this windswept seaside was a playground for the factory workers and bureaucrats of the now-defunct GDR. For centuries before that, the region thrived as the site of the busy ports of the Hanseatic League, whose lore still permeates the land.

Other cultural influences came from the Swedish, Latvian, Lithuanian, and Polish ports with which the League did much of its trading. Since reunification, the Baltic coast has emerged as a hot spot for Germany's beach-loving throngs; the entire coastline has benefited from a major restoration of its historic structures, many of which were decaying.

The region is best visited by car, on any of several different driving routes. The ideal departure point is Lübeck. From Lübeck, drive east along Highway 105 (also known as E22). En route, you'll traverse the frontier that separated West from East Germany for more than 45 years and enter the medieval principality of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania. Your first stop will be Wismar.
Source: frommers.com

Things To Do and See

in Baltic Coast, Poland

Malbork Castle, Malbork, Baltic Coast
Attraction type: Castle

Gdansk History Museum

(Muzeum Historyczne Gdanska), Gdansk, Baltic Coast
Attraction type: History museum

Great Crane (Zuraw), Gdansk, Baltic Coast
Attraction type: Landmark/point of interest

Maritime Museum (Muzeum Morskie), Gdansk, Baltic Coast
Attraction type: Maritime museum

Town Hall (Ratusz), Gdansk, Baltic Coast
Attraction type: Government building