The German coastal town of Travemünde faces the Baltic Sea in the northern part of the country. It is where the Trave River, which runs through Lübeck, Germany, meets the sea. It is also one of many German coastal towns on the Baltic Sea where Germans flock for fun in the sun in the summertime.
We stayed in nearby Schlutup which, though on the coast, is not itself such a beach town. And while not a tourist destination, it offered a glimpse into more residential areas and a Cold War curiosity (read on…) Looking to explore the more touristy coastal towns we spent half a day walking around Travemünde and also enjoyed dinner at nearby Timmendorfer Strand.
Exploring Travemünde
Travemünde first came to being as a fortress around the 12th century but the fortifications are long gone. It is now better known as a resort town and the port hosting ferries.
After driving into town and picking a residential street not far from the waterfront to park, we walked along the street noticing the architecture of the homes and walked past a church where a wedding had just taken place.
From there we meandered through small and picturesque side streets until we made it to the waterfront enjoying the architecture of this Baltic Sea coastal town.
Typical beach town scene in Travemünde
Travemünde’s waterfront is not atypical from other beach towns anywhere, really. A nice path along the water allows one to go for a nice long walk. Towards the end of the path there was a fair or festival taking place with temporary large and small tents with music and food.
We opted to walk back to the main part of the waterfront with its shops and eateries and picked one with tables out by the waterfront to enjoy a beer and watch life go by.
Being peak summer time, there were a lot of tourists in this German coastal town. Most were Germans though I would not be surprised at Danes, Swedes or others being there given the proximity. Ferries do leave from nearby to places as far as Helsinki, Finland so it is a very likely scenario.
Schlutup: Memories of the Cold War in Germany
The Cold War evokes many different memories. For many of us, the Berlin Wall is the supreme symbol of the time. For Germans, I suppose there are many more specific things and places that bring back the memories. The town of Schlutup, where we stayed, was just about 300 m (1,000 ft) from the former border between the two Germanies, likely close to being the northernmost point of the border, in a way.
It was definitely not a touristy town whether for foreigners or Germans. But it is where would found a neat water-side apartment in a two-story building to rent for a few days.
But it was on the eastern edge of the town where we found a tiny reminder of the Cold War: a local museum to the Iron Curtain and border control that existed right there while the Germanies were divided.
Off to dinner by the water in Timmendorfer Strand
The night of the lunar eclipse of July 2018, we picked Timmendorfer Strand as the place for dinner. We actually did it not thinking about the eclipse and it would have been an ideal spot to watch it except it was overcast.
The town felt a little less commercial but perhaps it was the part of town where our restaurant was, near residential buildings vs. commercial ones.
Our restaurant, Wolkenlos, was actually located on its own pier jutting into the water. It had windows all around and that was great though it basically grew extremely hot with the sun setting and glaring through the glass. And no air conditioning nor open windows to help. While the meal was good (and my dinner companions even more so!), we were sweating too much to say the meal experience was enjoyable.
Enjoying the sea breeze
The restaurant did have an outside deck area so as quickly as we could get our bill and pay, we moved outside. At first standing by the railing but, as soon as a table freed up, we sat down. And that’s when I can say I enjoyed the evening fully, sipping a beverage and feeling the sea breeze. Perfect way to wrap up the day!
