Warnemunde (Berlin), Germany

This attractive sailing and fishing port, a suburb of Rostock, is the gateway for trips to Berlin and the Baltic coast. The Alte Strom (Old River) was the sole entrance to the port until 1903. Today the small fishermen's cottages flanking the river are home to cozy pubs and cafes, shops and boutiques. On the opposite bank of the Middle Mole, the yacht harbor offers a pleasant promenade for leisurely strolling. The Old River ends at the breakwater, and where the fine sandy beach of Westmole begins. The 19th-century lighthouse offers splendid panoramas of Warnemuende, the harbor, and often the Danish coast, just 28 miles across the Baltic Sea.