Making the most of Sassnitz
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Ships moor or anchor here, so you will tender ashore to Sassnitz center. Smaller vessels may dock at the ferry port, 6 km from town, and shuttles are normally provided.
Take a printable map along.
Sassnitz is a well-known resort town and a gateway to nearby Jasmund National Park. It has Rügen's only zoo. HMS Otus, a decommissioned British submarine, was bought by a German entrepreneur and towed to Sassnitz as a floating museum.
As the Island of Ruegen becomes more attractive, the Port of Sassnitz is increasingly popular with international and German cruise operators. Cruise participants can take individual excursions, fly over the island, or join a bus tour to explore Germany's largest and most landscape-diverse island. Discovering the Island of Ruegen is like discovering Germany in one day!
Germany’s largest island, Rügen, covers 976 square kilometers. More precisely, it is a Baltic Sea archipelago of around 30 small islands and peninsulas off Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s coast. A stroll through former imperial spa resorts, now newly resplendent, gives a definite sense of Belle Epoque noblesse. Rügen’s remarkable diversity includes ancient megalithic graves, genteel seaside resorts, quiet fishing villages, mile-long beaches, dead straight tree-lined avenues, wild sea buckthorn hedges, 100-year-old lighthouses, eerie beech woods, sparkling lakes and Jasmund National Park, Germany's…
Getting around
Rügen offers an unparalleled visit through its many unique attractions: a nearby Hanseatic City of Stralsund with 3 ancient churches and 5 abbeys, an old hunting castle dating from the beginning of the 18th century, and a still-operational steam train.
Hourly trains to Stralsund cost €12 each way and take just under an hour.
Food and shopping
Shopping choices include handmade crystal, porcelain, precision optical equipment such as cameras and binoculars, silver, steel ware, leather wear, Solingen knives, sports equipment, Nuremberg toys and Bavarian Loden cloth. In eastern Germany, musical instruments, Meissen china and wooden carved toys from the Erzgebirge Mountains are also special purchases.
German snacks (Schnellimbiss) are widely sold, particularly Bock wurst, a boiled sausage; Bratwurst, a grilled sausage; Curry wurst, a spiced sausage; plus hamburgers and fries.
There is a hearty, cheap and diverse German fast food scene, with a range of imbisses, sausage stands and specialty stands to choose from. Much of it is of Turkish origin and popular because it is healthy and cheap. A favourite German Turkish fast food is the Doner Kebab, a thick pita generally filled with beef or chicken and complemented with fresh French fries and salad.
Money
Use Euro; ATM machines are plentiful around town.
Before paying at a smaller business, ask whether it takes Credit Cards.
Staying connected
German is spoken. Germans are regarded as disciplined, punctual and, last but not least, a little formal. There are two German forms for you: "Du" and "Sie." The former is less formal, while the latter is more so. With people you do not know, you should almost always use their last name and the "Sie" form.
For Police Emergency call 110; for Fire Emergency or Ambulance Call, use 112.
Free WiFi is available in most cafes.
Opening Hours and
All stores close no later than 8 p.m., with some shutting as early as 6:30 p.m. Saturday shops lock up at 1 or 2 p.m.; in big city centers, though, most stay open until 2 or 4 p.m.
Every store is closed Sundays, other than some bakeries that open on sunday morning.