During Hanse Sail, up to 300 tall ships, sloops, cruise ships, ferries, museum schooners, vintage yachts and other sea-going vessels are paraded in front of delighted spectators in and around Rostock's harbour. This maritime festival is a special occasion for the entire Baltic region, a celebration of friendship between nations featuring music performed on a number of stages, two fireworks displays, a medieval fair, a Ferris wheel and plenty more entertainment spread out along nearly four kilometres. All of this takes place against the magnificent backdrop of Rostock's old quarter with its characteristic deep-red brick buildings dating from Hanseatic times. These include the city fortifications, parts of which have been preserved, including a section built by General Wallenstein during the Thirty Years' War. The eastern part of the old quarter contains a long stretch of wall near St. Peter's Church, and close by you can still see part of the Fishermen's Bastion with some historical canons. Inside the city walls, three of the original four monumental town churches still remain. The largest is the Gothic St. Mary's Church in the centre, while St. Peter's on Alter Markt square is located in the oldest part of Rostock. Its tower offers stunning views across the town and the Baltic Sea. Other notable buildings include the Gothic town hall with its baroque-period exterior, the late-Gothic Hausbaumhaus merchant's house and the neo-Gothic guildhall. A particularly endearing landmark is the old lighthouse in Warnemünde, an ideal destination for an excursion.

The traditional seaside resort of Warnemünde with its pretty, colourful fishermen's cottages is a quiet and relaxing place. It's a great place to explore the little stores, cafés and restaurants as well as the Alter Strom, an old arm of the river Warnow that exudes maritime charm with its fishing and sailing boats bobbing on the water. Despite all the history and the pride it takes in its grand seafaring heritage, Rostock is also a modern city. It has some remarkable examples of GDR and contemporary architecture, such as Lange Strasse, which was rebuilt in the late 1950s under the direction of the town's young chief architect Joachim Näther and the experimental Hyparschalen buildings created between 1966 and 1972, which still stand out today. They include the Teepott restaurant in Warnemünde, the Kosmos office building in the Südstadt district and the multi-purpose hall (now a shopping centre) in the Lütten Klein district. At the end of the 1990s, architects Gerkan, Mang and Partner built a chic shopping mall behind the facade of a former hotel. And while we're on the subject, Rostock is a great place for shopping. Distinctive pedestrian zones such as Kröpeliner Strasse have been established between Doberaner Platz square, Neuer Markt, Universitätsplatz square and the city harbour. This area is also great for eating out, offering everything from fresh fish to international cuisine, while those with a sweet tooth should make sure to pay a visit to the chocolatier de Prie at the harbour. The Kröpeliner Tor district with its pubs and clubs also has friendly restaurants, bars and cafés offering delicious food and refreshing beer. It's always worth taking a closer look either side of the main streets, where small shops and pubs in old warehouses and lovingly restored town houses are just waiting to be discovered. And what you will always find is the soul and charm of this extraordinary city.