Rostock, Germany

Too small to be dynamic, too large to be quaint, ROSTOCK is the principal city in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The most important port on the German Baltic has been everything from a powerful Hanseatic trader to a major ship-building port at the head of the deep-water Warnow River. Its townscape bears the scars of Allied bombers and GDR planners alike. Even the reunification welcomed elsewhere proved a bitter pill after subsidies that had sustained the ship-building industry ended, prompting mass unemployment. Although pockets of historical charm remain in the Altstadt, an oval cat's-cradle of streets above the harbour, and renovation has buffed up the centre, the core is unlikely to detain you for more than a day. Bars in the Kröpeliner Torvorstadt district and the liveliest clubbing on the German Baltic fuelled by a 12,000-strong student population, are two reasons to hang around. Otherwise there's sister resort Warnemünde, a chirpy destination at the river mouth that's shifting rapidly upmarket to suit one of the finest beaches in Germany. It's also the location of the town's best festivals: regatta week Warnemünder Woche (Web: www.warnemuender-woche.de ), straddling the first and second weeks of July, and classic sail extravaganza Hanse Sail (Web: www.hansesail.com ) in early August.