Schwerin is not on most international visitors' radar, which is precisely what makes it work. One hour and thirty minutes northwest of Berlin on the Intercity service, it is the state capital of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - a small city of 95,000 people built around a network of seven lakes - and it contains, on its own island in the middle of the largest of them, one of the most extravagant pieces of 19th-century Romantic architecture in Germany.
The Schweriner Schloss has been on its island since the 10th century in various forms. The version standing today was built between 1845 and 1857 in a deliberate echo of the Loire Valley chateaux - specifically Chambord - with towers, copper-green domes, and a silhouette that is most effectively viewed from the lakeside. The building currently houses the Mecklenburg state parliament; the state rooms open to the public include some genuinely good 19th-century decorative art.
Getting There
Intercity and Regional Express trains run from Berlin Hauptbahnhof to Schwerin throughout the day. The journey takes 90 minutes on the IC service (direct) and around 2 hours on slower regional services. A standard fare booked in advance is around €20 to 35.
Schwerin station sits at the eastern edge of the city centre, a flat 15-minute walk from the Marktplatz and the Schloss causeway.
The Lakeside Circuit
The defining activity in Schwerin on post-marathon legs is the lakeside path around the Burgsee - the lake on which the Schloss island sits. The path is flat, well-surfaced, and approximately 4.5 kilometres in circumference. At the gentle pace appropriate to 24 hours after a marathon, this takes around an hour and a half. The changing angles on the castle - the south face reflected in the water, the north face viewed from across the causeway bridge, the towers emerging from the tree line at the western curve - are different enough that you are not simply walking around a lake.
Boat tours on the Schweriner See, the much larger lake immediately south of the city, operate from the town's embarkation point near the Schloss. A 90-minute lake cruise in September gives you the Schloss from the water at a distance - the most impressive perspective.
September in Schwerin
The Berlin Marathon falls in late September. Schwerin in late September is typically 12 to 17°C, the lakeside trees beginning to turn, and the tourist season winding down after its summer peak. The city is quieter than in July or August and the pace feels right for recovery.
The Schweriner Dom (Cathedral of St Mary and St John), a 14th-century Gothic brick cathedral in the old town, is worth an hour: the interior is one of the best examples of north German brick Gothic outside of Lubeck, and the cloister garden is enclosed and calm. Entry is free.
Where to Stay and Eat
Hotel Niederlandischer Hof on the Alexandrinenstrasse, facing the Pfaffenteich, is the traditional choice - a 19th-century townhouse hotel with a good restaurant and flat access to both the old town and the lakeside paths.
For dinner: Restaurant Weinhaus Uhle in the old town has been the benchmark for Mecklenburg cuisine since 1751, with a kitchen that takes seriously the local tradition of lake fish (pike-perch, eel, freshwater crayfish) alongside game from the surrounding forests. In September, the venison preparations are typically good.
Practical Notes
- Train timing: Last IC service back to Berlin Hauptbahnhof departs Schwerin around 21:00. Check the Deutsche Bahn timetable for the current schedule.
- Walking distances: The city is entirely manageable on foot. The Schloss causeway from the town is five minutes from the Marktplatz.
- What to skip: The climb inside the Schloss tower offers views across the lakes but involves a steep internal staircase. The external lake circuit gives equivalent or better views.