Ozeaneum Stralsund

The Ozeaneum opened in 2008 in a set of white curved shells on Stralsund's harbour island, and it follows the water northward: the Baltic first, then the North Sea, then the open Atlantic and the polar seas. Starting with the Baltic is the unusual part, because it is a low-salinity sea with a thin, odd species list that most aquariums skip entirely, and seeing it done properly changes how the coast outside the window reads. The building's set piece is a hall called Giants of the Sea, where full-size models of a blue whale, a humpback and others hang in near darkness over benches meant for lying on. Humboldt penguins live on the roof terrace.

What you actually see

• The whale hall - life-size models hanging in the dark above benches you lie on.
• The Baltic tanks - a low-salinity sea that most aquariums leave out.
• The open-water basin - a cold Atlantic tank of shoals and rays.
• The roof terrace - Humboldt penguins with the harbour and old town behind them.

When to go

Any month works, and this is the standard fallback when the coast is under rain, which also means wet days are the busiest. Arrive at opening or in the last two hours to avoid the school groups and the midday block. Feeding times are posted at the entrance and draw a crowd at each tank.

Honest expectations

The ticket is expensive for a family, and there is no short version of the route, which is one-way and slow when a school group is ahead of you. The whales are models, not animals, and some visitors take a while to work that out. The building can feel like a corridor at peak times, and the roof terrace is exposed to whatever the Baltic weather is doing.

Nearby

Stralsund's old town, inscribed as World Heritage with Wismar, and the bridge to Rugen.