The red-and-white lighthouse at the mouth of the Alter Strom is Warnemünde's most recognisable landmark. Built in 1898 and standing 37 metres tall, it is open to visitors in summer — the climb up the spiral staircase rewards you with a sweeping view over the Baltic, the beach, and the rooftops of the resort. The adjacent keeper's cottage now houses a small exhibition on the history of navigation on this coast.
The Alter Strom (Old Stream) is the narrow former fishing harbour channel that runs south from the lighthouse for about a kilometre through the heart of the town. Its quayside is lined with low-slung fishing boats, fish restaurants, smoked fish stalls, and small shops selling amber jewellery and nautical souvenirs. In summer it is the most animated street in Warnemünde, and the best place to sit outside with a beer and watch the boats go by.
The western bank of the Alter Strom, reached by a small pedestrian ferry, is quieter and offers good views back across the channel towards the restaurants and the lighthouse. The large cruise ships dock just beyond this bank on busy port days, creating the surreal spectacle of a vast vessel looming over the fishing boats.