Making the most of Kiel
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
From Kiel's four cruise terminals, follow the blue line into the city.
Six berths for large ferry and cruise ships sit in the city center near the railway station at Norwegenkai, Schwedenkai and Ostseekai Terminals.
The newly completed Ostuferhafen will serve very large cruise ships from a brand new terminal building, but is farther from city center.
Check the cruise ship schedule and the port in use.
Find directions to every dock.
Take a printable map with you.
See hotels near the Cruise Terminals.
View the webcam.
Kiel lies at the end of a 17 km fjord, where the sea reaches into the city's heart. The fjord and its beaches are Kiel's great natural feature, while harbors, massive passenger ferries and enormous dock cranes define its maritime character.
Getting around
Explore Kiel's tourist attractions.
Germany is incredibly easy to travel around: its train network is comfortable, reliable, fast and reasonably priced, while excellent roads make motorized touring worthwhile.
Germany's famous national motorway network is the autobahnen. Officially there is no general speed limit, but many strictly controlled segments have limits for safety and pollution control. In a rental car, remain in the right lane except when passing; speeds of 200km or more are not unusual.
Taxis are reliable but costly.
Food and shopping
Every shopping area is only a few footsteps from the cruise terminals.
Look for precision optical equipment including binoculars and cameras, porcelain, handmade crystal, silver, steel ware, Solingen knives, leather wear, sports equipment, Nuremberg toys and Bavarian Loden cloth. Eastern Germany also offers musical instruments, Erzgebirge Mountains wooden carved toys and Meissen china.
German snacks, or Schnellimbiss, are widely available, particularly Bock wurst (boiled sausage), Bratwurst (grilled sausage), Curry wurst (spiced sausage), fries and hamburgers.
German fast food is cheap, hearty and varied, from sausage stands and imbisses to specialty stands. Much is Turkish in origin and popular for being cheap and healthy. The German's favourite Turkish fast food is Doner Kebab, a thick pita generally filled with chicken or beef and complemented by fresh French fries and salad.
Money
Kiel uses Euro, with plenty of ATM machines around.
At smaller establishments, ask first whether they accept Credit Cards.
Staying connected
German is spoken. Germans are considered punctual, disciplined and, last but not least, a little formal. German has two forms of you, "Du" and "Sie": "Du" is less formal and "Sie" more so. With people you do not know, almost always use "Sie" and their last name.
Police Emergency: dial 110; Fire Emergency or Ambulance Call: dial 112.
Most cafes provide free WiFi.
See the harbor webcam.
Opening Hours and
Stores must close by 8 p.m., though some shut as early as 6:30 p.m. Saturday closing is 1 or 2 p.m.; in large city centers, most remain open until 2 or 4 p.m.
All stores close Sundays, apart from some bakeries open on sunday morning.
At the end of June, more than three million visitors from around the world dive into the colorful, multi-facetted life of Kieler Woche.