1 day · Maritime and technology lovers
Maritime Kiel
Kiel breathes the sea like hardly any other city. This guide is for everyone who loves ships, the navy and seafaring: the Kiellinie with its parade of yachts and ferries, the naval harbour, the Holtenau lock on the Kiel Canal and, in Laboe, submarine U-995 with the Naval Memorial. A day full of steel, salt and seafaring tales.
Best time to visit: April to October — in good weather the fjord is at its busiest
Day 1
Steel, salt and seafaring
We begin on the Kiellinie, travel to the Holtenau lock on the canal and cross by ferry to Laboe for the submarine and the memorial.
- 9:30 - 11:00
Kiellinie and naval harbour
Start on the Kiellinie with a view of the fjord. Here lie sailing yachts and research vessels, and on the opposite shore the naval harbour with the grey ships of the German Navy. Information boards along the promenade explain ships and seafaring.
Tip: If you're lucky, you'll see a GEOMAR research vessel coming in or heading out.
- 11:15 - 13:00
Holtenau lock on the Kiel Canal
The Holtenau lock is Kiel's maritime gateway: here the Kiel Canal flows into the fjord, the busiest artificial waterway in the world. From the viewing platform you can watch huge freighters pass through the lock chambers. The old lighthouse is Holtenau's landmark.
- 13:00 - 14:15
Lunch in Holtenau
Around the lock and the old Tiessenkai in Holtenau there are maritime venues with fresh fish and views of the water. A hearty refuel before continuing by ferry.
- 14:30 - 16:30
Submarine U-995 in Laboe
By ferry or along the shore to Laboe: submarine U-995 is the only surviving submarine of the Type VII C/41 in the world and stands as a technical museum on land. You walk through the torpedo room, command centre and engine room — claustrophobically narrow and fascinating at once.
- 16:30 - 18:00
Laboe Naval Memorial
Right next door the 72-metre-high Naval Memorial rises into the sky. It commemorates those lost at sea of all nations and is a call for peace. From the observation tower the view reaches far over the Baltic and the fjord — in clear weather as far as Denmark.
- 19:00 - 21:30
An evening with a fjord view
To round things off, one more visit to the water: restaurants on the fjord serve fresh fish and northern German classics. At sunset over the water, the maritime day comes to a perfect close.
Touren & Tickets · GetYourGuide
Maritime Touren & Erlebnisse in Kiel
Erlebe Kiel von seiner maritimen Seite – Hafenrundfahrten, Förde-Touren, das U-Boot U995 und die Schleuse Holtenau.
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