Kiel

Kiel is the capital city of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein and has a population of roughly 248,000 (2018). It is on the Baltic Sea at the end of the "Kieler Förde".

Understand
Kiel is a maritime city and has been for a long time, it remains one of Germany main passenger ports (besides Travemünde and Rostock) and as the Baltic endpoint of the Kiel Canal plays an important role in shipping. The death-knell of German monarchism sounded here when in 1918 the admirals wanted the fleet to sail out for one last glorious but militarily pointless battle. The sailors revolted against their officers, culminating in revolution and the formation of Soviets.

During the Second World War, Kiel was severely bombed, because of its submarine-producing shipyard. Civil and military ships are being built in Kiel nowadays and the tall cranes dominate the eastern shore of the Förde (fjord).

The bombing destroyed almost all historic buildings in Kiel; even the older looking buildings were built after World War II. So, if you come to the "Kieler Schloss" (Kieler Castle) don't be disappointed. There isn't much left of the original building. During the rebuilding after the war, mostly modern architecture was used.

Tourist information

 * Kiel tourism website

By boat
Kiel serves as the German ferry terminus for the ferries to Oslo, Norway with Color Line and Gothenburg, Sweden with Stena Line. It is also the endpoint of the Kiel Canal, which connects the North Sea to the Baltic Sea (allowing ships to avoid rounding Denmark).

By bus
At the Auguste-Viktoria-Straße, bus lines run services to, or through, Kiel. A weekly bus leaves Kiel and travels via Poland and the Baltic states to Tallinn, Estonia. A comfortable bus operates daily from Berlin to Kiel via Lübeck (6 hours). Further bus operators serve domestic routes.

By car
Kiel is connected to two Autobahns, the A210 to Rendsburg and the A215, both of which also connect to the A7 (which is part of the European road E45). Alternatively, take the B503 from the north (Dänischenhagen), B76 from the northwest (Eckernförde) or southeast (Plön), B404 from the south (Bad Segeberg), B4/L318 from the south (Neumünster, though taking the A7/A215 will likely be faster), or the B502 from the northeast (Wisch).

Get around
Kiel has a public transport system based on buses and ferries operated by VRK. 1-, 3- and 7-day tickets are available, and offer good value for tourists. You can use the NAH SH app to purchase tickets. The Groupticket "Kleingruppenkarten ohne Sylt-Bus" can be a particularly good value: for a total of €45.90 (as of May 2024) for unlimited transit starting 09:00 on Monday-Friday or starting 12:00 on Saturday, Sunday and holidays until 06:00 the subsequent day, a group of up to 5 adults (children free) can ride all buses and trains in the entire SH-Tarif Network (Schleswig-Holstein state plus Hamburg minus Sylt island).

The taxi service is expensive but good.

Kiel is very flat, and bicycles can be rented at various places. The main train station has a large bicycle garage and bicycle rental centre (Radstation), with regular bicycles and e-bikes available. It is quite easy to ride from Kiel to Laboe, catch a ferry to Strande, and cycle back to Kiel.

For short trips, Sprottenflotte bikes can be rented by using a smartphone app. Bikes are provided by Donkey Republic, but you may still encounter the old Nextbike bikes as well, so it's best to have both apps installed. Use the apps to scan the bikes' QR codes, and return them at any Sprottenflotte station in the city (e-bikes can only be returned at designated e-bike stations, marked in red in the app). Prices are as follows (for details, see the price list, under "Sprottenflotte Kiel"):
 * Regular bikes: the first 30 minutes are free; each additional 30 minutes cost €1, up to a maximum of €9 per 24 hours.
 * Cargo bikes: 30 minutes cost €1 (the first 30 minutes are not free), up to a maximum of €12 per 24 hours.
 * E-bikes, including cargo e-bikes: the first 30 minutes cost €2; each additional 30 minutes cost €1, up to a maximum of €25 per 24 hours.

Bikes can be reserved in the app at no cost for up to 15 minutes, and it's a good idea to do this when walking to a station. Don't expect high-quality bikes, and if you want a helmet, bring your own.

Electric scooters are also available, with at least Bolt, Lime and Tier operating in Kiel. All scooters can be rented in the respective apps.

When crossing the Kiel canal, you can go across one of several bridges (Holtenauer Hochbrücken, Levensauer Hochbrücken), or take a ferry shuttle. The Adler 1 at Kiel-Holtenau only takes pedestrians and bicycles; the ferries at Landwehr and Sehestedt also carry cars and motorcycles. All canal ferries are free.

See




Museums
Eight museums of Kiel have created a common initiative called Museen am Meer, or "museums by the sea", where a common website brings together all details you need about their collections, opening times, admission prices etc. along with a route planner. For young travellers (17 years and younger), there is an app, "MuseumsCard", that offers information and free admission to many museums in Kiel and the rest of Schleswig-Holstein.



Do
There are two free monthly magazines listing activities and events. Paper copies of Station and Ultimo can be found in most cafes. Online information is available via Kiel Magazin and Fördeflüsterer.



Kieler Woche
The main tourist attraction is the Kieler Woche ("Kiel Week") at the end of June.

Apart from being world's largest sailing event the Kieler Woche is one of Germany's largest festivals. Apart from the sailing, the entire centre of the town is transformed into an international food and craft fair, with regular big name performers appearing nightly. If you intend to visit Kiel during this time, book your hotel well ahead. The waterfront and major parts of downtown will be inaccessible for cars.

Information on events is posted all over town and through a free magazine which will be distributed about a month before the event. Events include entertainment for kids during daytime throughout the entire week and lots of open air concerts. Most concerts end around 23:00 and nightlife moves to indoor venues and to the Eggerstedtstraße.

Aside from an abundance of food and drink outlets along the streets the "International Market" on the Rathausmarkt is the place to go for food and drink. Dozens of countries operate booths on the open-air market offering their traditional foods and drinks. The Kieler Nachrichten newspaper runs a special about food on the market in its Saturday edition, with ratings. If you cannot decide from the endless choices head over to the Scandinavian area or to wherever crowds are gathering; the Poles also offer large portions for a surprisingly low price.

Libraries
Kiel's public library, the Stadtbücherei, is open to all visitors (medical masks and contact tracing are required as of Aug 2021). The main library is in the city centre (Andreas-Gayk-Str. 31, 24103 Kiel), but there's a couple more throughout the city, of which the ones in Gaarden (Elisabethstr. 64, 24143 Kiel) and Mettenhof (Sibeliusweg 2a, 24109 Kiel) offer the largest selection. Anyone can come in and read; a membership is required to check out media, with 1-month memberships being available for €3.

Kiel University operates its own libraries. The central library (Leibnizstr. 9, 24118 Kiel) is open to everyone; checking out books requires membership, but this is not restricted to university members. Departmental libraries may or may not be open to the general public. The focus is, obviously, on scientific literature.

Sports

 * Football:
 * Football:

Buy
A variety of shops are located in the pedestrian zone Holstenstraße and the mall Sophienhof. Another relatively big mall is the Citti-Park, which is also home to the Citti-Markt, Kiel's best (but probably also most expensive) supermarket. Several large furniture store are in the same general area as the Citti-Park: Ikea, Möbel Höffner and Sconto, Höffner's low-cost companion.

Numerous cafés are located in the old town centre at the northern tip of the Holstenstraße near the "Nikolaikirche" (Nikolai church).

An outdoor shopping area is the busy Holtenauer Straße with lots of cafés and more upscale stores towards the south end near the Dreiecksplatz.

Eat
There are food courts in Kieler Hauptbahnhof (train station) and the shopping mall across from the train station (Sophienhof).

Drink
Good cafes and pubs can be found in the old city centre.

Clubs
Kiel's clubs are spread out all across the city. Although some locals prefer doing the one-hour drive to Hamburg to go out, Kiel has some clubs that are worth being checked out. Make sure you have had a look at the site Fördeflüsterer before going out to get the most accurate information on all night live events. Most clubs have a €5 cover fee.



Parties
Not exactly in the category of clubs are the various parties that take places in different parts of the city. Traditionally on Thursdays between October and April all the big university departments organize Studentenparties on and off campus. Expect somewhat cheap drinks and hundreds of university students dancing to a mix of pop, rock and r'n'b. Sometimes there are even live bands or second dance floors. On the weekends several fancier parties are hosted in unusual locations throughout Kiel. You'll be dancing to house music in a show room of a car dealer or in the terminal of the ferry to Scandinavia. Tickets for these parties can bought in advance which will save you money and time. Check the Kiel4Kiel site to find out where tickets are sold or ask a local student.

Live music
When it comes down to live music, Kiel is not the city where you'll be able to see big headliners. If you're into that you'll have to go to Hamburg. Still, you might be able to listen to some decent live music while staying in Kiel. The Halle400, the MAX and the community-operated Pumpe host local and international acts. Surprisingly good German or Scandinavian acts can sometimes be spotted in the Schaubude or the Nachtcafé for very little money. On occasion, some clubs like the Luna host national-recognized DJs. The city's own Kulturforum has concerts (as well as stage plays etc.) almost every night. The best place to find out who's playing and to get a ticket is Konzertkasse Streiber close to the Ostseehalle.



Sleep
The Youth Hostel is close to the Hauptbahnhof. There are a number of moderately priced hotels in the city centre. For some Olympic history, stay at Olympiazentrum in Schilksee, the sailing athletes village for the 1972 Munich Games. Top end is the Strande Hotel in Strande, or the Kieler Kaufmann just north of the city centre.

Internet access

 * The local Internet Service Provider TNG operates free wireless access points in the downtown area; watch out for #SH_WLAN. Access will be blocked after-hours. A list of locations is available on the TNG Spot website (German).
 * Many larger stores, malls and supermarkets offer free WiFi.
 * Deutsche Bahn (Germany's national railway company) offers free WiFi at the main train station (and on many trains). Access to the station, including the platforms, is not limited.
 * The public library offers free Wi-Fi if you ask for a voucher with an access code.
 * Commercial Wi-Fi based access can be found throughout most parts of Kiel provided by various operators. Most will not allow you to use your international roaming plan like iPass, though.

Go next

 * Lübeck
 * Neumünster
 * Plön
 * Rendsburg
 * Schleswig