Located along Germany’s scenic Baltic Coast, Kiel is a laid-back university city known for its maritime culture. Not only will visitors find the historic Howaldt shipyard, Skandinavienkai quay, and picturesque Kiel Canal leading out to the North Sea, but Kiel is also known for its cultural offerings. Things to do in Kiel include the opera house and museums, such as the Kiel Maritime Museum (housed in an old fish auction hall) and the Kunsthalle zu Kiel, a sprawling art museum located right on the city’s scenic fjord.
Kiel is best in summer and early fall when the days are bright and temperate. If you’re a sailing aficionado, you’ve likely come to Kiel for one thing: Kieler Woche, otherwise known as Kiel Week. Held in early fall, this is the world’s largest sailing regatta and the biggest event in Germany after Oktoberfest. Kiel hosts the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival each summer, a great way to catch live classical music performances.
Little wonder for such a major maritime hub, but Kiel is reachable by ferry from many destinations both inside and outside Germany, such as neighboring Scandinavia—for example, there’s a direct boat from Copenhagen in Denmark or a longer ride from Gothenburg in Sweden—and even as far as Russia. Once in Kiel, you’ll find a good network of bus lines (full-day or week-long unlimited passes are available). Bicycle rentals are also popular, owing to the city’s flat terrain.
Don’t miss a trip to Laboe to see the German submarine U-995—a surviving war vessel from Nazi Germany that is part of the Laboe Naval Memorial complex. Not only can anyone gaze at the structure from where it now sits parked on the sand overlooking the sea for free, but paying visitors can also climb aboard. Get a look at the claustrophobic living conditions that sailors once contended with, and pay your respects to seafarers of all nationalities.
