What to do in Kiel

We are doing a Baltic cruise on the Zuiderdam in August. Our first stop is Kiel. Nothing in Cruise Critic on Kiel. I found a free walking tour of Saint Pauli that we plan on doing. When I research Hamburg, nothing stood out as a must see to make that trip. We are in port from 11-9. So other than maybe stepping out for some good German beer am I missing something here as a must see?

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We are on the Zuiderdam in June for I believe the same [12-night Baltic Adventure?] itinerary. For the call at Kiel we will be going to Lübeck for the day. It seems pretty easy to do by train and looks like a charming town. I understand your quandary though, Kiel does not look overly interesting [in fact I made friends with a German guy on the QM2 last January and he told me Kiel is one of the most boring cities in Germany haha]. Hamburg is also an option that many people take but this is such a port-intensive itinerary that I figured Lübeck would be more relaxing instead of the hustle and bustle of another crowded city.

We are on the Zuiderdam in June for I believe the same [12-night Baltic Adventure?] itinerary. For the call at Kiel we will be going to Lübeck for the day. It seems pretty easy to do by train and looks like a charming town. I understand your quandary though, Kiel does not look overly interesting [in fact I made friends with a German guy on the QM2 last January and he told me Kiel is one of the most boring cities in Germany haha]. Hamburg is also an option that many people take but this is such a port-intensive itinerary that I figured Lübeck would be more relaxing instead of the hustle and bustle of another crowded city.

Just looked up Lubeck. Some interesting architecture. Might be a possibility. I figure most folks will go to Hamburg but don't know why. There really isn't anything great there for a tourist to go see and visit. I can always drink German beer in Kiel.

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In Hamburg you can visit Miniatur Wunderland which is the world's largest model railway.

http://www.hamburg-tourism.de/sehenswertes/kultur-in-hamburg/kultur-von-a-bis-z/miniatur-wunderland/?gclid=CMjzg_KyrtMCFVZJGQodZZUIKA

http://www.miniatur-wunderland.com/

When we did a port stop in Kiel a couple years ago on our Baltic cruise, we took the train to Lubeck. It's super easy to do and Lubeck is a lovely German town with some great places to see. We enjoyed our stroll down the pedestrian zone to St.Mary's church which has some very interesting art and history. Then we explored some of Lubeck's quaint alleyways and stopped by the Kartoffel Keller. The Visitor's Center which you pass as you enter town has an audiotour you can rent (which was OK), but I learned of more interesting things to see by reading info online and in Lonely Planet Germany and Rough Guide Germany. You might start here: http://www.luebeck-tourism.de/

Lubeck turned out to be one of our favorite places on this cruise.

May I suggest you go to Lübeck by train? The train station is near the cruise port in Kiel and the train ride is short. Here is some info on Lübeck: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2464864&highlight=Travemunde

From Kiel, a boat tour on Kieler Förde or a visit to the rural museum Molfsee is interesting. Or take a rental car and go to Laboe to visit the marine memorial site.

I think we will probably opt to go to Lubeck. Luckily that is something we can wait and decide last minute. The train looks easy enough.

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I think we will probably opt to go to Lubeck. Luckily that is something we can wait and decide last minute. The train looks easy enough.

 

 

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While the train is easy and you can wait to decide to go to Luebeck at the last minute, I recommend you do research beforehand in case you do go--architecture, history, what there is to see and do, dining, etc. It would be a shame to get there and not know its interesting history and the stories behind some of the things you'll see. (For example, the legend of Rosemary, the church mouse and the story of Luebeck's lucky escape in WWII.)

While the train is easy and you can wait to decide to go to Luebeck at the last minute, I recommend you do research beforehand in case you do go--architecture, history, what there is to see and do, dining, etc. It would be a shame to get there and not know its interesting history and the stories behind some of the things you'll see. (For example, the legend of Rosemary, the church mouse and the story of Luebeck's lucky escape in WWII.)

Oh would definitely do all that before we go. I type out a daily itinerary with facts, contact information, port info, things to do etc for every day of our cruise. I am a Planner by profession so I definitely will have this all planned out.

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I think we will probably opt to go to Lubeck. Luckily that is something we can wait and decide last minute. The train looks easy enough.

 

 

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We are on the same cruise as you (Zuiderdam Aug 11th) and are thinking about taking the train to Lübeck. If you are interested, we could go together and take advantage of the group train ticket - Kleingruppenkarte. Have you seen the app that's an audio guide for Lübeck? It might be helpful if a taking a guided walking tour isn't for you. Let us know what you think.

Hamburg is such an amazing city to see.

There is so much to see : Miniaturwunderland, Speicherstadt, Hafencity, Landungsbrücken, St. Pauli, the River Elbe etc.

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Has anyone taken the HOHO bus or harbour tour in Kiel? Because of limited time & amount of time it takes to get to Hamburg, I was thinking of taking one or both of these tours. On our cruise (2018) this is our last port after 19 out of 24 port days. Leisurely day and pack?

We are on the same cruise as you (Zuiderdam Aug 11th) and are thinking about taking the train to Lübeck. If you are interested, we could go together and take advantage of the group train ticket - Kleingruppenkarte. Have you seen the app that's an audio guide for Lübeck? It might be helpful if a taking a guided walking tour isn't for you. Let us know what you think.

Where did you find that app? What's the app name?

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Where did you find that app? What's the app name?

 

 

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Here's the link to the app from the Travel Luebeck website: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/itour-lubeck-english/id857735284?mt=8

This app was not available when we went to Luebeck in 2015, so we paid for the tourist office's audio tour. It cost 10 euro was pretty perfunctory. I hope the info on the app is better and, if not, at least it didn't cost you anything.

And I recommend the Travel Luebeck website--some good info there: http://www.luebeck-tourism.de/

We were on the Baltic Cruise aboard the Zuiderdam in June If you decide to take the train to Lübeck, to save some walking do not follow the blue line from the Otseekai Terminal to the Hauptbahnhof. It will lead you through the shopping district plus a longer walk. Leaving the terminal turn left towards Düsternbrooker Weg and keep the waterside to your left. Stay on the same walkway as it turns to Wall, and then to Kaistraße. The train station plaza will be on the right after about a 1.5km walk.

There are two trains per hour and the Old Town of Lübeck is about 0.5km from the Lübeck Hbf. We were lucky as there was a festival being held in the square during our visit with live music.

We were on the Baltic Cruise aboard the Zuiderdam in June If you decide to take the train to Lübeck, to save some walking do not follow the blue line from the Otseekai Terminal to the Hauptbahnhof. It will lead you through the shopping district plus a longer walk. Leaving the terminal turn left towards Düsternbrooker Weg and keep the waterside to your left. Stay on the same walkway as it turns to Wall, and then to Kaistraße. The train station plaza will be on the right after about a 1.5km walk.

There are two trains per hour and the Old Town of Lübeck is about 0.5km from the Lübeck Hbf. We were lucky as there was a festival being held in the square during our visit with live music.

Thank you. That's great info

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Here's the link to the app from the Travel Luebeck website: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/itour-lubeck-english/id857735284?mt=8

 

 

 

This app was not available when we went to Luebeck in 2015, so we paid for the tourist office's audio tour. It cost 10 euro was pretty perfunctory. I hope the info on the app is better and, if not, at least it didn't cost you anything.

 

 

 

And I recommend the Travel Luebeck website--some good info there: http://www.luebeck-tourism.de/

Unfortunately the app does not work on the latest OS for iPhones. But the other link is viewable. Thanks for sharing.

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