Kiel – state capital of Schleswig-Holstein

With around 248,000 inhabitants, Kiel is one of the 30 largest cities in Germany and is Germany’s northernmost city. Founded as the Holstenstadt tom Kyle in the 13th century, Kiel is a traditional university town and world-famous for the annual Kiel Week and the Kiel Canal, which flows into the Kiel Fjord here in Kiel.

Kiel lies to the right and left of the Kieler Förde, an approximately 17-kilometer-long arm of the Baltic Sea. Due to their location on the Kiel Fjord, districts of Kiel are often referred to as the west bank and east bank. Due to the Kiel Fjord, the proximity to the Baltic Sea and the Kiel Canal, the busiest artificial waterway in the world, shipping, shipbuilding, sailing and water sports are important factors in the areas of business, trade and tourism in Kiel.

Kiel impressions

Sights in Kiel and the surrounding area

The state capital Kiel is characterized by its proximity to the sea. Kiel Fjord, the Baltic Sea, the port of Kiel and the Kiel Canal are in the immediate vicinity. The Kiel beaches, including Falckensteiner Strand and Schilksee Beach, as well as the Baltic Sea beaches and cliffs in the Kiel area such as the Laboe Beach or the Stohl cliffs, are a popular destination for Kiel residents and holidaymakers who spend their holidays by the sea, especially in the summer months.

But of course Kiel has much more to offer than water, beach and ships.

Some sights in Kiel and the surrounding area

  • The Kiellinie, fjord promenade on the west bank of Kiel (formerly Hindenburgufer)

  • The Kieler Hörn and the Hörnbrücke (three-span bascule bridge)

  • Kleiner Kiel

  • The lock system of the Kiel Canal in Kiel-Wik and Kiel-Holtenau

  • The port of Kiel by harbor tour with a SFK ship

  • The naval memorial and the museum submarine U 995 in Laboe

  • The Schleswig-Holstein open-air museum in Molfsee

  • The Schilksee Olympic Center in Kiel-Schilksee

  • The old botanical garden in the castle garden and the botanical garden of the Christian-Albrechts-University in Kiel

  • The Forstbaumschule, the oldest park in Kiel in the style of an English landscape garden with a restaurant and beer garden in the district of Kiel-Düsternbrook

  • The Kiel Maritime Museum at the Sartorikai

From the Kiel Blog: News from Kiel and the surrounding area

Videos from Kiel and surroundings

Arrival and departure in Kiel

Many roads lead to Kiel. No matter how you arrive, Kiel can be easily reached by ship, train, long-distance bus, car, mobile home and plane.

You can reach Kiel by sea with the Color Line ferries from Oslo (Norway), the Stena Line from Gothenburg (Sweden) or Klaipeda (Lithuania). Due to its connection to the ICE railway network, Kiel Central Station is well connected to numerous cities, with numerous train connections from the south ending in Hamburg. There are also numerous bus connections to and from Kiel, including some long-distance bus connections with the Flixbus and the Kielius, which runs several times a day between Kiel and Hamburg Airport.

Kiel is well connected to the motorway network via the A210, A215 and the A21/B404 by car or mobile home. The nearest commercial airport is Hamburg Airport. From the airport you can travel to Kiel either with the airport bus Kielius or the Flixbus.

However you get to Kiel, we wish you a pleasant journey to the state capital of Schleswig-Holstein!

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