Getting from Kiel to Lubeck

We are arriving in Kiel in July on HAL. We are thinking of going to Lubeck. What are the options for transportation and if you know, what are the prices of the different options. We are at the port from 7:00am to 5:00pm.

Thank you:)

We are arriving in Kiel in July on HAL. We are thinking of going to Lubeck. What are the options for transportation and if you know, what are the prices of the different options. We are at the port from 7:00am to 5:00pm.

Thank you:)

Hi, the best way to get to Lübeck is by train and this subject has been thoroughly dicussed on a previous thread 'Kiel to Lubeck train help, gefallen und danke!' , started May 5th.

From that thread

The train service between Kiel and Lübeck is fast and frequent. The Schleswig Holstein Kleingruppenkarte, cost 32.70 euro -unlimited travel for up to 5 persons after 9am to 3am the following day, it is valid on the following trains.

RB departs Kiel 9:04 arrives Lübeck 10:32

RE departs Kiel 9:44 arrives Lübeck 10:52

and so on at hourly intervals throughout the day.

to return to Kiel

RE departs Lübeck 12:06 arrives Kiel 13:15

RB departs Lübeck 12:28 arrives Kiel 13:55

and so on until 21:06

On trains before 9:00 the standard fare applies.

Monday to Friday you will need single tickets to cover the time between departing Kiel and 9:00 as well as a day ticket. Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays the day ticket covers the whole journey.

Depart Kiel 8:04 you need single tickets to Pönitz (dep. 9:08) @ 11 euro pp. + a day ticket

Depart Kiel 8:44 you need single tickets to Preetz (dep. 9:00) @ 4.30 euro pp. + a day ticket.

All the tickets can be bought at the same time before departure in Kiel and shown together to the inspector on the train. There is no need to leave the train before Lübeck.

Happy cruising :)

Anni

www.travelanni.webs.com

Though I have not yet been to Kiel, I also will be there in July, and have researched this thoroughly. Anni's reply to your question is the way to go.

We are arriving in Kiel in July on HAL. We are thinking of going to Lubeck. What are the options for transportation and if you know, what are the prices of the different options. We are at the port from 7:00am to 5:00pm.

Thank you:)

When will you be in Kiel? We are on the July 10th, 10 day w/HAL. If you don't mind we may be interested in joining you from Kiel to Lubeck by train.

When will you be in Kiel? We are on the July 10th, 10 day w/HAL. If you don't mind we may be interested in joining you from Kiel to Lubeck by train.

sorry, but we will be in Kiel on July 18th on the HAL Rotterdam.

Enjoy your cruise!

What is the best way to spend time in Kiel? We'll from the ms Eurodam arriving at Kiel on 5/21/15 and seems like a train ride to Lubeck is what's recommended. If we're only there from 7am-5pm, can we also go to Hamburg? Any know which train will be the best to take? We have 6 all together in our group. Thanks

What is the best way to spend time in Kiel? We'll from the ms Eurodam arriving at Kiel on 5/21/15 and seems like a train ride to Lubeck is what's recommended. If we're only there from 7am-5pm, can we also go to Hamburg? Any know which train will be the best to take? We have 6 all together in our group. Thanks

Hi

It is possible to visit either Lübeck or Hamburg in your time frame but not both.

You will already have seen the train times etc. for Lübeck further back on this thread. They still apply in 2015.

For Hamburg - direct trains.

Dep Kiel 7:21 arr Hamburg 8:37; dep 8:21 arr 9:37 etc. through the day.

Depart Hamburg 13:21 arr Kiel 14:28; dep 14:21 arr 15:28 etc.

There is also a train requiring one change

Dep Hamburg 13:43 arr Kiel 15:05; dep 14:43 arr 16:05

For what to see and do in Kiel a good web site is http://www.kiel-sailing-city.de/en.html

There is also more information on the thread http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2068385

Happy cruising :)

Anni

http://www.travelanni.webs.com

Here is an idea of what to do from Keil. Our family plans to take the train to Hamburg to see the Miniatur Wunderland. It is a very elaborate train model exhibit that is on Youtube.

Hi TravelAnni,

Thank you for pointing me in this direction from another thread. I will be in Kiel on Sunday, June 14, 2015 from 0700 to 1700.

-Does the train schedule you outlined previously in this thread still apply?

-Since we are traveling on a weekend, we only need to purchase a day ticket which should cover us before 0900, correct?

-Should we purchase our ticket ahead of time online or wait until we arrive at the station? I'm from the US and a little nervous about purchasing tickets from a machine using my credit card which may or may not have the right chip required in Europe.

Thank you again!

Winnie

Hi TravelAnni,

Thank you for pointing me in this direction from another thread. I will be in Kiel on Sunday, June 14, 2015 from 0700 to 1700.

 

-Does the train schedule you outlined previously in this thread still apply?

 

-Since we are traveling on a weekend, we only need to purchase a day ticket which should cover us before 0900, correct?

 

-Should we purchase our ticket ahead of time online or wait until we arrive at the station? I'm from the US and a little nervous about purchasing tickets from a machine using my credit card which may or may not have the right chip required in Europe.

 

Thank you again!

Winnie

Hi Winnie, The simple answer to all your questions is, Yes!

- The train schedule has not changed and is valid 7 days a week.

- Your ticket is valid from 3am on the weekend.

- On-line purchase is simple and, as you say, avoids the worry of whether or not your card will work in the machine. The ticket prices have risen a little since last year, around 1€ per person more.

Happy cruising :)

Anni

http://www.travelanni.webs.com

Thanks, TravelAnni!

One last question: if I purchase train tix online, how do I receive them? Email, snail mail, digital tix, some other way?

Hi Winnie, The simple answer to all your questions is, Yes!

- The train schedule has not changed and is valid 7 days a week.

- Your ticket is valid from 3am on the weekend.

- On-line purchase is simple and, as you say, avoids the worry of whether or not your card will work in the machine. The ticket prices have risen a little since last year, around 1€ per person more.

 

Happy cruising :)

Anni

http://www.travelanni.webs.com

Thanks, TravelAnni!

 

One last question: if I purchase train tix online, how do I receive them? Email, snail mail, digital tix, some other way?

Hi, thanks for your appreciation.

You just print the ticket out at home. When your order has been accepted the instructions to print the ticket will appear. Couldn't be simpler. But remember to have with you on the train the same ID which you nominated when ordering.

Happy cruising :)

Anni

http://www.travelanni.webs.com

Hi Anni,

I purchased the day ticket suggested for Sunday travel to Lubeck from Kiel. Can I confirm with you that we do not need to have specific reservations for the trip? We just show up with the ticket and board? Is that correct?

Thank you

Hi Anni,

 

I purchased the day ticket suggested for Sunday travel to Lubeck from Kiel. Can I confirm with you that we do not need to have specific reservations for the trip? We just show up with the ticket and board? Is that correct?

 

Thank you

Hi, that is correct.

You cannot reserve seats on local s-bahn, RE or RB (red) trains, the only ones on which the day tickets are valid. Seat reservations can only be made on long distance ICE, IC and EC (grey) trains.

Happy cruising :)

Anni

http://www.travelanni.webs.com

Hi, that is correct.

 

You cannot reserve seats on local s-bahn, RE or RB (red) trains, the only ones on which the day tickets are valid. Seat reservations can only be made on long distance ICE, IC and EC (grey) trains.

 

Happy cruising :)

Anni

http://www.travelanni.webs.com

Perfect...thank you!

If you get a ticket on the spot, you don't need id do you? Of are we tethered to our passports each time we leave the ship?

Love your helpful info, Travelanni!

Can you tell me how far the train station is from the usual Holland America docking--and whether transportation is needed to get there (and if so, what do you recommend)?

Also, how far is the Lubeck train station from the sites we'd probably want to see? Is there a Tourist Info there--or should we arm ourselves with maps/gps, etc.?

Our 14th May 2016 (Saturday) port call is listed as 8 am-6 pm, and the ship offers a transfer via coach for USD 89.95 pp (6 hours--9:30 am-3:30 pm, so I imagine it's really about 4 hours IN Lubeck)--probably the same timeframe we'd do on our own to ensure being back to the ship on time or perhaps we could have an extra hour in Lubeck if we're travel there on our own?)...but do you think it's easy enough to get there--to the actual touristic areas--and back on our own, or is the ship's transfer worth it? (I realize "worth" is a relative concept--but grateful for any input.)

We're able to converse in French and Spanish, but not German. ;)

Appreciatively,

Mary-Lou

DrFUN,

We travelled from Kiel to Lubeck on our own in July. I would DEFINITELY do that rather than paying for the overpriced transfer that HAL does. (We were also on a HAL cruise.)

From where the HAL ship docks to the train station is a walk of about 15 minutes. There is a line (blue or green, I can't remember the color) painted on the sidewalk that you can follow all the way there. There are machines where you can buy your ticket and they offer everything in English.

From the train station to the center of town of Lubeck (and through the famous tilted gate) is about a walk of 15 - 20 minutes. You will pass by the Tourist Information office and you can stop there if you want. They offer an audio guided tour in English (for a fee) which we did. It was not very good at all, so I'd skip it.

I HIGHLY recommend you get a copy of Rick Steve's Cruiseports of Northern Europe. It has great information on visiting Lubeck--probably all you will need.

There are a couple of places in the pedestrian zone which sell hot pretzels right out of the oven. Please stop and eat one for me. My mouth is watering right now just thinking of them!

(BTW, I am not at home now where my notes on Lubeck are located. If you have any other questions, I can check my notes for you in a day or two.)

Ditto the above. We took the train to Lubeck. Thank you TravelAnni for the great advice! A cab from the dock to the train was 10 euro. I downloaded a free audio guide onto my iPhone. I believe 3 train tickets were about 40 euro. I don't know if we missed something but our tickets never even got checked. The best part was we got an earlier start than the cruise's tours and arrived into Lubeck before it got swamped with tourists. We got to enjoy the quiet beauty and peacefulness that is Lubeck without any crowds for about two hours. We were so happy to not be with a group of 50.

Go it alone. It's easy and much more enjoyable. Happy cruising.

Ditto the above. We took the train to Lubeck. Thank you TravelAnni for the great advice! A cab from the dock to the train was 10 euro. I downloaded a free audio guide onto my iPhone. I believe 3 train tickets were about 40 euro. I don't know if we missed something but our tickets never even got checked. The best part was we got an earlier start than the cruise's tours and arrived into Lubeck before it got swamped with tourists. We got to enjoy the quiet beauty and peacefulness that is Lubeck without any crowds for about two hours. We were so happy to not be with a group of 50.

 

Go it alone. It's easy and much more enjoyable. Happy cruising.

Oh and we can't convers in French Spanish or German. We did just fine.

Thank so much for your wonderful info, dear GradUT & WinnieWinnie!

This is most helpful and most appreciated.

Warmest wishes,

Mary-Lou

Hello Anni or any cruiser who has bought train tickets from Kiel to Lubeck ONLINE:

I went to the DB and Rail Europe sites, both cannot complete the transaction successfully.

Is on line purchase still available for this route? Or did I go to the wrong site.

Any help will be appreciated.

Hello Anni or any cruiser who has bought train tickets from Kiel to Lubeck ONLINE:

 

I went to the DB and Rail Europe sites, both cannot complete the transaction successfully.

 

Is on line purchase still available for this route? Or did I go to the wrong site.

 

Any help will be appreciated.

I purchased on the DB website but it was a year ago. I followed Anni's excellent instructions.

I did too. But it just doesn't work for me. They might have stopped selling tickets online. Thanks anyway winniewinnie.

I did too. But it just doesn't work for me. They might have stopped selling tickets online. Thanks anyway winniewinnie.

Just bought a ticket (for 5 people, but on one single ticket) and printed it out, a few minutes ago. It was quite straightforward. Perhaps you could try a different browser?

https://www.bahn.de/i/view/GBR/en/prices/onlineticket/onlineticket.shtml