Travel Information

Germany ports

Germany is mostly a landlocked country, except for the northern portion, which borders the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. From here, there are various ports that provide sea-links to the UK in the east and to Scandinavia and Baltic states on the west. The options are endless to explore northern Europe, Scandinavia and even the Baltic states.

Cuxhaven is a seaport town belonging to the state of Hamburg. Danish ferry operator DFDS Seaways offers four weekly sailings between Cuxhaven and Harwich in England, with a journey time of 19 ½ hours. These vessels can accommodate both passengers and vehicles.

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The seaport of Kiel is one of the most versatile and important ports on the Baltic Sea, acting as a gateway to Scandinavia and the Baltic, with more than fifty scheduled sailings per week. Color Line, the largest Norwegian cruise ferry operator, has three daily sailings from Kiel to Oslo in Norway, with a journey time of 20 hours.
Langeland Ferries operates a sailing from Kiel to Bagenkop in Denmark, with crossings taking just under 3 hours. Sailings are twice daily from Tuesday to Saturday, with just one departure on Sunday. Stena Line offers a daily connection to Gothenburg in Sweden, with a journey time of 13 hours. Also, Lisco Baltic Service operates the route: Kiel to Klaipeda in Lithuania. Ferries sail daily and take up to 24 hours, accommodating both passengers and freight.

Rostock is set on a wide and navigable estuary of the Warnow River and throughout the Cold War it was the largest and busiest seaport in East Germany. There are currently four ferry companies operating from Rostock: Scandlines, Silja Line, TT-Line and Superfast Ferries. Scandlines services the route to Gedser, in Denmark, with crossings taking two hours. Departures are roughly every two hours between 07:00 and 21:00 daily. The company also services the route from Rostock to Trelleborg in Sweden. There are three departures daily, with a crossing time of five hours and 45 minutes. Silja Line connects Rostock with Helsinki in Finland. There are three crossings per week (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday), with a call at Tallinn, Estonia, en-route (duration: 24 hours). TT-Line connects Rostock to Trelleborg, in Sweden. Two daily sailings provide crossings in six hours. Lastly, Superfast Ferries has a sailing to Hanko, in Finland, which is serviced daily, except Monday. Ferries normally depart Rostock in the evening and arrive in Hanko the following evening, with a journey time of 22 hours.

Germany is easy to navigate by car or by train, both with excellent and reliable infrastructures. In the north, you can enjoy the windy coast and the sandy beaches. Many of the towns have cultural influences from the centuries of trade with Scandinavia and the Baltic region. In the south you can enjoy the hearty beer hall atmosphere and some of the stunning castles in Bavaria and Munich. A cruise down the Rhine should not be missed. Overall, Germany has a lot to offer the visitor, everything from castles and cathedral to spas, excellent beer, hearty cuisine and lots of history.