Ferry from Kiel: two night lines and a sum to do
Kiel is Germany's northernmost ferry port, at the end of the canal that bears its name, at the entrance to the Baltic. Two overnight ferries leave from here, one for Oslo, one for Gothenburg, and both make the same promise: board in Germany, wake in Scandinavia, without having driven the length of Denmark.
It is comfortable, and it is expensive. The real question at Kiel is therefore not which of the two, but whether to board here at all, or drive on to the Danish ferries at Hirtshals. The two lines first, the sum afterwards.
The two lines out of Kiel
Kiel to Oslo, the only direct link between Germany and Norway
Twenty hours at sea, one sailing a day at 14:00, all year round, with Color Line: the only line that connects Germany directly to Norway, and it lands at the Hjortnes quay, in Oslo itself. 540 to 835 euros for a vehicle, its passengers and a cabin.
The ship is as much a cruise vessel as a ferry — restaurants, a show, duty free — and the operator also sells it as a mini-cruise there and back. Read that way it changes nature: it is no longer a journey, it is part of the holiday.
Today's sailing times, the fare scale by vehicle length and frequently asked questions on the route page. See the route page →
Compare prices and book →Kiel to Gothenburg, the night run to Sweden
Fifteen and a half hours, one sailing a day at 17:45, arriving at 09:15 the next morning, with Stena Line, 255 to 420 euros. You board in late afternoon, sleep, and step off with a whole day ahead of you.
Gothenburg is not Norway, but Oslo is only three hours down the E6 — and the ticket costs about half the Oslo one. For anyone heading for the east of the country, it is often the best value of the set.
Today's sailing times, the fare scale by vehicle length and frequently asked questions on the route page. See the route page →
Compare prices and book →Which of the two, and when
- Oslo if you want zero kilometres of driving. It is the only line that sets you down in Norway; everything else asks you to drive after landing.
- Gothenburg if budget matters. For two people with a car, the gap between the two tickets pays for the three hours of E6 and the fuel several times over.
- Oslo if the ship is part of the trip. Twenty hours aboard a vessel of that size is not a transfer — it is what you are buying.
- Book early either way. These are cabin ships: the price follows occupancy, and it climbs fast from June.
Board at Kiel, or drive on to Hirtshals?
This is the decision that costs most when it goes the wrong way. From Kiel, four more lines to Norway are within driving range: the ones from Hirtshals, at the northern tip of Denmark. They are far cheaper — you just have to get there.
Three ways of reaching Oslo from Kiel
| Route | Driving | Time at sea | Cost of the crossing |
|---|---|---|---|
| The direct ferry Kiel to Oslo | none | 20h, one night on board | 540 to 835 euros |
| Via Gothenburg, then the E6 | about 300 km, 3h15 | 15h30, one night on board | 255 to 420 euros |
| Via Hirtshals to Larvik | about 630 km, 7h15 | 3h45 | from 163 euros |
Read like that, the direct ferry costs three times the Danish detour. What it buys: seven hours less at the wheel, one tank of fuel less, and a night spent on board instead of paid for at a hotel. With two people in the car the gap stays real; with four it closes, because the Hirtshals tickets are charged per person too.
The simple rule of thumb: the more of you there are, the more driving to Hirtshals is worth it — the Jutland route carries no tolls and the fuel is shared. The more of a hurry you are in, or the more alone, the more Kiel wins. And if your destination is western Norway rather than Oslo, there is nothing to work out: it is Hirtshals, and the four lines that leave from there.
Today's prices on Kiel to Oslo · Kiel to Gothenburg · Hirtshals to Larvik
Where to stay in Kiel before departure
Both ships leave in the afternoon: you can arrive the same morning, but not from Bavaria or Switzerland. Two well-rated addresses, and the rest of the choice just below.
A hotel on the Kaistraße, seven hundred metres from Kiel's ferry terminal.
- Family rooms with a kitchenette
- Breakfast included, limited choice
- Indoor parking and EV chargers
A Hampton in central Kiel, eight hundred metres from the station.
- Soundproofed rooms and a fitness room
- Breakfast included
- The morning coffee draws criticism in reviews
What to do in Kiel
- Watch the ships at the Holtenau locks. The Kiel Canal is the busiest artificial waterway in the world, and the freighter ballet can be watched for nothing from the viewing platform.
- Laboe, across the water: a Second World War submarine you can go inside, a naval memorial with a view over the Baltic, and sand — all reachable by boat from the centre.
- The Kiellinie, four kilometres of promenade along the fjord, sailing boats on one side and the Sweden ferries on the other. The simplest way to kill half a day of waiting.
- Kieler Woche, if you pass through in late June: the largest sailing festival in the world, and the whole city on the water. Worth knowing the other way round too — hotels fill months ahead.
For every way of reaching Norway by sea, the full article is on my blog: Taking the ferry to Norway: lines, prices, booking
