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Ferries to Germany

Sea Travel to Germany

Taking a car ferry from the UK to Scandinavia and then to northern Germany is a leisurely travel option.

Germany's direct sea connections are mostly with the Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden). There is a direct ferry route from Harwich in the UK to Esbjerg, in Denmark.
Esbjerg connects by bus or train with Hamburg which is 169 miles away.

UK-Germany Ferries

DFDS Seaways no longer has car ferries to Cuxhaven (for Hamburg) in Germany departing from Harwich. The company's routes are now:
• Newcastle (UK)-Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
• Harwich (UK)-Esbjerg (Denmark)
• Copenhagen (Denmark) to Oslo (Norway)

P & O sail from Dover to Calais in around 75 minutes, 5 times daily throughout the year. From Calais it is around 400km to Cologne and 800km to Berlin. Prices start from 30 GBP for a car and nine passengers (2005 prices).

Tickets are available direct from the ferry companies or at most travel agents.

Scandinavia-Germany Ferries

Denmark-Germany

Scandlines operates car ferries from Gedser (100 km south of Copenhagen) in Denmark to Rostock in Germany. There are at least 8 sailings a day for the 2 hour journey.
There are also routes from Rodby (Denmark) to Puttgarten (Germany). There is a frequent service every half hour or forty minutes for the 45-minute crossing.

Sweden-Germany

Scandlines operates car ferries from Trelleborg (27 km south of Malmo) in Sweden to Rostock in Germany. There are at least 1 or 2 sailings a day for the approximately 6 hour / 6 hour 30 min. journey.
Scandlines also operates a Trelleborg to Sassnitz route with multiple ferry sailings daily on the approximately four hour crossing.

TT-Line operates car ferries from Trelleborg, Sweden to Rostock, Germany. There are at least 1 or 2 sailings and up to four sailings daily for the approximately 5 hour 30 min. journey by day (add an 90 mins for a night crossing).
TT-Line also operates a Trelleborg, Sweden to Travemünde (near Lübeck), Germany route with multiple ferry sailings daily on the approximately seven hour crossing.

Stena Line operates overnight car ferries from Gothenburg (Sweden) to Kiel (Germany). The journey takes approximately 14 hours.

Finland-Germany

Silja operates car ferries from Helsinki in Finland to Rostock in Germany during the summer months (June-September). This route also has connections to Tallinn (Estonia) and St. Petersburg (Russia).

Finnlines operates car ferries from Helsinki in Finland to Travemünde (for Hamburg) daily throughout the year.

Norway-Germany

Color Line operates car ferries from Oslo in Norway to Kiel (for Hamburg) in Germany almost daily. The overnight journey lasts approximately 19 hours.

Waterways of Germany

There is plenty of opportunity for river and lake cruising on any stay in Germany. It is possible to enjoy a variety of cruises in Berlin, Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Cologne, as well as longer cruises on the Rhine, Moselle, Danube and Elbe rivers as well as Lake Konstanz in the south which has boat connections with Switzerland and Austria.
K-D Linie (Koln-Dusseldorfer Line) operates steamers (April-October) on the Rhine between Cologne and Mainz, and on the Moselle between Koblenz and Cochum. There are reductions for Interail pass holders and free passage for travelers with either the Eurail Pass or Eurodomino pass.

Further possible routes with other passenger boat operators include Hamburg to Dresden, Dresden south to the Czech Republic and Nuremberg to Vienna in Austria.

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