BlaakLane.com runs chauffeur service in Kiel mainly for cruise passengers: transfers from Hamburg Airport (HAM) or Hamburg city to the Ostseekai, Ostuferhafen and Schwedenkai terminals, and back after disembarkation. You enter the flight or ship, the date and the vehicle, and the booking engine shows a fixed fare before you confirm. A vetted local affiliate drives; the confirmation names the operator and chauffeur.
How to book a Kiel cruise transfer
Start in the booking engine here or at /book/. For an embarkation, enter your arriving flight at Hamburg Airport or your Hamburg hotel as the pickup and the Kiel terminal as the drop-off. For a disembarkation, enter the terminal and the ship name, and set the time about 60 to 90 minutes after the ship's scheduled arrival, when most passengers have their luggage. Choose a vehicle and you see one price covering the chauffeur, fuel and the included waiting. Confirm, and our 24/7 desk in Toronto assigns a vetted affiliate working to the BlaakLane.com written standard.
Groups from one ship, crew changes and multi-vehicle programmes are planned by a coordinator and confirmed in writing. See cruise lines and ports and shipping crew changes.
The Port of Kiel terminals: which one is yours?
The Port of Kiel handles cruise ships at four places, and your cruise documents say which one applies:
- Ostseekai: the main cruise terminal on the western shore, a few minutes' walk from the Hauptbahnhof and the city centre, with two long berths and shore power.
- Ostuferhafen: on the eastern shore of the fjord in Dietrichsdorf, used by ferries and by some cruise ships; the drive from the station is about 15 to 20 minutes around the head of the fjord.
- Schwedenkai: next to the city centre and the station, home of the Stena Line ferry to Gothenburg and occasionally used by cruise ships.
- Norwegenkai: on the eastern side opposite the centre, the Color Line ferry terminal for Oslo.
On turnaround days the port runs a traffic plan with a set drop-off lane for private cars and taxis. The chauffeur follows it, unloads the luggage at the porters and gives you the time to the check-in hall. More detail is on our Port of Kiel page.
Hamburg Airport to Kiel: timing it right
Kiel has no scheduled airline service; the nearest major airport is Hamburg Airport, about 95 km away. The drive runs north on the A7 and the A215 and typically takes 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes, longer on Saturday mornings in summer when many ships turn around at once and the A7 has holiday traffic. HAM has Terminals 1 and 2 joined by the Airport Plaza, and standard pickup is at the designated pre-arranged pickup area outside arrivals. A meet and greet at the arrivals exit with a name board is an add-on. Add-ons are only available in selected locations.
Every airport pickup is flight-tracked. Included waiting is 60 minutes from landing on international flights, 30 minutes on domestic flights and 15 minutes on other pickups, then 15-minute blocks. For a same-day embarkation, plan to land by early afternoon at the latest; the ship's all-aboard time is final.
| Route | Distance | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| Hamburg Airport to Ostseekai | 95 km | 1 h 15 - 1 h 45 |
| Hamburg city or Hauptbahnhof to Ostseekai | 100 km | 1 h 20 - 1 h 50 |
| Ostseekai to Ostuferhafen | 8 km | 15-20 min |
| Kiel to Lübeck | 80 km | 55-75 min |
| Kiel to Flensburg | 90 km | 1 h - 1 h 15 |
| Kiel to Bremen | 215 km | 2 h 15 - 2 h 45 |
| Kiel to Copenhagen via the Puttgarden ferry | 280 km plus crossing | 4 h 30 - 5 h 30 |
The Hamburg runs: city, cruise center and station
Plenty of cruise guests spend a night or two in Hamburg before or after a Baltic cruise. A chauffeured transfer from a hotel on the Alster or in HafenCity to the Ostseekai avoids hauling cases through two railway stations. Some itineraries start in Hamburg and end in Kiel, or the other way round, so a return transfer to the Hamburg Cruise Center or Hamburg Hauptbahnhof is common. See our Hamburg chauffeur service for the city itself.
Kiel by train, and when a car beats it
Regional and some long-distance trains run from Hamburg Hauptbahnhof to Kiel Hauptbahnhof in roughly 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, and the Ostseekai is a short walk from the Kiel station. The train is quick for a solo traveller with a carry-on. A car makes more sense with cruise luggage, children, several passengers, or an arrival at HAM that would need a change at Hamburg Hauptbahnhof. Check timetables with Deutsche Bahn.
Kieler Woche in June
Kieler Woche, the world's largest sailing event and a city-wide summer festival, usually runs for nine days in the last full week of June. Hundreds of regattas start on the fjord, and stages line the Kiellinie and the harbour front. Roads along the western shore close or slow to walking pace, parking disappears and hotels fill months ahead. If your cruise departs during Kieler Woche, book the transfer early and expect the port traffic plan to route cars differently. Dates are published on the official Kieler Woche site.
The city beyond the terminals
Kiel is the capital of Schleswig-Holstein, a university city and a naval base. The Holstenstraße is the main shopping street, the Kiellinie is the waterfront promenade to the north, and Düsternbrook has the state parliament and several hotels, including the Kieler Kaufmann. The Holtenau locks, where the Kiel Canal meets the Baltic, draw ship watchers, and across the fjord Laboe has the naval memorial and a U-boat museum. The Wunderino Arena near the station hosts THW Kiel handball matches and concerts, and the Holstein-Stadion is home to Holstein Kiel football. A half day that links the locks, Laboe and lunch at the Kiellinie suits the hourly chauffeur service or a day trip.
Schengen and the Entry/Exit System for cruise travellers
Germany is in Schengen. If you fly in from outside the area, you complete border control at your first Schengen airport. Since 10 April 2026 the EU Entry/Exit System is fully in force, so non-EU visitors on short stays give fingerprints and a facial image at that first crossing instead of receiving a stamp. Cruises that visit Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and the Baltic states stay mostly inside Schengen, while calls in the UK or other non-Schengen countries involve border checks at the port. ETIAS has not started as of September 2026.
Driving in Schleswig-Holstein
Traffic keeps to the right and cars pay no motorway tolls. The A7 north of Hamburg is the main artery to Denmark, with long-running roadworks around the Hamburg city section, so summer Saturday traffic is the biggest variable in a Kiel transfer. Kiel itself has no low-emission zone, but the harbour front around the Ostseekai becomes congested on turnaround days. Winter brings wind and rain off the Baltic more than snow.
Choosing the vehicle
A Standard Sedan fits two passengers with two large cases. For a couple with four cases, or three passengers, book an executive SUV. Families and small groups travelling together usually take a Standard Black SUV or a Sprinter Van, and tour groups use minicoaches or motorcoaches. All vehicles are four model years old or younger; Rolls-Royce, Maybach and Bentley partner cars are accepted up to seven. Browse the fleet and read what a fare includes on rates. Child seats are free on request.
Cancellation terms
More than 72 hours before pickup: no charge. 72 hours or less: 10 %. 48 hours or less: 50 %. 24 hours or less, or a no-show: 100 %. If your ship is delayed, the chauffeur tracks the arrival and the included waiting starts when you are ready at the terminal exit.
