Hamburg & Lübeck – Northern Germany and the Baltic Coast

Depart the UK

Drive to Dover and take a short sea crossing to Calais or Dunkerque and continue through France, Belgium and into Holland and make an overnight stay in the Eindhoven area.  Dinner is included at the hotel this evening.

Travel to Hamburg

Depart after breakfast and continue the journey north, into Germany and the city of Hamburg, our base for the next 4 nights.  After check-in, relax before dinner in the hotel this evening.

Hamburg sightseeing & cruise (driver’s rest day)

Meet up with a local guide for a walking tour of the historic old town with the famous Chile House, including the UNESCO designated Speicherstadt, learn about the Great Fire, the bombs of WW11 and the history of the Hanseatic League.  Explore the port and fish market area and the districts of St. Pauli and the Reeperbahn, melting points of many diverse cultures and styles.

After the tour, embark on a cruise with a difference along Hamburg’s intricate network of waterways. From the inner Alster through the locks at the city hall out on to the River Elbe, where the waterways are lined with old trading buildings and warehouses. Their gothic architecture, has played a key part in Hamburg’s development. Explore more of what Hamburg has to offer – from shopping to museums – there is something to suit everyone.

Dinner is included at the hotel this evening.

Lübeck ‘City of Seven Spires’ and the Baltic Coast

Meet up with a local guide in Lübeck, a charming and historical city, for a walking tour of the medieval passages and courtyards which bear all the hallmarks of her Hanseatic past and fully deserves its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Enjoy looking at the seven towers and the iconic Holsten Gate and maybe sample some marzipan or ‘white gold’, for which Lübeck is renowned.  An optional visit to the Niederegger Marzipan Salon for a visit of their museum and a modelling demonstration with coffee and cake is possible.  There will be some free time for lunch and to explore further.

Continue to the chic coastal resort of Travemünde, known as Lübeck’s ‘beautiful daughter’ with its white sandy beaches and flower-bedecked promenades, overlooking the Baltic Sea.  It is also Germany’s largest ferry port and it’s lighthouse is the oldest along Germany’s Baltic Coast.  Take a stroll along the promenade lined with cafés and bustling harbour.

Return to the hotel for an evening at leisure.

Schwerin ‘Pearl of the Lakes’

The ‘City of the seven lakes’, ‘Florence of the North’ or ‘Cathedral city’… Schwerin, is known by many names.  And all are apt, as the city successfully combines nature and architecture, major artworks and reminders of its long history. As visitors cross the cobbled Marktplatz square and admire the city’s largest ensemble of historical buildings there is plenty to see and do including the State Museum, the Victory Column, the Old Palace and the State Chancellery.

Schwerin Castle is the city’s most famous landmark resting like a fairytale on an island which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2024. Entrance to the castle is included with an audio-guide which also includes the gardens around the castle with an orangery, a grotto and a charming colonnade courtyard.  There is also an on-site cafe.

Continue to Wismar, a UNESCO World Heritage city who’s skyline is dominated by three medieval brick churches.  It offers a unique, elaborately renovated and restored historic old town and many sights. These include the imposing market square with magnificent town houses, the waterworks and the Old Harbour.

Return to the hotel for dinner and evening at leisure.

Depart Hamburg

It’s time to leave Hamburg and make the journey home, stopping overnight en-route in Holland.  Dinner is included at the hotel this evening.

Return to the UK

Continue the homeward journey to the ferry port and take the short sea crossing to the UK

Not ready to say Auf Wiedersehen to Northern Germany?

Why not stay a little longer and see Kiel, the amazing port city on Germany’s Baltic Sea coast. In the old town, the rebuilt, medieval St. Nikolai Church hosts classical concerts. Holstenstrasse and Dänische Strasse are streets lined with shops. Along the Kiel Fjord, the Maritime Museum displays model ships and nautical instruments in a former fish auction hall. Kiel is also known for its canal connecting the North Sea, at the mouth of the Elbe River, to the Baltic Sea at Holtenau, and it is one of the world’s busiest and most important shipping routes. As picturesque as it is important, the Kiel Canal is a popular route for ‘pleasure’ crafts and smaller-sized cruise ships.