Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Train -- The Lübeck Hauptbahnhof lies on major rail lines linking Denmark and Hamburg, and on the Hamburg-Lüneburg-Lübeck-Kiel-Flensburg and Lübeck-Rostock-Stralsund lines, with frequent connections. From Hamburg, 32 trains arrive daily (trip time: 48 min.), 23 from Berlin (trip time: 3-4 hr.). For information, call tel. 01805/996633.

By Bus -- Long-distance bus service to and from such cities as Berlin, Kiel, and Flensburg is provided by Autokraft GmbH (tel. 0431/6660).

By Ferry -- Ferryboat service from the region around Lübeck to Denmark lies astride the main railway lines between Hamburg and Copenhagen, and is therefore among the busiest in Europe. Service is offered by ScandLines (tel. 0381/5435850; www.scandlines.de), with boats leaving every 30 minutes, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The port on the German side is in Puttgarden; the one on the Danish side is in R?dby, a 2-hour train ride from Copenhagen. The trip takes about 45 minutes. Railway cars, trucks, and conventional automobiles are all taken on board. Round-trip transport for a car with up to four passengers averages 120€ ($192), with slight variations depending on the season.

TT Line operates between the German port of Travemünde and the Swedish port of Trelleborg. Call tel. 04502/80181 for bookings and departure times. And for transport by boat between Lübeck and the faraway Baltic port of Helsinki, Finnlines (tel. 0451/15070) provides daily service, usually favored by vacationers during mid-summer.

By Car -- Access to Lübeck is via the A1 Autobahn north and south.

Visitor Information

For tourist information, contact the Lübeck-Informations-Zentrum, Holstentorplatz 1-5 (tel. 01805/882233), January to May and October to November Monday to Friday 9:30am to 6pm and Saturday 10am to 3pm; June to September Monday to Friday 9:30am to 7pm, Saturday 10am to 3pm, and Sunday 10am to 2pm; and December Monday to Friday 9:30am to 6pm and Saturday 10am to 3pm.

Getting Around

The Altstadt and the attractions outlined below can be reached by taking bus no. 1, 5, 11, or 21. Fare is 2.10€ ($3.40).

Special Events

Lübeck is the center of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival (tel. 0451/389570; www.shmf.de), with performances during July and August every year. At the Christmas market, vendors from northwestern Germany sell their wares -- many of them handmade items from toys to pottery -- during the 3 weeks before Christmas on the Rathausplatz.