The Hanseatic City of Lübeck (Hansestadt Lübeck) is the largest German port on the Baltic Sea and the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, situated at the mouth of the river Trave (hence the name of its port suburb Travemünde). The city has been an important port since the 12th century. Lübeck and nearby Hamburg founded what became the powerful Hanseatic League of ports and trading towns. History also has a sweeter side for Lübeck - it is globally known for the finest marzipan.

The Holstentor in Lübeck, the city's most prominent symbol

The old town (Altstadt) of Lübeck, although considerably damaged during the Second World War, has survived from medieval times in a pretty much unchanged or truthfully rebuilt form. It is now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city centre's medieval skyline, mainly composed of seven Gothic-style church towers, is still intact. Lübeck is surrounded by parts of the old city walls with two of the original four city gates left. Most notable is the Holsten Gate (Holstentor) which was the motif on the German 50-Deutsche Mark banknote prior to reunification, when the bills were redesigned.

Lübeck is perhaps Germany's finest example of "brick Gothic" architecture, which uses the locally available brick (as opposed to "proper" stone, which was not available to medieval builders in northern Germany) to produce quite stunning buildings. The most notable being the seven spires that form Lübeck's medieval "skyline" but also a range of more or less secular buildings, including the Heilig Geist Hospital (despite being built as a hospital, it cites the Holy Spirit in the name, so whether it is a secular building is debatable) and the medieval town hall.

Understand

The imposing town hall (Rathaus) of Lübeck

Lübeck was an independent city state until 1937, when it lost that status due to a Nazi era law. Lübeck accumulated considerable wealth as the "first among equals" of the Hanseatic League from the 11th to the 17th century. Many merchants made a fortune on shipping salt to other Baltic port cities in exchange for valuable goods needed in Germany. Many impressive warehouses are located at the old harbour and can be accessed by tourists since they host museums, shops, restaurants or pubs today. Unlike fellow Hanseatic Cities of Hamburg and Bremen, it has lost its "Free" (Freie Stadt) status and has been incorporated into the surrounding state of Schleswig-Holstein.

Lübeck used to control the trade in salt, and a group of Salzspeicher (salt stores) can still be seen right next to the Holstentor

After sea trade substantially shifted away from the Baltic Sea to the Atlantic in the 17th century, Lübeck was slowly marginalised as a trading city against the North Sea ports of Bremen and especially Hamburg. This led gradually to a noticeable decay in wealth and eventually inspired contemporary writers to draw a resigned picture of the city's residents, most famously in the novel Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann, who earned a Nobel Prize for it in 1929. In the second world war Lübeck - not unlike Hamburg - was a target for allied (primarily British) bombings and in one particularly "successful" raid much of the densely built old town burned down. While most of the landmark buildings have since been restored, the New Lübeck has a lot less wood (for obvious reasons) and historic style residential buildings (mostly for financial reasons).

After World War II, the city was marginalised due to the nearby "Iron Curtain" which impeded access to many trading partners in the eastern Baltic, and even cut off two minor urban districts of the city. As a traveller you might notice two effects of the Cold War still visible today. First, some bridges have something that looks like undersized manhole covers at either end. These were in fact holes that could be filled with explosives to destroy the bridge, should the Soviets ever attack. The other thing you might notice is that there is a lot of (for Central European standards at least) untouched wildlife just outside the city to the east. While it was preserved by happenstance and East Germany's attempt to shut its border airtight, there are now efforts to preserve this "green band" of wildlife all through Germany. A curiosity in this area are Nandus, flightless birds native to South America that escaped in the early 2000s and roam free since. Despite efforts to boost commerce in the Baltic region, the city is still struggling from the Cold War era with a fragile economy that leads to a comparatively deteriorated infrastructure outside the picturesque city centre. Ironically the end of the Cold War dealt a further blow to the city, as it lost its "border town" status that made it eligible for big subsidies. Add to that a nearly total wipeout of the once huge ship building industry in the 1990s and you have an economic crisis the city hasn't quite shaken off to this day.

Lübeck sits at the confluence of the rivers Wakenitz and Trave. The "-itz" ending just like the original name of Lübeck "Liubice" indicate Slavic settlement in the early middle ages. The rivers have historically played an important role in the city's economic life and in city defense and they were extensively rerouted and redesigned, forming an "island" on which most of the old town and most of the sights are to be found. Travemünde, the port of Lübeck for all boats too small to sail up the river has been a part of Lübeck since medieval times and its name just means "mouth of the Trave". Another body of water which historically played an important role is the Elbe-Lübeck-Canal which replaced predecessors dating to the 14th century and was built during the turn from the 19th to the 20th century. While its role for cargo traffic is next to zero these days, it is a popular route for joggers, cyclists, rowers and people in pleasure craft. Thanks to the shoreline protection made from tree-trunks the canal looks rather "natural" and much less "artificial" than canals like the Main Danube Canal.

Get in

By rail

On working days, commuter trains to and from Hamburg leave every 30 minutes, on weekends and on holidays every 60 minutes. Local trains from Lüneburg, Kiel, Schwerin and the beach resorts Travemünde and Timmendorfer Strand depart on an hourly basis. Additionally, InterCity trains via Hamburg leave/arrive every two hours, with some trains coming from Berlin, Munich, Cologne and Frankfurt. There are also regular trains from Copenhagen, Szczecin and the island of Fehmarn. If you are taking a day trip to Lübeck from Hamburg, Kiel, etc and have multiple people, consider getting the NAH SH Groupticket "Kleingruppenkarten ohne Sylt-Bus". For a total of €45.90 for unlimited transit starting 9AM on Monday-Friday or starting at noon on Saturday/Sunday/holidays until 6AM the subsequent day, a group of up to 5 adults (children free) can ride all buses and trains in the entire SH-Tarif Network (Schleswig-Holstein state plus Hamburg minus Sylt island). It is available at ticket counters or in the NAH SH mobile app.

• 1 Lübeck Hauptbahnhof (updated Oct 2018)

By plane

Hamburg Airport (HAM ^IATA) is just one hour away, and offers many international connections. From the airport you can take the S-Bahn to Hamburg main station with an hourly train connecting to Lübeck main station.

• 2 Lübeck Airport (updated May 2020)

By road

Lübeck is about 60 km northeast of Hamburg and easily accessible by car through the Autobahn A1. The state of Mecklenburg-Western Pommerania borders Lübeck to the east. Via Autobahn A20 (Baltic Sea highway) there is about 120 km to the other large German sea port on the Baltic Sea — Rostock. As Autobahn A1 is the backbone of the cargo transport from Hamburg to the Travemünde port, there will be heavy (and rather slow) traffic on the right of the three lanes.

Central station

By boat

see also: Ferries in the Baltic Sea

There are many ferry connections to and from Lübeck. Passengers ferries arrive and depart from Skandinavienkai, a quay in Lübeck's borough Travemünde. Most of the ferries run 1 or 2 times every day:

• Helsinki, Finland, operated by Finnlines
• Malmö, Sweden, operated by Finnlines
• Trelleborg, Sweden, operated by TT-Lines

Skandinavienkai is served by buses 40, 30, and 31 (timetable), which travel between Travemünde Strandbahnhof and Lübeck ZOB. There is also a train station called "Travemünde Skandinavienkai"; it is about 1 km from the ferry terminal building. However, the only way between the ferry terminal and the train station is by those same buses. It is not possible to walk.

By bus

The liberalisation of the national long distance bus market benefits Lübeck. Companies like FlixBus offer service from Berlin for as little as €15 four times a day. Several other companies and lines are in the planning process. For detailed information on the market and other companies see Long distance bus travel in Germany. Buses stop at or close to the ZOB, which is also the hub for local buses and just a few hundred meters from the main train station.

Get around

As most of the attractions are within or close to the compact Altstadt, you can get everywhere quickly on foot. There is a local bus service hub at the Hauptbahnhof/ZOB (central rail station) with services to all parts of the town and nearby towns. For medium to long distances within the city cycling is also an option and becoming more and more popular with the locals. Taxis are available nearly everywhere.

Because local bus tickets are quite expensive in comparison to other German cities, a taxi is generally cheaper for a group of three and up if your destination is less than 10 km away. You have to go by taxi at night anyway, because there is no nightly bus service. Check here for bus fares and schedules.

Tourist information can be obtained in the city hall (Rathaus, Breite Straße) or at the "Welcome Centre", opposite Holstentor.

Consider getting the NAH SH Groupticket: 1 day of public transit for €45.90 for up to 5 adults. Please see "Get In" section.

View of the river Obertrave and city

See

Heiligen-Geist-Hospital

Bellevue, a baroque palace in Lübeck

The main attraction is the medieval Altstadt (old city) located on an island surrounded by the Trave river and its various channels. Listed as an UNESCO World Heritage site, it offers an astonishing variety of different architectural styles. The streets of Lübeck are a delight for a connoisseur of architecture.

Lübeck's Altstadt is not an open-air museum but a living city centre, so don't expect a complete medieval site. You'll find many beautiful old buildings intertwined with modern ones and a modern infrastructure. A particularly well-preserved 13th-century part of the Altstadt is the Koberg area at the island's northern end. And don't miss the Gänge, small streets off the bigger roads, with small houses and a peculiar atmosphere.

A frontage made up of listed buildings at An der Obertrave

Noteworthy historical buildings include:

• The churches, housing several of the finest Northern German artworks:
  • 1 St. Marien  
  • 2 The Dom  
  • 3 St. Petri  
  • 4 St. Jakobi  
  • 5 St. Aegidien  
  • 6 St. Katharinen  
• The two remaining city gates:
  • 7 Holstentor  
  • 8 Burgtor  
• 9 Heiligen-Geist-Hospital  
• 10 Behnhaus/Drägerhaus  
• 11 Rathaus  
• 12 Willy Brandt House  
• 13 Haus der Kaufmannschaft  
• 14 Museumsquartier St. Annen  

There are two houses dedicated to Lübeck's two Literature Nobel Prize laureates:

• 15 Buddenbrookhaus (updated Aug 2022)
• 16 Günter-Grass-Haus  

The borough of Moisling has a special Jewish history. An old 17 Jewish cemetery is still to be found there.

• 18 Synagogue  

Dedicated to the maritime heritage of the Hanse glory days:

• 19 Museumshafen  

Arcades of the former Chancellery House

• 20 European Hansemuseum (updated Aug 2022)

Dedicated to 20th century aspects of Lübeck's history:

• 21 Industriemuseum Geschichtswerkstatt Herrenwyk (updated Aug 2022)
• 22 Grenz-Dokumentationsstätte Lübeck-Schlutup  

With such a rich history and literary heritage to draw from it is perhaps not surprising that there is little room for other kinds of museums, but there are some:

• 23 Theaterfigurenmuseum Lübeck (updated May 2020)
• 24 Museum für Natur und Umwelt Lübeck (updated Aug 2022)

Do

Entrance of the Kunsthalle St. Anna

• Take a bus/boat/train ride to Travemünde, a sea side resort and enjoy the view of the Baltic Sea. A bus journey is fastest, as it takes about 20 minutes. A boat ride however, is much more scenic. The train stops at the iconic "Travemünde Strand" Station and is another good option.
• Take a seat on one of the tourist boats and ship around the city (boats go off every hour or so on the Holstentor side of the Altstadt island). For example you get a beautiful view of the Salzspeicher (Hanseatic salt warehouses; fans of classic horror movies might be interested by the fact that one of these Salzspeicher was the house of Count Nosferatu both in the Murnau film and the Werner Herzog remake with Klaus Kinski). If you've got more time to spend ship on along the Wakenitz river which links the Trave river with the Ratzeburg lake. Parts of the river offer an astonishing flora.
• 1 Freibad an der Falkenwiese  

Theatres

• 2 Theater Lübeck  
• Puppet theatre
• Several smaller theatres

Cinema

Lübeck is the origin of the now ubiquitous Cinestar chain of multiplex cinemas and has had its share of interesting as well as run-of-the-mill cinemas through the years. As less and less money is to be made running a cinema, many have shut down in Lübeck, too. These are the three that remain:

• 3 Stadthalle  
• 4 Filmhaus  
• 5 Kino Koki  

Cinema-related events

•  

Sports

• 6 Lübeck Cougars (updated May 2020)
• 7 VfB Lübeck (updated May 2020)

Other regular events

• May: Maifest (May festival) Punk Rock/alternative open air music and art festival at the so-called Walli at Willy-Brand-Allee
• July: Travemünder Woche sailing festival in Travemünde;
• August: Duckstein Festival;
• November/December: Artificers' market on Koberg;
• December: 8 Weihnachtsmarkt  

Buy

A brick wall with an entrance sign in the Altstadt

• Lübecker Marzipan is the most famous export from the city. It is available in several varieties. The excellent Cafe Niederegger is a café in the old Viennese style and has outlets throughout the city. The Niederegger Café in Travemünde is worth a visit for its special pancakes. Its main store on the Alter Markt is a tourist attraction in its own right. It includes a museum dedicated to the manufacture of marzipan, as well as many marzipan sculptures.
• Walk down the Hüxstrasse and the "Fleischhauerstrase", Lübeck's famous shopping streets and enjoy shopping. You may find artists, painting various interpretations of the Holstentor, which make an excellent souvenir.
• Rotspon wine, available in nearly every shop.
• Souvenirs and Lübeck-related literature can be purchased at the Rathaus bookshop (between market place and Marienkirche) and elsewhere.

Eat

Lübecker Marzipantorte

There are several restaurants within the city centre which will satisfy most tastes. At the pinnacle is the Michelin starred Wullenwever. Other good options include Markgraf and Schabbelhaus while the most popular spot for tourists is the Schiffergesellschaft. If you're in for locally brewed beer, check out the slightly Bavarian-themed Brauberger in Alfstraße. Lübeck is well known for its high density of cafés and "Kneipen" (pubs), so peep into some of the smaller streets as well and see if you can find something that fits your taste.

Budget

All these are in the Old Town:

• 1 My hummus, Beckergrube 67, ☏ +49 176 21353684. Vegetarian cuisine. (updated May 2022)
• 2 Kartoffelspeicher, An d. Obertrave 6, ☏ +49 176 22669541. M-Sa 11ː00-20ː00, Su closed. Restaurant specializing in potato dishes. (updated May 2022)
• 3 Restaurant Alte Schmiede, Mühlenstraße 9, ☏ +49 451 7070126. (updated May 2022)
• 4 Bei Ulla, Mühlenstraße 19, ☏ +49 451 76441. M-Sa noon-22ː00, Su closed. German cuisine. The restaurant has been in existence since 1967. Homemade dishes. (updated May 2022)
• 5 Café Erdapfel, Markt 1, ☏ +49 451 58698390. (updated May 2022)
• 6 Das Flammkuchenhaus, Fleischhauerstraße 14, ☏ +49 172 4013111. M-Sa noon-19ː00, Su closed. An Alsace restaurant. (updated May 2022)
• 7 La Vigna, Hüxstraße 63, ☏ +49 451 74088. M-Sa noon-23ː00, Su closed. It is a small Italian café in the middle of the old town of Lübeck. (updated May 2022)

Mid-range

• 8 Taste, Holstenstr. 21, ☏ +49 451 20229566. M-F 08:00-19:00, Sa 08:30-19:00, Su 09:00-17:00. Bagels, fresh juices, soups and other tasty things with many vegetarian options (updated May 2022)
• 9 Marae, Engelsgrube 59, ☏ +49 451 98 950 782, [email protected]. Tu-F 12:00-20:00, Sa 10:00-19:00, closed Su & M. Vegan restaurant with homemade lemonade and raw cakes. (updated May 2022)
• 10 Kartoffel-Keller, Koberg 8, ☏ +49 451 76234, fax: +49 451 75344, [email protected]. M-Th 11:30-23:00, F Sa 11:30-23:30, Su 11:30-22:00. (updated Aug 2018)
• 11 Ratskeller zu Lübeck, Markt 13, ☏ +49 451 72044, fax: +49 4 51 72052, [email protected]. Daily 12:00-22:00. (updated Aug 2018)
• 12 Restaurant Korfu, Pferdemarkt 6-8, ☏ +49 451 73155. Greek food. 
• 13 Neue Rösterei, Wahmstraße 43–45 (Hinterhof), ☏ +49 451 77773, [email protected]. Tu–Sa 09:30–24:00, Su 09:30–18:00. They roast their own coffee. (updated Aug 2018)
• 14 NUI to go – Sushibar, Hüxstr. 91-93, ☏ +49 451 9 89 92 66. A sushi place also offering Thai food. 

Splurge

• 15 Schabbelhaus, Mengstraße 48-52, ☏ +49 451 72011. 
• 16 Schiffergesellschaft  
• 17 Wullenwever, Beckergrube 71, ☏ +49 451 704333. 
• 18 Die Zimberei, Königstraße 5 (in the rooms of the Gesellschaft zur Beförderung gemeinnütziger Tätigkeit). 

Drink

A sleeping lion at Holstentor

Walli

The following three venues are all on "Wallhalbinsel" ("Walli") and known as "leftist" or "alternative" spaces, which in the past has led to conflicts with centre-right Christian Democratic Union politicians.

• 1 Treibsand, Willy-Brandt-Allee 9, ☏ +49 451 7063311, [email protected]. A music venue run by volunteers of a leftish/alternative bend. Prices are moderate as they only charge enough to cover costs. (updated May 2020)
• 2 Cafe Brazil, Willy-Brandt-Allee 9, ☏ +49 451 7020284. Run by volunteers of a leftish/alternative bent. (updated May 2020)
• 3 VeB. (updated May 2020)

Clubs and discotheques

Some of the biggest/most frequented clubs in Lübeck are:

• 4 A1 Musikpark, Bei der Lohmühle 7, ☏ +49 451 81 04 39-0, [email protected]. 
• 5 Hüx, Hüxterdamm 14, ☏ +49 451 76633, [email protected]. 
• 6 Eishaus, Geninerstraße 199, ☏ +49 451 58249579, [email protected]. 

Sleep

Budget

• 1 Jugendherberge Altstadt (Youth Hostel), Mengstr. 33 (from central bus station ("ZOB") (almost) in walking distance, closest bus stops: "Lübeck Beckergrube", "Lübeck Holstentorplatz"), ☏ +49 451 70 20 399, fax: +49 451 77 012, [email protected]. 
• 2 Jugendherberge Vor dem Burgtor (Youth Hostel), Am Gertrudenkirchhof 4 (from central bus station ("ZOB") with various bus lines towards Gustav-Radbruch-Platz), ☏ +49 451 33-433, fax: +49 451 34 540, [email protected]. 
• 3 RuckSack Hotel, Kanalstr. 70 (get off bus 6 (airport bus) at Sandstrasse or Koenigstrasse and walk to hostel), ☏ +49 451 706892, [email protected]. Friendly and helpful owner. Clean and well kept rooms. Opposite Aldi food store and next to the hostel is a restaurant. Located on north side of old town next to river. Dorms for €14, double €20 per person. 
• 4 Hotel garni Stadtpark, Roeckstr. 9, ☏ +49 451 3 45 55, [email protected]. 

Mid-range

• 5 Holiday Inn Lübeck, Travemünder Allee 3 (just north of the city gate (Burgtor) and opposite bus terminal and taxi rank), ☏ +49 451 37060. Practical location. Good reasonable size rooms, good breakfast choice. (updated May 2020)
• 6 Ibis Hotel Lübeck, Fackenburger Allee 54, ☏ +49 451 400-40. Budget hotel located quite close to the main railway station. from €55. 

Splurge

• 7 Park Inn by Radisson Lubeck, Willy-Brandt-Allee, 1-5, ☏ +49 451 15040, [email protected]. (updated Oct 2018)
• 8 Radisson Blu Senator Hotel, Willy-Brandt Allee, 6, ☏ +49 451 1420, [email protected]. (updated Oct 2018)
• 9 Lübecker Krönchen, Einsiedelstraße 10, ☏ +49 451 30436065, [email protected]. (updated Mar 2018)

Learn

• 1 Universität zu Lübeck  

Go next

There are several options to spend your time around Lübeck.

• Sea-side towns for sun & beaches are:
  • Travemünde Still part of Lübeck and only a 15-20 minute drive away. The railway station Travemünde Strand is right next to the beach and its big clock tower displays the departure time of the next train.
  • Timmendorfer Strand/Niendorf about 20-30 minutes and a more stylish resort and very popular with people from Hamburg

Somewhat north of Travemünde is a cliff (Brodtener Ufer) that has a hiking way from Travemünde to Niendorf (1-1½ hr walk) with good views on the Baltic coastline. Niendorf/Ostsee is somewhat more cosy and family oriented with its fishery port and a public swimming pool and a well-known bird zoo (Vogelpark Niendorf, situated in a small nature resort).

The Baltic coast resorts in Mecklenburg Pommerania are about 1-2 hr drive on the Autobahn A20 away and might be worth a day trip

Hansa-Park is an amusement park in Sierksdorf

For nature lovers a trip to the lakes south of Lübeck may be of interest as there are great opportunities for bird-watching (e.g. the Ratzeburger See and the Schaalsee). Ratzeburg (with its Ernst-Barlach and A.-Paul-Weber museums) and Mölln are also worth a visit, especially as they are easily accessible by train. Near Ratzeburg is also one of the rare places to see the nearly extinct European bison—not a very spectacular facility, just some buffaloes on a pasture, but if you're in the area and have never seen one you might want to look out for the "Wisentgehege".

Eutin: Bridegroom's Oak in winter

If you're travelling on northwards to Kiel, consider a (train) stop in one of the three small towns of Eutin, Plön, and Preetz. Among other sites, each of them boasts a "Schloss" or former aristocratic mansion. The towns are situated in a lake district which is popular for rambling and canoeing in summer (you can rent a canoe in Plön and go to Preetz by Schwentine River and through various lakes, then the canoe-centre people will get you and your canoe back to Plön by car).

And don't forget that it's 50 minutes by train to Hamburg (they go each hour).

During the summer the Schleswig-Holstein music festival is one of the largest events in northern Germany. An abundance of concerts with world-famous artists and orchestras attracts many people every year.

Routes through Lübeck

Bremen ← Hamburg ←	W  E	→ Wismar → Rügen
Copenhagen ← Fehmarn ←	N  S	→ END