In the Travel Germany series, different places across Germany are featured in interviews with expats who relocated there. With their insider tips and suggestions about why they love their new home, you'll have plenty of ideas for when you visit Germany.
Today we head alllll the way up north, just below the border to Denmark, with a trip to Kiel. Kiel is the place to be if you love to be on the water. Not only is it home to miles of gorgeous beaches, it’s also a hub for shipping: the Kiel Canal is the world’s busiest artificial waterway.
Our tour guide for Kiel is Jordan Wagner. Originally from the US, she lived various places in southern Germany and thought she’d never want to leave. Life – and love - had other plans, though, and she got swept off her feet by a German man from the north. The two of them moved up to Hamburg and then Kiel. Now, Jordan can’t imagine living anywhere else. Here are some of the things that made this area capture her heart.
Food and Drink
- We’re talking about northern Germany, so of COUSE you have to try a Fischbroetchen, or a fried fish sandwich
- Have a coffee at Impuls
- Grab a burger at John’s - Jordan claims it’s the best she’s ever had!
- Try the Helles and the Pils from the brewery Lille
- Grab a drink or a snack at a bar/restaurant that is floating on the water, at Sandhafen
Activities and Sites
- Visit the Museum on the Sea
- Take a walk along the historic Kiellinie
Day Trips
- Visit Sylt, an island that Jordan describes as the Martha’s Vineyard of Europe
- Head over the border to Sonderborg, Denmark
- Go check out Schwerin Castle, and while you’re at it, check out Luebeck on the way back
- Drive along the Kaesestrasse, or the Cheese Road
Strandkorb on the island of Sylt
Festivals
- Kieler Woche is a very cool summer festival every June featuring lots of sailing regattas
Are you sold yet? I know I am. As a self-identified southern Germany loyalist, I’m intrigued to experience first-hand these places and events that won Jordan over. Who knows. Maybe I’ll be convinced and relocate myself?
For more of Jordan, check out her blog, Wayfaring with Wagner, or her travel website for northern Germany, Hamburg and Beyond.
For all these tips and more, listen in to the episode here.
All photos are by and used with permission from Jordan.
