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Cycling along the Kiel Canal

The Kiel Canal Route* takes you on a 325-kilometre journey along the Kiel Canal, through the attractive hinterland of Schleswig-Holstein. Every day, 110 ships make their way from Brunsbüttel, by the North Sea, to Kiel, by the Baltic Sea. This makes the canal world's busiest route for seagoing vessels.

Side by side with luxury liners and other ocean giants, on the trail of technology, culture and nature, you will experience this attractive and meditative region from close quarters.

Staying in direct proximity to the waterway, you ride through field and forest landscapes, past the region’s lakes and rivers.
The route gets its special charm from the imposing locks, tunnels and a total of 10 bridges and 14 ferries. In the idyllically-situated canal municipalities there are stately homes and country residences to discover. You can take the canal ferries free of charge.

Route and sights of interest

The Kiel Canal Route takes you directly alongside the canal from Brunsbüttel to Kiel. There are eight stages in total, each of around 40 kilometres. From Brunsbüttel you first head off via Burg, Albersdorf, Hanerau-Hademarschen and Breiholz before reaching Rendsburg. Your route passes by many sights of interest which you should certainly stop to visit. Marvel at the locks and the historic old town in Brunsbüttel or go on a trip back in time in the stone-age village of Albersdorf. Rendsburg has its famous railway bridge where you can see the world-renowned transporter bridge and the amazing ship welcoming station.
You continue via Sehestedt and Schinkel through the municipality of Dänischer Wohld to Kiel, where there is also lots to discover. The state capital on the fjord will tempt you to go on a spree with its attractive shops. In the Kiel Shipping Museum and the Molfee Open-Air Museum you will find out interesting facts about the region.

Getting there and back

To get you and your bike to and from the route in comfort, there are shuttle services from the train stations at Burg/Dithmarschen (15 km) and Kiel (10 km) to the start/finish of the Kial Canal Route at the Brunsbüttel and Kiel-Holtenau locks.

Terrain and difficulty of the route

Terrain:
The route follows well-developed and signed cycle and footpaths from Brunsbüttel to Kiel. You have to give way to the water and shipping maintenance services on the tracking plate paths along the Kiel Canal.

Relief:
The terrain is flat all the way and hardly features any ascents.

Signage:
The Kiel Canal Route is signposted all the way with the same Kiel Canal logo.

Information boards:
Information boards around 10 to 12 kilometres apart point out the most significant technical, cultural and natural sights of interest, as well as the tourism infrastructure of the region.

Difficulty level:
The route is easy to ride and is also suitable for beginners and children.

Places to stop or stay the night

The Kiel Canal Route features picnic areas, refuges and service stations by the canal and in the hinterland at various intervals. Many country inns, some of which have a view onto the canal, line the route and will welcome you when you want to take a breather. You can find a list of the nicest restaurants and cafes on the Kiel Canal at www.nok-sh.de.
For staying the night you have the choice between campsites, hotels, guest houses, hay hostels or private rooms. The lists of cyclist accommodation and designated ‘bed and bike’ establishments along the Kiel Canal Route are available at www.nok-sh.de and www.bettundbike.de.

Bicycle hire and repair service

There are bicycle hire and repair services available at almost every larger town or village along the route (e.g. Brunsbüttel, Burg, Schafstedt, Albersdorf, Hanerau-Hademarschen, Jevenstedt, Rendsburg, Gettorf, Kiel).
GPS-Data

You can download data for gps-devices, digital maps or google earth. The data is provided for the whole cycle route and for the following stages:
stage 1: Brunsbüttel – Albersdorf
stage 2: Albersdorf – Steenfeld
stage 3: Steenfeld – Rendsburg
stage 4: Rendsburg – Rendsburg
stage 5: Rendsburg – Sehestedt
stage 6: Sehestedt – Kiel-Kronshagen
stage 7: Kiel-Kronshagen – Kiel-Holtenau
Data for the total route

Download digital data (zip-file gpx, trk, ovl, kml, 0,4mb)

Maps

RadSpiralo „Radroute Nord-Ostsee-Kanal“, Bielefelder Verlag (Kiel Canal Cycle Route, spiral-bound, published by Bielefelder)
Scale 1:50,000

Available at tourist information centres on the Kiel Canal
or in bookshops
ISBN-13978-3-87073-401-5
Price: 9,95 €

Booking

Touristische Arbeitsgemeinschaft
Nord-Ostsee-Kanal
24768 Rendsburg
Phone: +49 (0)4331 69 63 844
Fax: 49 (0)4331 69 63 845
info@nok-route.de
www.nok-route.de

downloads

• GPS-Data KielCanal (334.43 kB)