Then it was time to take the ferry from Kiel to Gothenburg, after two months of motorhome travel in Europe. It was the first time we took this particular ferry, and we have to say that in our opinion this is the best ferry between Sweden and Germany. Which ferry suits you depends of course on where you live in Sweden, but of all the ones we have travelled on, we have to say that this is the nicest!
Table of contents
Two-month campervan trip is over
After the last visit to the North Sea coast in Germany, two months of motorhome travelling in Europe was over. We have travelled in seven countries and visited around 50 different destinations. What an amazing journey this has been! We will summarise a bit more in the future and we will soon update our pages with travel tips, which you can find in the menu. In the meantime, you can find all our posts from the trip at Motorhome trip2018.
From Kiel to Gothenburg - in a panorama cabin
This time we took the ferry from Gothenburg to Kiel with StenaLine. We tried a Panorama Class Cabin, with panoramic views from the 11th floor, and must say it was great travelling this way! After two months on the road in the motorhome, it felt really luxurious to enjoy a night in a hotel, because yes, it felt like that! In the room we had plenty of space, comfortable beds, a nice shower room and both water and wine.
Just outside the room we also had access to bubbly (at the beginning of the trip) as well as coffee, cakes and fruit. How luxurious!
Dinner with friends
The most fun was when we met Linda, with her blog, on the boat. Reiselindaand her husband Pär. They have been travelling around Germany with their motorhome for four months and we have been following each other's blogs, but never really met before. A few days before departure we realised that we would probably end up on the same boat, and after just a few minutes on board we bumped into each other at the bubbly. Soon after, we had dinner together in the a la carte restaurant.
We chose the restaurant's ready-made three-course menu, with Skagenröra on caviar, beef fillet or cod, and pannacotta. The dinner was very good, but above all we had a lot to talk about! Motorhome life, travel destinations, languages, blogging ...
After dinner, we lingered in the bar for a while over an Irish Whiskey, before it was time for some sleep. The last thing we saw before going to bed was the Great Belt Bridge, which we passed under. Mighty!
Breakfast on board
When booking a panorama cabin or suite, breakfast is included in the price. The large breakfast buffet was like a good hotel, with hot dishes, lots of different toppings and cheeses, fruit, pastries, yoghurt and so on. If you judge a hotel breakfast by how good the eggs are, we can say that the runny eggs were perfect!
Best ferry between Sweden and Germany
So why did we like this ferry more than others? We have travelled many different ferries between Skåne and Germany, and also ferries from Sweden to Poland. Most of these ferries are very boring and feel more like "transport".
On board the ferry between Kiel and Gothenburg there was both a good restaurant with good food and bars with entertainment in the evening. If you also add the luxury of an extra nice cabin, then travelling by ferry becomes a really pleasant experience!
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The ferry trip was organised in cooperation with the German Tourist Board. Texts, pictures and opinions are as usual our own.
Britt-Marie Lundgren says:
We always have the ferry from Gothenburg to Kiel as our first choice when travelling in Europe. We have a two-hour journey to Gothenburg and when the breakfast buffet is served the next morning, we are already well on our way. Since we often travel outside the high season, the tickets are very affordable. We don't have the luxury of the panorama cabins, but usually change up a bit from the most basic with bunk beds.
02 September 2018 - 7:46
Helena says:
Glad that you use this ferry! Perfect to be able to go in the low season when prices are better! 🙂
02 September 2018 - 13:28
Kenneth Risberg says:
After 2 months in the campervan, you deserve the luxury of a hotel standard, so welcome back to Svedala.
02 September 2018 - 8:21
Helena says:
Thank you very much Kenneth!
02 September 2018 - 13:28
Travel Linda says:
It was great fun to meet. Felt like we had a lot to talk about! We have tried other ferries, but like this one best!
02 September 2018 - 8:40
Helena says:
Really great fun to meet! And yes, we also like this ferry best now! 🙂
02 September 2018 - 13:29
Mr Nils-Åke Hansson says:
How quickly this time has passed. But so many tips you have come up with
02 September 2018 - 8:40
Helena says:
Hasn't it gone by fast? Nice if our tips are appreciated! 🙂
02 September 2018 - 13:29
Ama de casa says:
We "always" took that ferry from Gothenburg to Kiel, but not with such a luxury cabin... I don't know if it even existed then?
But long before there was an even better ferry that went from Gbg to Amsterdam. Better for us who aimed at France then. If you were going to Germany, it was probably not the best option 😀.
02 September 2018 - 8:55
Helena says:
Ferry to Amsterdam? There you go! 🙂
02 September 2018 - 13:45
Lena - good for the soul says:
I can't believe it's already been two months since you left! How fast it has gone. Glad to have been able to join you on your adventures!
Interesting that how you experience things, I thought about when I read this post. I travelled for the first time on this ferry between Gbg and Kiel this spring. I thought it was "just okay". I then compared with my previous cruises I have travelled between Sweden and Finland. They feel, I think, fresher and nicer. While you of course compared, rightly, with other boats between Sweden and Germany. It will be more accurate!
Guess it's a bit nice to come home too, although you seem to have had a great time!
Hug Lena
02 September 2018 - 9:25
Husis blog says:
Definitely agree that many other ferries are more like a transport between point A to point B, so also the Poland ferry which still lasts about 10 hours. But to glide into Gothenburg harbour on a nice day is very nice, all the small islets and islands you pass by.
The world is small sometimes, but it's nice to meet people on the boat who have the same interests as you, so there's usually a lot to talk about.
Thank you for allowing me and the owners to join the journey and the "tip book" has had a lot of notes.
02 September 2018 - 9:27
Laila MA - Around the Equator says:
How wonderful it looks 🙂 I will be travelling from Oslo to Kiel in November and am looking forward to it 🙂 .
02 September 2018 - 9:38
diana's dreams says:
Smooth with the ferry and delicious it looked hugs!
02 September 2018 - 10:02
Helena says:
Nice ferry ride and good food 🙂 .
02 September 2018 - 13:45
4000mil says:
What a perfect end to the trip. Welcome home to Sweden 🙂 .
02 September 2018 - 10:06
Helena says:
Thank you very much Gunilla!
02 September 2018 - 13:46
Our Vantastic Travels says:
Since we live in Gothenburg, we often choose this ferry, but are allowed to lie on level 9 where the dog cabins are located. We call it service that dogs have their own space where they can do their business. To make it more luxurious, we also choose their three-course meal in the a la carte restaurant, delicious!
02 September 2018 - 10:27
Helena says:
Good service for the dogs too! 🙂
02 September 2018 - 17:17
Mr Steve says:
It is truly an amazing journey you have made. Perfect also with the successful ending. Everyone seems to agree that this is the best ferry.
Thank you for all the new things I have seen and learnt.
02 September 2018 - 10:43
Helena says:
How nice that you wanted to "follow" us on the trip Steve! 🙂
02 September 2018 - 17:17
Arne Lindh says:
Welcome home. We're taking over Germany now. Going downhill today. Ferry to Rügen on Tuesday.
02 September 2018 - 10:47
Helena says:
Thank you!!! And great that someone "takes over" 😉 Have a nice trip!!!
02 September 2018 - 17:21
Only British says:
I have mostly travelled on top of the Great Belt Bridge on the way to the ferry in Esbjerg, which no longer runs. There it was often Commodore Class with extra luxury to avoid the Danish school classes in the other corridors.
We went to a conference on the Kiel ferry when I lived in Gothenburg. It is not really possible to compare it with the ferries from Skåne that do not invest in such things If you want to conference, you take Copenhagen-Oslo. I guess that's why they are so boring now too because when I was little we were at a disco on the way to Travemünde with TT.
02 September 2018 - 12:42
Helena says:
You are of course absolutely right that you can not really compare the ferries. We were not prepared for this to be so much better so we were pleasantly surprised 🙂 The Copenhagen-Oslo ferry I had no control over, interesting!
02 September 2018 - 21:38
Linnea - Lanclin.com says:
Now we have never luxuriated with such a nice cabin as you had but still think that Kiel-Gothenburg is the best option (we probably tried all variants during our German years). What I especially remember is the DUX beds that even the "simpler" cabins were equipped with, very nice! 🙂
02 September 2018 - 17:10
Helena says:
I can imagine that you have a lot of experience Linnéa! 🙂
02 September 2018 - 22:27
AnetteÅhnbrink says:
We "discovered" the ferry last winter on the way home and now we have booked it down in three weeks! Of course, we have travelled the ferry before, but always drove the bridge and then Rödby-Puttgarden for some reason ... but the older you get the more comfortable you become and it is very smooth for us Gothenburgers!
Welcome home and thank you for all the destinations you have shared with us, we will read again if we end up where you have been, we know nothing about the future as an old, now deceased motorhome club member said ...
02 September 2018 - 18:30
Anette says:
Thank you for sharing your wonderful journey.
So much you have seen and done and so many tips we readers have received, even those of us who do not camp <3
02 September 2018 - 19:05
BP says:
What an absolutely perfect end to your wonderful trip through Europe. It must have felt especially luxurious after two months in motorhomes and campsites. The boat trip felt almost like a luxury cruise to Helsinki for example.
It certainly cannot be compared to Polferries, which is by far the worst and dirtiest ferry between Sweden and Poland.
Welcome home to 22-24 degrees and bright sunshine:-)
02 September 2018 - 19:22
Veiken says:
Finally home???? You have had a fantastic journey and we who have followed it have really been given a free ride.
We take the Kiel ferry a number of times a year and my tip is to always choose Stena Scandinavica. The sister ferry Germanica is not as high class! 🙂
02 September 2018 - 19:23
Role o Carina says:
Welcome home again then, nice to have travelled with you!
Take care.....
02 September 2018 - 19:59
Evy Knoph says:
Yes the Kiel ferry is comfortable. We travelled lots of times during my Holland years, early years, and afterwards too...After the Estonia disaster we moved up to higher floors....
Became very expensive over the years... the best road usually Helsingborg-Helsingör (coffee break) and Rödby-Pyttgarden (food)..when you would turn off towards northern Holland...
Looks lovely with such a cabin... can probably imagine going for a ride without a car sometime..for a day in Kiel or something..or in combination with a handball match there :-).
03 September 2018 - 21:14
Across the board says:
It is a really good ferry and we like the buffet they have. Had intended to choose a different route when we go but it was this .... Again?
04 September 2018 - 22:34