Cruise Ship Spotting on the Kiel Canal 2026

The Kiel Canal which connects the North Sea with the Baltic Sea is a great place for shiplovers. It offers various spots for shipspotting. Both the Grünental High Bridge and the Holtenau High Bridges are accessible to pedestrians and offer excellent viewpoints. In addition, several small ferries cross the canal and can be used free of charge. With good timing, you can get fantastic views of ships traveling on the canal from the ferries, for example, directly from the front.

Ships on the Kiel Canal are subject to the following size restrictions: maximum length 235 meters, maximum width 32.5 meters, maximum height 40 meters. Therefore, the Kiel Canal is not an option for most modern cruise ships. However, a number of smaller cruise ships still use the canal. Here is our overview for 2026.

Date	Vessel	Direction	Time of day
04.01.	HANSEATIC nature	Brunsbüttel	Night
21.01.	HANSEATIC nature	Kiel	Day
18.02.	HANSEATIC nature	Brunsbüttel	Day
17.03.	HANSEATIC nature	Kiel	Night
31.03.	HANSEATIC nature	Brunsbüttel	Day
19.04.	NORDSTJERNEN	Brunsbüttel	Day
30.04.	NORDSTJERNEN	Kiel	Day
30.04.	HAMBURG	Kiel
10.05.	HANSEATIC spirit	Kiel	Day
21.05.	SEADREAM II	Kiel
04.06.	HAMBURG	Kiel
10.06.	AMADEA	Brunsbüttel
12.06.	EUROPA 2	Kiel	Day
25.06.	EUROPA 2	Brunsbüttel	Day
27.06.	HAMBURG	Brunsbüttel
28.06.	AMADEA	Brunsbüttel
07.07.	AZAMARA JOURNEY	Kiel	Day
30.07.	BALMORAL	Brunsbüttel	Day
01.08.	AMERA	Kiel
07.08.	SEVEN SEAS NAVIGATOR	Brunsbüttel	Night
29.08.	LE CHAMPLAIN	Brunsbüttel
05.09.	EUROPA	Brunsbüttel	Night
16.09.	AMADEA	Brunsbüttel
18.09.	HANSEATIC nature	Kiel	Day
23.09.	HAMBURG	Kiel
16.10.	AMERA	Brunsbüttel
11.12.	AMERA	Brunsbüttel
11.12.	HANSEATIC nature	Kiel	Day
19.12.	HANSEATIC nature	Brunsbüttel	Night
20.12.	AMERA	Brunsbüttel
21.12.	HANSEATIC nature	Kiel	Day

Subject to change without notice. All information is provided without guarantee.

The data has been compiled with due diligence and care. No free reprint of our text .