The Travel by ship is one of the oldest types of travel.
history
It is no longer possible to prove when people began to travel by boat on the water. But this type of travel was certainly encountered as early as the Bronze Age at the time of the pile dwellers. Although most ships in antiquity and also in the Middle Ages were used as merchant ships to transport goods, they also took passengers with them for a fee. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but it was mostly the fastest way to travel and still more comfortable than the other travel options. This also applies to the rivers, where at least downstream the ship had its advantages. It is therefore not surprising that old travel routes followed navigable rivers whenever possible. Because the road was hardly an alternative until the middle of the 19th century, as the main roads at that time corresponded more to today's unpaved field paths. Only with the advent of the railroad did ships lose their importance as a means of travel on the rivers. On the world's oceans even only with the advent of jet planes that can fly over the weather due to their altitude in the stratosphere. However, a new type of boat trip has been developed for this purpose, the cruise. Here the boat trip is the actual travel destination. It is no longer like it used to be, when the ship was simply a means of transport to get from A to B.
Nevertheless, ships still have as Ferries an important function in an itinerary. And especially with long-haul ferries, the transition to cruise ships is fluid. For example, the ferries on the Baltic Sea, which operate on longer routes (i.e. overnight), are definitely comparable to a cruise ship in terms of equipment, comfort and service. Today's ships on the Hurtigroute are actually ferries, but they can also be called cruise ships.
Travel opportunities
Ferries
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Simply put, a ferry is an extension of a land route on the water. They operate on fixed routes and usually according to a timetable. A basic distinction is made here according to the type of cargo that you can take with you. So between passenger, car, freight and rail ferries. Often other vehicles (e.g. cars on train ferries), smaller vehicles and passengers are also taken along. Combined ferries are actually the most common type of ferry on the seas. You can take cars, trucks and of course individual travelers with you. There are also so-called high-speed ferries (Express Boot or Express Ferry), which operate at a higher speed than the normal ferry. However, these high-speed ferries have to make certain compromises in order to save weight, which now affects the acceleration and top speed. So they are smaller than the normal ferries on the same route. As a result, they do not have that much space for the entertainment facilities and the swell can also be felt more clearly.
Freight ferries sometimes also take passenger cars and individual travelers with them, if they still have space. However, their interior is rather simple and still comfortable, adapted to the needs of the truck driver. As an alternative to a "normal" ferry, the cargo ferry is perfectly acceptable. There are also lower costs on it, since no large evening dinner is served, but only one or two menus (or a simple buffet), which is then also reflected in the price.
The passenger ferry category can also include scheduled boats on lakes or rivers. Like a bus, the ship departs from the individual landing stages in a sequence determined by the timetable and thus fulfills the function of a local means of transport. With scheduled boats on lakes it is often possible to make a round trip, for which special round trip tickets are usually issued.
Important connections
- Hurtigruten: Route leads from Mountains above Trondheim, Bodø, Tromso and Hammerfest to Kirkenes and back. A ship circuit takes 12 days.
- Ferries between Sweden and Finland: The main links; Stockholm-Turku, Stockholm-Helsinki, Umeå-Vaasa, Skellefteå-Jakobstad
- Ferries between Denmark and Norway: The main links; Copenhagen-Oslo, Hirtshals-Kristiansand, Hirtshals-Larvik, Strömstad-Sandefjord, Hanstholm-Kristiansand, Hanstholm-Egersund / Haugesund-Bergen
- Ferries between Germany and Scandinavia: Kiel-Oslo, Sassnitz (Mukran) -Trelleborg (Königslinie), Travemünde-Trelleborg, Kiel-Gothenburg, Fredrikshavn-Gothenburg
- Ferries between Germany and Finland: The main links; Travemünde-Helsinki, Travemünde-Turku, Lübeck-Helsinki, Rostock-Tallinn-Helsinki
- Ferries between Corsica and the mainland: The main ports in Corsica: Ajaccio, Bastia & Calvi, on the continent: Marseille, Nice and Savona
- More on the topic in the articles Ferries in Europe, Baltic ferries and Ferries in Germany
International ferry ports
At the Scandinavienkai in Travemünde the ferry companies have connections to Sweden, Finland, the Baltic States and St. Petersburg TT-Line, Color-Line as well as the Finnlines. The Skandinavienkai is by car, with the train lines RE 8 Reachable directly from Hamburg Hbf on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays in Schleswig-Holstein during the summer schedule, the regional train runs from Monday to Friday and daily during the winter schedule RB 86 between Lübeck Hbf and Lübeck-Travemünde beach via Skandinavienkai and the RE 8 only between Hamburg Hbf and Lübeck Hbf. The Skandinavienkai is also with city bus routes 30, 31 and 40 the Stadtverkehr Lübeck GmbH reachable, these go to the stops Skandinavienkai Terminal as Skandinavienkai train station.
Kiel: Norway and Schwedenkai, Ostuferhafen
In Kiel operate international ferry lines of the Color Line and Stena Line to Sweden and Norway, including a direct connection between Kiel and Oslo without changing trains. The Norway and the Schwedenkai are close by Kiel Central Station and can be reached on foot or with the Kiel city buses. The runs from the Ostuferhafen DFDS Seaways-Ferry daily to Kaipeda. The Kieler Ostseekai is usually only used for cruises and not for ferry connections.
cruise
A cruise is a round trip by ship in which the journey is just as much a part of it as going ashore in the ports. The cruise ships often operate on different routes according to an annual program.
A cruise ship is a floating hotel that seeks to meet all of the traveler's needs. Therefore, it is rated with stars just like the hotels. One should, however, differentiate between the classic cruise ships and the so-called club ships. On the classic cruise ships there are dress codes (e.g. for the formal evenings, for men a dark suit, for women a costume, cocktail or evening dress), while it is seen more relaxed on the club ships. The club ships are also more geared towards families with children (including small children). To differentiate themselves from the club ships, the classic cruise ships are becoming more and more luxurious. There is a rich entertainment program on both types of ship. On the classic cruise ships, however, more upscale entertainment is offered, while the club cruise ships tend to offer entertainment for younger people. It is therefore advisable to choose the cruise ship not only for the route, but also for the on-board entertainment that is convenient for you.
The main areas of application for cruise ships are the Mediterranean and the Caribbean.
It got on the big rivers, like Rhine and Danube, also established river cruises.
- More on the topic in the article Cruises
Mediterranean Sea
The port of Genoa is one of the most important starting points for cruise ships on the Mediterranean for travelers from the German-speaking area. However, almost all large ports with good transport connections are possible starting points.
- In Italy e.g. Genoa, Venice, Civitavecchia (near Rome), Savona.
- In France e.g. Cannes, Marseille, Nice or Villafranca.
- In Spain e.g. Barcelona, Malaga.
- In Greece, e.g. Piraeus (near Athens) and Heraklion on Crete
Rest of Europe
In England, Southampton is one of the main ports of departure. From here cruises to the Canary Islands are offered.
Caribbean
Many cruise ships start in Miami.
Travel on board a cargo ship
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Even today it is still possible to travel as a passenger on board a cargo ship. It should be clear to everyone that this type of travel cannot be compared to a ferry or cruise ship in terms of service or entertainment. Most of the time you eat the meal together with the crew and / or the officers. There is usually the same food for everyone. However, this way of traveling can be relaxing and a positive travel experience. Because there are usually very few cabins on board that are handed over to passengers, so that you are often the only passenger on board. The port lay times are sometimes quite short, the ports are often quite far from the cities. Transport connections to the cities are not always available. However, the cargo ship also takes you to ports that no cruise ship calls at. For freighter voyages, therefore, applies predominantly "The route is the goal" (Confucius). In contrast to air travel, a freighter voyage is hardly "harmful to the climate". The cargo ship is a necessary means of mass transportation. Whether there are a few passengers on board or not makes no difference, the freighter drives anyway.
- More on the topic in the article Freighter voyage and under Travel reports.
Sailing along
This is an offer mainly on tall ships, i.e. multi-masted, large sailing ships, some of which were former sailing training ships. This usually includes the participation of the fellow sailors in work on board, but to a very different extent. Everywhere there is a trained crew who can sail the ship on their own. To what extent cooperation is allowed, you can find out on request. Previous knowledge is not required.
This offer is not to be confused with offers from yacht owners who are sailing with you: there are fewer "bathers" than sailors in demand.
- More on the topic in the article Travel in a sailboat
Traveling by yacht
- More on the topic in the article Marinas in France
Harbor tours
Harbor tours can also be counted among the boat trips. Almost every place with a harbor, no matter how small, offers harbor tours. These can be 20-minute tours, but also trips lasting several hours with sometimes quite large excursion boats. A wide range is used in international seaports such as B. in Port of Hamburg commanded. There are tours with small harbor launches as well as excursion boats with on-board catering. The ferry traffic within the port area with modern port ferries of the local public transport is ideally suited for a small - quite inexpensive - trip by ship.
Travel regulations
Here, too, you should always familiarize yourself with the entry requirements of the respective countries before traveling.
Often the cruises go to different countries. In order to be able to leave the ship at the intermediate stations, at least a passport is usually required so that the cruise visa can be issued at the port (this visa cannot be issued with an identity card). For certain routes, a visa must be obtained in advance. The entry requirements of some countries are also different, depending on whether you want to enter as a passenger on a cruise ship or on a cargo ship. A visa is always required for freighter voyages calling at Russian ports, even if you do not want to leave the ship at all. As a general rule, if the trip takes you to international waters, your passport is preferable to your identity card as a travel document. Even if the start and destination are in the EU and no passport is actually required.
Important: Always arrive with the document that you gave when booking!
literature
- Maps and atlases of the waterways, Jübermann-Verlag
- Germany and Benelux - Map of the waterways. Publisher: Edition Maritim, ISBN 978-3667101648 . This 1: 1,000,000 scale map shows all the waterways in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
