ExploreTravel GuidesPlan a trip
    de|en
    All Places & RegionsAbout FernwehFAQPrivacy PolicyImprint
    ExploreTravel GuidesPlan a trip
    • Neighborhoods & highlights
    • Eat & drink
    • Culture
    • Nightlife
    • Getting around
    • Accommodation
    • Plan trip
    • Nearby
    Lübeck

    Germany

    Lübeck

    CityUNESCO

    Lübeck lies in southeastern Schleswig-Holstein on the Trave river and was once the main city of the Hanseatic League. Its Old Town is perched on a roughly 140-hectare hill, which the Trave and Kanal-Trave transform into an island.

    1. Home
    3. Destinations
    5. Germany
    7. Lübeck & Holstein Baltic Sea
    9. Lübeck
    Lübeck lies in southeastern Schleswig-Holstein on the Trave river and was once the main city of the Hanseatic League. Its Old Town is perched on a roughly 140-hectare hill, which the Trave and Kanal-Trave transform into an island. Around three-quarters of its buildings survived World War II, and it has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987.The city is known for its seven towers and Lübeck marzipan. From the Holstentor, you'll walk past the Salt Warehouses up to St. Mary's Church and the Town Hall, discovering hidden passageways and courtyards. At the European Hanseatic Museum, you'll learn how the Hanseatic League shaped Baltic Sea trade.
    Lübeck, with 210,000-220,000 residents for decades, has a compact heart: its Old Town Island spans barely two kilometers north-south and up to one kilometer west-east. Explore on foot; the Holstentor is only hundreds of meters from the main station. Noteworthy are over a thousand World Heritage monuments, seven skyline towers, and alleys and courtyards behind its burgher houses. North of the island are the Burgtor, Burgkloster, Hansemuseum; south, the Dom. For beach days, visit Travemünde on the Baltic Sea.

    Sights in Lübeck

    Discover the most important sights and attractions

    Holsten Gate
    Museum

    1Holsten Gate

    Lübeck's landmark was built from 1464 to 1478 under master builder Hinrich Helmstede; the south tower already subsided into the boggy ground during construction. Since 1950, the gate has housed a city history museum; the outer side bears the inscription "Concordia domi foris pax".
    Open in Google Maps
    Salt Warehouse
    Historic Landmark

    2Salt Warehouse

    Six warehouses on the Obertrave right next to the Holstentor, built between 1579 and 1745. Here, salt from Lüneburg and Oldesloe was once stored, which mainly went to Scandinavia to preserve herring.
    Open in Google Maps
    European Hanseatic Museum
    Museum

    3European Hanseatic Museum

    The Museum An der Untertrave, opened in 2015, combines a new building with the historic rooms of the Burgkloster across approximately 4,000 square meters of usable space. Grand displays lead to Novgorod, Bruges, London, and Bergen; a walk-through excavation reveals 1,200 years of city history.
    Open in Google Maps
    Lübeck Town Hall
    Attraction

    4Lübeck Town Hall

    The Town Hall on the Market was built starting around 1200; a historical travelogue dubbed it a 'stone fairy tale.' Its interior is open for guided tours.
    Open in Google Maps
    St. Mary's Church (St. Mary in Lübeck)
    Church

    5St. Mary's Church (St. Mary in Lübeck)

    Built 1265-1351, the church is the mother church of Brick Gothic, inspiring some 70 churches in the Baltic Sea region. Its towers rise 125 meters, the nave vault reaches 38.5 meters. Under the south tower still lie the bells downed in the 1942 air raid.
    Open in Google Maps
    Lübeck Minster
    Museum

    6Lübeck Minster

    The 130-meter-long Cathedral, consecrated in 1247, was the first large brick church on the Baltic Sea. Its reconstruction was completed in 1982 after severe war damage.
    Open in Google Maps

    Restaurants in Lübeck

    1

    Potato Storage

    Simple restaurant near the Obertrave, serving baked potatoes with diverse fillings and sauces.
    Show on Google Maps
    2

    Sea Fresh Lübeck

    Modern fish restaurant with fresh, regional fish dishes.
    Show on Google Maps
    3

    Buddha Bowl Lübeck

    A casual spot with a terrace, offering homemade sushi and more Asian dishes.
    Show on Google Maps

    The Hanseatic City's Culture

    Lübeck boasts fifteen museums, the Theater Lübeck, the Music and Congress Hall, and a music academy. Within the Holstentor, a museum tells the city's history. Since 2015, the European Hansemuseum has been dedicated to the league of cities that once made Lübeck the Queen of the Hanse.Future Chancellor Willy Brandt was born in Lübeck in 1913; a house in the Old Town commemorates his life. The Buddenbrookhaus, inspiration for Thomas Mann's novel, is being renovated and expanded until 2030; a temporary exhibition is on display at the Behnhaus. And then there's Lübeck Marzipan, produced by Niederegger since 1806.

    Nightlife

    1

    Hüx

    Well-established, often full club on Hüxterdamm near the canal.
    Show on Google Maps
    2

    Blauer Engel

    Student pub on Clemensstraße, the heart of Lübeck's pub culture on the Old Town Island.
    Show on Google Maps
    3

    Musikpark A1

    Large nightclub with several themed floors, live concerts, DJ events, and party series, with music from Black to Electro-House.
    Show on Google Maps

    Travelling in Lübeck

    The main train station is located west of the Old Town, with the ZOB just outside. Regional trains frequently connect Lübeck with Hamburg, Kiel, Rostock, Schwerin, and Fehmarn. The Old Town island is easily explored on foot.During the day, city buses run every 10 to 40 minutes; there are no night buses. At night, app-bookable LÜMO shared taxis take over, operating until 4 AM on weekends. The regional train runs to Travemünde, and the same ticket applies as for the bus.

    Accommodations in Lübeck

    Find perfect stay in Lübeck

    Booking.com* (Affiliate link)
    Search Hotels
    Agoda* (Affiliate link)
    Search Hotels
    Airbnb
    Vacation Rentals

    * Affiliate link: if you book through it, we earn a small commission. The price stays the same for you.

    Campgrounds in Lübeck

    Find perfect campground in Lübeck

    Search via Google Maps
    Campgrounds nearby (15km)
    Camping.info
    Find Campgrounds
    Park4Night
    RV Parks & Camping

    Plan your trip to Lübeck

    Save places, build a route and plan your city trip, all in one place.

    1. 1
      1234

      Round trip

      12 days · 4 stops

      Saved

      Pick a route

      Pick a ready-made one or save places and plan your own.

      Open bookmarks
    2. 2

      Trip to Lübeck

      Live
      • 1Holsten Gate3 days
      • 2Salt Warehouse4 days
      • 3European Hanseatic Museum5 days
      Budget

      Plan your trip

      The planner sorts stops, days and budget. Plan together in real time.

      Start trip planning
    3. 3
      9:41 No signal
      Available offline

      Use it on the road

      Download the guide to your phone and use it on site, even offline.

    Nearby

    Travemünde

    Travemünde

    Travemünde, part of Lübeck since 1329, was recognized in 1802 as the second seaside resort on Germany's Baltic Sea coast. Approximately 13,900 people live here at the mouth of the Trave, along the 1.7-kilometer long beach promenade, and on about four kilometers of bathing coastline.Since 1960, the four-masted barque Passat, built in 1911 by Blohm & Voss, has been located on Priwall, opposite the Travepromenade. At Leuchtenfeld, the Old Lighthouse, dating from 1539, is Germany's oldest preserved lighthouse. You can reach the town from Lübeck by regional train to Travemünde Strand station.
    Lübeck & Holstein Baltic Sea

    Lübeck & Holstein Baltic Sea

    Lübeck was the main city of the Hanseatic League and is still called the Queen of the Hanse. Since 1987, the preserved Old Town, with over a thousand cultural monuments, has been a UNESCO World Heritage site, including the Holstentor, St. Mary's Church, Town Hall, and Cathedral. About 17 kilometers from the Old Town, the Trave river empties into the Baltic Sea in Travemünde.From there, the Bay of Lübeck opens up with a string of seaside resorts like Timmendorfer Strand, Scharbeutz, Haffkrug, and Niendorf, connected by the Baltic Sea Cycle Route. The bay is primarily a swimming and sailing area; marinas are located in Travemünde, Niendorf, Neustadt, and Grömitz. At the end of July, the Travemünde Week attracts sailors from all over the world.
    Wismar

    Wismar

    Wismar is located at the southern tip of Wismar Bay, which is protected by Poel Island. The Hanseatic city was under Swedish rule from 1648, which ended in 1803 with a pledge to Mecklenburg. Since 2002, its Old Town, together with that of Stralsund, has been a UNESCO World Heritage site.The heart of the city is the 100 by 100-meter market square, featuring the Wasserkunst of 1602 and the Alter Schwede citizens' house from 1360. From there, you walk to the brick churches St. Nikolai, St. Georgen, and the tower of St. Marien, and down to the Old Harbor.
    Schwerin

    Schwerin

    Schwerin, with just under 100,000 inhabitants, is Germany's smallest state capital. Twelve lakes lie within the city area, including Lake Schwerin, Germany's fourth-largest lake. Its landmark is the castle on the castle island, completed in 1857 in Neo-Renaissance style and today housing the state parliament.Schwerin's Residence Ensemble became a UNESCO World Heritage site in July 2024. Around the Alter Garten stand the State Theatre and Museum, the Cathedral in the Old Town, and the Town Hall at the market. The Baroque Schelfstadt and Pfaffenteich invite for a stroll.

    Old Town & New Town

    Around Domplatz, Hammaburg was Hamburg's genesis; by 1188, a merchant settlement had emerged at Nikolaifleet. The Great Fire of 1842 destroyed large parts of the Old Town; during reconstruction, the Alsterarkaden were built. Today, office buildings, department stores, and Mönckebergstraße, the main shopping street, define the Old Town; west of the Alsterfleet lies the Neustadt.Stroll along Jungfernstieg by the Binnenalster, take an Alster boat tour from the pier, walk under the Alsterarkaden, and ride the panoramic lift 76 meters high in Mahnmal St. Nikolai. On Deichstraße at Nikolaifleet, where the 1842 fire began, stands a Baroque merchant house from 1686 at number 37. At Jungfernstieg station, the U1, U2, U4, and S1 and S3 S-Bahn lines stop.