Kiel Olympic Harbour Schilksee: Getting there, harbour information and destinations

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Kiel Olympic Harbour Schilksee lies in the north of Kiel on the western shore of the Kiel Fjord, where the fjord opens into Kiel Bay. Built for the 1972 Olympic sailing events, it is now one of the largest yacht harbours on the German Baltic coast. Here you can read how to get there for your trip start, where to shop, what sailing weather to expect, which destinations are nearby and what skippers need to know about approach and mooring.

Where is Kiel Olympic Harbour Schilksee located?

The Olympic Harbour is located in the Kiel district of Schilksee, around 13 kilometres as the crow flies north of the central station, directly on the open outer fjord. Immediately to the north is the smaller harbour of Strande, whilst on the opposite eastern shore lies Laboe with its Naval Memorial. To the south, the fjord narrows at Friedrichsort into the inner fjord with the city centre and the entrance to the Kiel Canal.

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The harbour has two basins, both accessed from the south: the north basin has floating pontoons, the south basin has fixed jetties. Ashore are the Olympic Centre with terraced buildings, shops, restaurants and boat sheds, as well as a sandy beach on both sides of the harbour.

Arriving for your trip start at Kiel Olympic Harbour Schilksee

From Hamburg Airport to Schilksee

The nearest major airport is Hamburg. The easiest option is the Kielius airport bus: it runs daily from the airport via Neumünster to Kiel, with up to 19 services a day from March, and every two hours in winter.

By rail, take the S1 S-Bahn, which runs every ten minutes and takes around 25 minutes from the airport to Hamburg central station, then change there to a train to Kiel. From the airport to Kiel central station, you'll therefore be travelling for at least 1 hour and 39 minutes. From Kiel, continue by bus to Schilksee, so allow around two and a half hours for the entire journey.

By train, bus or ferry

Around 40 trains a day run between Hamburg and Kiel, most without changing, the fastest taking just over an hour. From the central station, bus routes 12 and 13 run via Wik, Pries and Friedrichsort to Schilksee and on to Strande. Get off at the Olympiazentrum stop, from where it's just a few steps to the harbour.

The journey takes around 40 minutes. Monday to Friday, each of the two routes runs roughly every 20 to 30 minutes, on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays roughly every 30 minutes. Together, a bus comes every 10 to 15 minutes during the day. At night, the N12 night service runs to Strande. Current timetables can be found at Kieler Verkehrsgesellschaft.

As of October 2026, the Förde ferry F1 also calls at the Schilksee jetty at the entrance to the South Basin during the summer. It connects Schilksee with Strande and with Laboe on the opposite shore, from where it continues into Kiel city centre.

Showers and sanitary facilities

Showers are available in the sanitary building at the North Basin, among other places; one shower costs a token for €1.50 (as of October 2026). Shower tokens are available from the harbour master. The sanitary facilities are also barrier-free, and there is a washing machine and tumble dryer.

Shopping for the trip

Two supermarkets are located in the immediate vicinity of the Olympic Centre: a small shop on Fliegender Holländer and a REWE supermarket on Langenfelde. This means you can get provisions for a week-long trip without a car.

The harbour also has a kiosk, a bread roll service, several restaurants and snack bars, including a fish roll stand.

Doctor, pharmacy and emergency services

The University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel Campus, has an accident and emergency department at Arnold-Heller-Straße 3 in Kiel city centre.

• 112: Ambulance service, emergency doctor and fire brigade
• 110: Police
• 116 117: out-of-hours medical service
• 0800 00 22833: pharmacy emergency service, from mobiles 22 8 33
• At sea: Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre of the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service (DGzRS) in Bremen on VHF channel 16 or by DSC on channel 70, call sign "Bremen Rescue", by telephone 24 hours on +49 421 53687-0

After a fire or accident in the harbour, you must also inform the harbour authority on 0171 649 7373 after making the emergency call. This is required by the City of Kiel's marina regulations.

Schilksee Olympic Harbour at a glance

The Olympic Harbour has around 850 berths afloat and around 400 ashore; the water depth is 3 to 4 metres. It is sheltered from all wind directions.

Feature	Details
Position (approximate)	54° 25,8′ N, 010° 10,3′ E
Operator	Sporthafen Kiel GmbH, which operates Kiel's municipal marinas
Address	Soling 26, 24159 Kiel-Schilksee
Berths	around 850 afloat, around 400 ashore
Water depth	3 to 4 m
Boat length	up to 25 m
Basins	North Basin with floating pontoons, South Basin with fixed pontoons
Hafenmeister	Telephone 0431 260484-21 or -22, schilksee@sporthafen-kiel.de
Berth fees for visiting yachts	per day €20 up to 10 m, €26 up to 12 m, €30 up to 14 m, €43 up to 20 m length; electricity and water free of charge
Fuel	Diesel
Crane and slipway	Boat and mast crane, slipway

Prices are for the 2026 summer season and include VAT. After five full days, one day is free; multihulls pay a 50 per cent surcharge if they require more space than a monohull. There is a key card for access to the facilities for €5; the mast crane costs €18 to use.

Wi-Fi is available in all harbours operated by Sporthafen Kiel GmbH; in Schilksee the network was recently upgraded with fibre optic and additional access points. For work on your boat, sailmakers, chandlers, engine service and a boatyard are on site or nearby.

What's the weather like in Schilksee for sailing?

In the western Baltic Sea the wind usually comes from the west and south-west. In summer it blows more lightly on average and more frequently from the north-west; in autumn and winter it freshens more often and veers more strongly to south-west. For the coast the Deutscher Wetterdienst issues a wind warning from force 6 and a gale warning from force 8.

Tides play almost no role; the water level usually fluctuates by only 10 to 30 centimetres. The wind has more effect: if north-easterly or easterly winds persist, they push water into the fjord and the level rises; strong south-westerly winds push it out and the level falls.

In late spring, when warm air moves over the still-cold water, sea fog forms and visibility can drop suddenly.

Which sailing destinations are near Schilksee?

From the Olympic Harbour you are out in Kiel Bay after just a few minutes. Eckernförde, Damp and the Schlei can be reached in a day's passage, the Danish islands of Ærø and Langeland on a long day.

Distances are rounded sea miles over water on the usual course from the Olympic Harbour; refer to the chart for precise passage planning.

• Laboe: around 2.5 nm, across the fjord
• Kiel-Holtenau: around 4.5 nm, at the mouth of the Kiel Canal
• Damp: around 12 nm
• Eckernförde: around 15 nm, right at the back of Eckernförde Bay
• Schleimünde: around 16 nm, entrance to the Schlei
• Bagenkop on Langeland: approximately 26 nm
• Marstal on Ærø: around 28 nm
• Heiligenhafen: approximately 31 nm
• Sønderborg on Als: approximately 32 nm

For a week-long trip, a circuit through the Danish island world around Ærø and Langeland is ideal, or a passage westwards into Eckernförde Bay and to the Schlei. You can read more about the harbour opposite in the profile of Laboe Marina, and about the canal entrance in the article on Tiessenkai in Kiel-Holtenau.

What can you do on a harbour day in Schilksee?

Beach, promenade and Olympic Centre are right at the harbour — everything is just a few steps away.

Beach and promenade

Schilksee beach is the longest beach in the city of Kiel. It has separate sections, including a naturist area and a dog beach. In summer you can use the beach volleyball courts free of charge and hire beach chairs.

Olympic Centre

The Olympic sailing competitions were held here in 1972, and since 1988 the centre has been part of the Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein Olympic training base. Major regattas still start from the Olympic harbour. From the spectator terraces you can watch the activity in the harbour.

Kiel Week

Every year in the second half of June, Schilksee becomes the regatta centre of Kiel Week. Olympic classes, dinghies and keelboats from many countries sail on the outer fjord, food stalls line the promenade and a stage is set up on the beach.

Ferry to Laboe

As things stand at present (October 2026), the fjord ferry runs in summer from Schilksee landing stage to Laboe. There you'll find the Marine Memorial with views over Kiel Bay and the submarine U 995 on the beach.

For skippers: Berthing and sea weather in Schilksee

In Olympiahafen Schilksee the harbourmasters allocate visiting berths on site. You enter via one of the two approaches from the south.

Registration and Berthing

To register, moor at the reporting pontoon and the harbourmaster will assign you a berth. You can reach him by phone on 0431 260484-21 or -22.

Red and green signs at the berths indicate whether a permanent mooring holder is expected back. Berths are available as boxes between piles, at finger pontoons and on buoys.

You can drive down to the slipway in the harbour by car.

Harbour rules for visiting yachts

The Sporthafenbenutzungsordnung (sports harbour regulations) of the city of Kiel applies in Olympiahafen. These points are important for a visit:

• When entering and leaving you proceed at the slowest speed setting, 6 km/h maximum — approximately 3 knots.
• Boats leaving have right of way. The fjord ferries to Schilksee landing stage have right of way.
• You do not tack in front of the entrances but keep them clear.
• Engines run only whilst propelling the boat.
• Swimming, fishing and spark-generating work are prohibited in the harbour.

Approach

Olympiahafen can be approached by day and night without difficulty. During the day the terraced houses of the Olympic Centre are a good landmark; at night you approach in the white sector of the Strande light. Both approaches are on the south side; the fjord ferry landing stage is at the entrance to the south basin.

In Strander Bucht in front of the harbour there is a speed limit of 10 knots. Outside in Kiel Bay lies Stollergrund, whose shallow patches are marked at night by red sectors from Kiel lighthouse. In the fjord you share the fairway with commercial shipping to Kiel and the Kiel Canal.

Which sea weather forecast applies to Schilksee?

The sea weather forecast of the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) for the North Sea and Baltic Sea applies, together with the DWD coastal warnings for the section Flensburg to Fehmarn.

For Schilksee and Kiel Bay, the sea area Westliche Ostsee (western Baltic Sea) is relevant, and for trips to Denmark Belte und Sund as well. You can read the current forecast on the DWD sea weather page or in the WarnWetter app; at sea you receive it via VHF coastal radio, NAVTEX and radio.

Trips from Schilksee on Törnfinder

In October 2026 there are 10 trip dates on Törnfinder over the next twelve months with departure or destination at Olympiahafen Schilksee. Most start in August, September and July; eight days is typical.

All current offers are in the trip overview. An overview of the whole sailing area is on the Sailing in the Baltic Sea, trips to the islands of the Danish South Sea Islands can be found under cabin charter in Denmark.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get from Kiel Hauptbahnhof to Olympiahafen Schilksee?

By bus lines 12 or 13 in approximately 40 minutes to the Olympiazentrum stop; during the day roughly every 10 to 15 minutes between them, and at weekends too.

How do I get from Hamburg Airport to Schilksee?

By airport bus Kielius or by S-Bahn and train to Kiel, then by bus onwards to Schilksee. Reckon on around two and a half hours in total.

Are there showers at Olympiahafen Schilksee?

Yes, amongst others in the sanitary building at Nordbecken; one shower costs one token for €1.50. There's also a washing machine and tumble dryer.

Where do I shop in Schilksee for the trip?

At two supermarkets in the immediate vicinity of Olympiazentrum, on Fliegender Holländer and on Langenfelde.

What does a visitor's berth cost at Olympiahafen Schilksee?

For a yacht up to 12 metres in length €26 per day, up to 10 metres €20 (as of October 2026). Electricity and water are included.

Is Olympiahafen Schilksee the same as Tiessenkai in Kiel?

No. Olympiahafen lies in the north of the city on the open outer fjord, whilst Tiessenkai is around 4.5 nautical miles further south in Holtenau at the entrance to the Kiel Canal.