• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

By Root 2573 0

down on a farm listening to a chamber orchestra instead of lowing cattle. Over seven weeks each summer, leading international musicians and promising young artists perform in venues ranging from the castle in Kiel and music academy in Lübeck to churches, warehouses and animal stalls, and sometimes even ferries to the North Frisian Islands.

Each year, the festival takes a different country as a theme. Performances are largely classical, but you’ll also find pop, rock and jazz on the program.

* * *

Romantik Hotel Kieler Kaufmann ( 881 10; www.kieler-kaufmann.de, in German; Niemannsweg 102; s €119-200, d €159-310; ) Kiel’s most romantic place to stay is indeed this vine-covered 1911-built gem. Warm, rich, striped and printed fabrics adorn the individually decorated guest rooms, plus there’s a decadent wellness centre and an excellent restaurant (mains €17.50 to €29, open lunch and dinner) serving local produce with a Mediterranean twist. It’s set in a leafy park adjoining the firth 5km north of the Hauptbahnhof.

Return to beginning of chapter

Eating

Louf ( 551 178; Reventlouallee 2, cnr Kiellinie; mains €8.10-16.30; 10am-late, reduced hours winter; ) In summer, Kiel’s hipsters lounge around on the deckchairs on the lawn, while behind them everyone from skiving businessmen to young mothers (there’s a good kids’ menu) tucks into waffles, Thai curries, meat dishes and more. Outdoor heaters and blankets keep things going in cooler seasons.

Club 68 ( 617 39; Ringstrasse 68; mains €8.40-11.80; from 6pm; ) This little urige Kneipe (down-to-earth, authentic pub) is decked out like the local hang-out in popular cartoon Werner. Even those unfamiliar with the strip will get a kick out of the unusual decor, including old Mercedes car seats with wooden armrests and copper light fittings. The menu spans pastas and salads to Schnitzels.

Fuego del Sur ( 364 6036; An der Halle 400, Willy-Brand-Ufer; mains €11-19.80, Sunday brunch €11.40; dinner nightly, brunch from 11am Sun; ) Its open grill means this Argentine parilla (grill) establishment is as steaming as the pampas it evokes. So in summer the huge noisy crowd decamps from the indoor dining area and low gaucho-style seating to the terrace. Big, bloody steaks are accompanied on the menu by polenta, and crème caramel made from dulce de leche (a thickened condensed-milk confection).

Ratskeller ( 971 0005; Rathaus; mains €11.90-22.90; from 11am) Local specialities like sour duck with cranberries, cabbage and potatoes, or salmon and shrimp ragout in herb-infused garlic sauce, and an atmospheric backdrop of rough-hewn walls and dark-beamed ceilings, make Kiel’s Ratskeller (town hall restaurant) better than most.

Lüneburg-Haus ( 982 600; Dänische Strasse 22; mains €12.80-30.50; lunch & dinner Mon-Sat) Despite the designer touches, there are still historic hints in this lovely century-old restaurant. Locally sourced sweet-and-sour regional cuisine is accompanied by creative international dishes and delicious desserts like poached vanilla pudding with warm chocolate sauce, and double-chocolate mousse.

Return to beginning of chapter

Drinking

Prinz Willy (Lutherstrasse 9; from 5.30pm Tue-Sun) A cool little cafe-bar patronised by book-reading arty types and students. Prinz Willy is in one of Kiel’s tucked-away historic quarters, and puts on regular live music.

Two Irish pubs, O’Dwyer’s Irish Pub ( 556 227; Bergstrasse 15; 6pm-1am Mon, Wed & Thu, 6pm-2am Tue, 6pm-3am Fri, 1pm-3am Sat, 1pm-1am Sun) and McLang’s Irish Pub ( 828 456; Lange Reihe 17; 5pm-midnight Mon-Thu, 1pm-2am Fri-Sun), are local stalwarts. The latter has regular whisky-tasting evenings.

Also recommended:

Forstbaumschule ( 333 496; Dvelsbeker Weg 46; from 10am) Huge beer garden in a rambling park 3.5km north of the city centre (take bus 32, 33, 41, 42, 61 or 62).

Kieler Brauerei ( 906 290; Alter Markt 9; 10am-midnight Mon-Fri, 10am-1am Fri & Sat, noon-8pm Sun) Historic premises brewing its own flavoursome beer.

Oblomov ( 801 467; Hansastrasse 82; 11.30am-1am Mon-Fri, 6pm-1am Sat, 10am-1am Sun) Legendary