Kiel's best experiences are tied to water. The Kieler Förde — the 17km fjord that forms the city's eastern edge — sets the pace: ferries, sailing yachts, and container ships share the same stretch of water, and the Kiellinie promenade runs alongside it for a pleasant couple of kilometres. Take the short ferry across to Laboe on the eastern shore to visit the Laboe Naval Memorial and U-995, one of the most striking war monuments in Germany and the only surviving Type VIIC U-boat you can board.
At the northern end of the city, the Kiel Canal locks at Holtenau are an unexpectedly absorbing spectacle — ocean-going freighters squeezing through a channel in a quiet suburb, watched from wooden benches on the bank. The Schifffahrtsmuseum on the Dänische Strasse covers the city's maritime history with more depth than the modest entrance fee suggests. For contemporary art, the Kunsthalle Kiel holds a solid collection of German painting and expressionist work.
The dominant event in the city calendar is Kieler Woche, the world's largest sailing regatta, which takes over the fjord and the city centre for ten days in late June.