Plan your trip to your cruise with FlixBus

Organize your cruise with FlixBus

Hamburg, Kiel, Warnemünde, Genoa and Venice mean one thing for every fan of cruises: the port of departure for a few exciting weeks out to sea. But a long-distance bus ride to the port of your choice isn’t beneficial for just cruise passengers. There are countless ferries headed to Scandinavia and the Baltic area on the coast of northern Germany, while you can reach a number of beautiful islands by ferry in Italy.

Overview of the most important ports in the FlixBus network

The following are a selection of the largest and most frequented ports in Germany, Italy and Sweden. It doesn’t matter if you've booked your cruise trip or ferry connection already or you’re still looking for tips and inspiration: You can find all the info you will need for the bus trip to your journey on the sea here.

• Kiel
• Rostock/Warnemünde
• Hamburg
• Stockholm
• Venice
• Genoa

General information

The capital city of Schleswig-Holstein is not just the ideal port of departure for Northern Europe due to its advantageous location. The port city has been honored numerous times for its modern terminals and service. Cruise ships up to 350 meters long can dock at the four piers, allowing Kiel to claim third place among the largest ports where travelers make transfers.

Which cruise ships depart from Kiel and where are they headed?

TUI Cruises, AIDA Cruises, MSC Cruises and Costa Cruises are some of the port of Kiel’s regulars and primarily visit destinations in Northern Europe and the Baltic Sea.

Which ferry connections does Kiel have?

Ferries departing from the Schwedenkai (Sweden pier), Norwegenkai (Norway pier) and the Ostseekai (Baltic pier) are mostly headed to Scandinavia, while the ships waiting on their passengers at Ostuferhafen are destined for the Baltic area and Russia.

How do I get from the FlixBus stop in Kiel to my ship?

Your FlixBus stops at Kiel's ZOB (central bus station) at Kiel's HBF (central train station)

Ostseekai: Walk through Kiel’s Altstadt (old town), take the 61, 62 bus lines. (stop: Seegarten/Ostseekai)
Sartorikai: Walk or take the 61, 62 bus lines (stop: Bootshafen)
Schwedenkai: Walk (15 minutes) along Kaistraße
Norway pier: Take the bus (e.g. lines 100, 200); walk over the Hörnbrücke (Hörn Bridge).
Ostuferhafen: We recommend taking a taxi or bus line 11 to the less centrally located ports.

General information

The section of Warnemünde called Rostock does not just have one of the widest sand beaches on Germany's Baltic Sea coast, it is also considered one of Germany’s most important cruise ports. The Warnemünde Cruise Center is a tremendous steel and glass structure and is designed to serve up to 2,500 passengers. In contrast, Rostok port possesses the ferry terminals for travel to Denmark and Sweden.

Which cruise ships depart from Warnemünde?

If you are departing from Warnemünde, then you probably booked your trip through Northern Europe or the Baltic Sea with MSC Cruises, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises or Norwegian Cruise Line. TUI Cruises began departing Warnemünde for the first time in 2016.

Which ferry connections does Rostock have?

From the ferry terminal in Rostock’s international port, Scandlines travels to Gedser in Denmark and Stena Line/TT Line travels to Trelleborg in Sweden.

How do I get from the FlixBus stop in Warnemünde to my ship?

The easiest way is to go from your bus stop at the S-Bahn station of Warnemünde Werft along Werftallee, continue on Am Passagierkai Straße, which passes directly before the Warnemünde Cruise Center.    

General information

When you think about the port of Hamburg, you usually think of gigantic container ships and cranes as far as the eye can see. However, Hamburg is also the destination for countless cruise ships and the starting point for many different regional ferry lines. Even if you don’t want to take to the high seas, it is highly recommended to pay a visit to the port of Hamburg. From the piers, you can board many different excursion ships or cross the Elbe below ground using the historic Elbtunnel (Elbe Tunnel).

Which cruise ships depart from Hamburg?

Hamburg is the ideal departure port for cruise ships destined for Northern and Western Europe. Costa Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, TUI Cruises and Azamara Cruises all serve the port of Hamburg.

Which ferry connections does Hamburg have?

As a port city, the port ferries are part of the city’s public transport and can be used with your HVV ticket. Popular destinations are the Blankenese, Övelgönne or Teufelsbrück, from which you can watch the giant ocean-going vessels as they come in. On the North Sea, ferries travel to Helgoland, Germany’s only deep-sea island.

How do I get from the FlixBus stop in Hamburg to my ship?

HafenCity: 30 minute walk through Speicherstadt or take the U4 line to the Überseequartier station

Cruise Center Altona: Take the U3 panorama line to the piers, transfer to the 111 bus bound for the Altona Bahnhof (station). (Final stop: Kreuzfahrtterminal Altona (Altona cruise terminal))

Cruise Center Steinwerde: From the piers, take ferry line 73 to Argentinienbrücke or take the S3/31 to Hamburg-Veddel and continue with the shuttle.

General information

The best part about coming into or departing from Stockholm is the 3.5 hour long trip through the scenic skerry landscape before the city which instantly brings to mind Astrid Lindgren’s “Ferien auf Saltkrokan” (We on Seacrow Island). Up to 300 cruise ships make a stop in Sweden's capital every year, which is also well connected to the ferry system in the Baltic Sea.

Which cruise ships depart from Stockholm?

Cruise ships either dock in Stockholm at the central pier of Stadsgården not far from the old town or a bit outside of the Frihamnen terminal where ferries and container ships are loaded and unloaded. TUI Cruises, Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, MSC Cruises and many other cruise companies serve Stockholm.

Which ferry connections does Stockholm have?

You can reach many Scandinavian or Baltic cities from Stockholm, for example Gotland (Sweden), Tallinn (Estonia), Gdansk (Poland) or Riga (Latvia)

How do I get from the FlixBus stop in Stockholm to my ship?

Your long-distance bus stops at the Stockholm's central station. To reach the centrally located passenger terminal of Stadsgården 165/167, it is best to take the subway from T-Centralen to the Slussen stop. If your ship docks in Frihamnen, the bus line 1 travels directly from the central station to the port.

General information

Venice can look back to a rapid development into a cruise ship port, a phenomenon not enjoyed by everyone. On some days, up to four luxury liners dock at the three piers in the lagoon city. Large ships only travel to the primary piers of Stazione Marittima at the Stazione di Venezia Santa Lucia station. The San Basilio pier near the San Sebastiano church is reserved for small ships. The third and often less used cruise ship port of Riva Sette Martiri is located on the other side of the island.

Which cruise ships depart from Venice?

Whether traveling on the Adriatic or Ionian Sea or making transatlantic trips to South and North America, the selection of destinations from Venice varied. The fleets of MSC Cruises, Costa Cruises and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line regularly stop in Venice.

Which ferry connections does Venice have?

You can reach destinations in Slovenia, Croatia and on the Greek mainland with many different ferry companies operating from Venice. The largest companies include Venezia Lines (departs from San Basilio terminal) to Croatia and Superfast to Patras in Greece. Note that the ferry terminal for Fusina Ferries is located on the mainland near Venice.

How do I get from the FlixBus stop in Venice to my ship?

If you book your bus connection to Tronchetto, Venice, you exit the bus directly across from Venezia Terminal Passageri. If you need to get to the San Basilio pier, simply take ACTV Vaporetto from Tronchetto directly to S. Basilio. If traveling to Riva, Sette Martiri is reached with the same Vaporetto line by going just a bit further to S. Zaccaria. Your destination is a 10 minute walk away along the port.

General information

Genoa is the largest Italian seaport in terms of area as well as goods coming through, and also boards a large numbers of passengers. The focus of passenger transport is the Stazione Marittima Porto Genova where both the cruise ship and ferry terminals (Traghetti Genova terminal) are located. Almost all of the large ports on the Mediterranean can be reached by ship from Genoa.

Which cruise ships depart from Genoa?

The majority of the ocean-going giants docking in Genoa remain on the Mediterranean, however you can also stay on board all the way to the United Arab Emirates, for example. Genoa is the home port to MSC Cruises, meaning the majority of departing cruise ships bear the MSC logo.

Which ferry connections does Genoa have?

Feel like taking an island getaway? You can reach the Mediterranean islands of Sardinia, Corsica and Malta from Genoa. If that isn't far enough for you, you can also take the ferry to Tunisia, Spain or Morocco.

How do I get from the FlixBus stop in Genoa to my ship?

From the bus station of Genova Principe, you are only 5 minutes away from the port and the Stazioni Marittime. The ferry port, with its three terminals, can also be reached by foot. You should plan for about a 15 minute long walk.