Lauenburg-Elbe Luneburg, Germany Schleswig-Holstein
Frequently Asked Questions
At the foot of the old town, in Schleswig-Holstein. The Elbstraße drops toward the river right from the gangway: rounded cobbles, brick and timber-framed facades shoulder to shoulder, wrought-iron signs.
Yes, and it is the only way. The Elbstraße begins at the gangway. Watch out, though, for uneven cobbles and sloping alleys: proper shoes make the wander considerably more pleasant.
The Elbstraße and the captains' houses, the Elbschifffahrtsmuseum in the heart of the old quarter, the Palmschleuse a short walk upstream, then the climb to the viewpoint over the river.
The museum of Elbe navigation, from Bohemia to Hamburg. Models, instruments and boatmen's accounts make up the displays, but the highlight hides in the basement: original ship engines, the oldest from the mid-19th century, still running in the vaulted cellars.
One of the oldest chamber locks in Europe, heir to the Stecknitz canal dug from the 14th century to carry salt. That medieval waterway lifted barges across the divide between the North Sea and the Baltic.
Because it was a vital crossroads of navigation: here the salt of Lüneburg left dry land for Lübeck and the Baltic. The town lived off the water and still shows it, with captains' and pilots' houses bearing painted beams.
Depending on the season, yes. This century-old coal-fired paddle steamer is kept alive by volunteers and sometimes raises steam at the quay. It is not guaranteed: it depends on the calendar and on maintenance.
Yes. You climb one of the stepped alleys linking the quays to the plateau. From the belvedere near the Mary Magdalene church or the castle tower, the only remnant of the residence of the dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg, the view takes in the river and the floodplain meadows.
The euro. Galleries, craft workshops and cafés on the Elbstraße often work in cash. Bring notes, particularly for the volunteer-run museums.
Lüneburg, a remarkable salt town of a thousand brick gables, lies about twenty kilometres away. It is a standard organised excursion from this call, worth checking in your cruise programme.
