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Splurge Hotels · Kiel

◆Splurge pick · Three Keys, the grand dame · Hamburg, on the Inner Alster

Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten

Three Michelin Keys on the Inner Alster, with the Haerlin downstairs — about 60.2 road miles from Kiel's ships by our routing.

Shuttle not statedCruise parking unconfirmedBreakfast not stated3 Michelin KeysForbes Four-Star
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3 Michelin KeysForbes Four-Star · source
The verdict

The Vier Jahreszeiten is the classic Hamburg splurge, scored here on the morning after. Michelin gives it three Keys and Forbes four stars, and its restaurants are the Haerlin, the GRILL and NIKKEI NINE — but our routing puts Kiel's Ostseekai about 60.2 road miles away, roughly 68 minutes.

We read Michelin's page, not the hotel's own site, so breakfast and parking are blanks here. We also leave out the Haerlin's star count, which we couldn't confirm.

The Kiel trains leave from Hamburg Hbf, and the fastest takes 1 hour 7 minutes, per Deutsche Bahn.

Stay here before a night in Kiel, not on the night before you sail.

Book it if

  • You want a grand Hamburg hotel
  • You'll take the train to Kiel
  • Dinner is the point of the night

Look elsewhere if

  • You're sailing the next morning.
  • You need breakfast and parking confirmed.
  • You want a pool.
What You Get

What Vier Jahreszeiten offers, and what it leaves out

What the Vier Jahreszeiten offers, as Michelin and Forbes list it: green is there, gold has a catch, grey nobody says.

Michelin KeysThree Michelin Keys
Forbes starsForbes Four-Star
RestaurantHaerlin; the GRILL; NIKKEI NINE
Bar or drinksNone listed
Spa or poolSpa, gym, sauna and steam
BreakfastNot stated
Price printedNot printed
Airport or ship transferNone printed
ParkingNot stated
Distance to the nearer terminal~60.2 road mi to Ostseekai, our routing
Sail Morning

Your night before, from here

A night at the Vier Jahreszeiten before Kiel, from Michelin's listing.

Evening
Check in and settle

The Haerlin, the GRILL and NIKKEI NINE, and a spa with a gym, sauna and steam room, per Michelin.

Before bed
Line up your ride

Plan the train to Kiel for the morning, with time to spare.

Sail morning
Breakfast, your call

Michelin's page doesn't print breakfast terms, and we didn't read the hotel's own site.

Heading out
To the terminal

About 60.2 road miles to Ostseekai by our routing.

While you sail
Your car

Nothing on parking at the Jungfernstieg; book Port Parking in Kiel online if you drive up.

To the Ship

Getting here, and on to the ship

17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Ostseekai and Ostuferhafen2 cruise terminals HAMHamburg Airport ★ 20 km · 12.4 mi N
This hotelRanked Kiel hotels, tap one to open itCruise terminalStraight line to the ship, not a routeReal geography: NOAA’s GSHHG shoreline, generalised, so the Förde’s quays and the terminal piers aren’t drawn. Map pins from the Esri World Geocoder, address matches. The Ostseekai pin is de.wikipedia’s coordinate for the quay and the Ostuferhafen pin is Esri’s point for Ostuferhafen 15 — terminals, not berths.

Pick where you start; from the Inner Alster, Kiel is more than an hour away.

?? 5.8 mi ~60.2 mi, our routing HAMSplurgeThe ship
Leg 1 · Hamburg Airport to the hotel
Not stated

Michelin's page mentions no airport transfer.

Leg 2 · Hotel to the ship
Shuttle not stated

No ride to Kiel is mentioned. The fastest Hamburg–Kiel train takes 1 hour 7 minutes, per Deutsche Bahn; by car, about 68 minutes to Ostseekai.

About 60.2 road mi to Ostseekai by our routing.

From HAM without a hotel shuttle

Hamburg Airport is about 5.8 road miles away by our routing. The airport page covers the Kielius bus and the trains to Kiel.

?? your drive ~60.2 mi, our routing Your carSplurgeThe ship
Leg 1 · Drive in and park
Cruise parking unconfirmed

Michelin's page for the Vier Jahreszeiten doesn't mention parking.

Parking for your stay: Not stated.

Leg 2 · Hotel to the ship
Shuttle not stated

No ride to Kiel is mentioned. The fastest Hamburg–Kiel train takes 1 hour 7 minutes, per Deutsche Bahn; by car, about 68 minutes to Ostseekai.

About 60.2 road mi to Ostseekai by our routing.

Flying in on sail day instead of a night at Vier Jahreszeiten, check the bus and train times against your check-in window.

Distance

~60.2 road mi, our routing

Michelin's page gives no Kiel figure. Our routing to Ostseekai is about 60.2 road miles (96.9 km), roughly 68 minutes with no traffic.

Source: guide.michelin.com

To the ship

Shuttle not stated

No ride to Kiel is mentioned. The fastest Hamburg–Kiel train takes 1 hour 7 minutes, per Deutsche Bahn; by car, about 68 minutes to Ostseekai.

Source: guide.michelin.com
Parking

Parking while you sail

At the hotel

Cruise parking unconfirmed

Michelin's page for the Vier Jahreszeiten doesn't mention parking.

Source: guide.michelin.com

Parking for the cruise

Port Parking, priced online

Driving to the ship from the Vier Jahreszeiten? Book the Port of Kiel's Port Parking online — €174 (about US$195) for 7–8 days at Ostseekai for TUI Cruises guests, €149 (about US$165) at Ostuferhafen for MSC and Costa. Kiel cruise parking has the rest.

Source: portparking.de

Driving from Hamburg? Kiel cruise parking has Port Parking's lots, and our Kiel cruise guide has the terminals.

The Evening

The night you’re paying for

The evening

Food or drinks on site

The Haerlin, the GRILL and NIKKEI NINE, and a spa with a gym, sauna and steam room, per Michelin.

Source: guide.michelin.com

Breakfast

Not stated

Michelin's page doesn't print breakfast terms, and we didn't read the hotel's own site.

Address

Hamburg, on the Inner Alster

Neuer Jungfernstieg 9-14, 20354 Hamburg
Hotel or listing page

Ratings

Three Keys, the grand dame

Michelin gives it 3 Keys; Forbes Travel Guide rates it Four-Star.

Source: guide.michelin.com
Fact Sheet

The fine print, in one place

House details from Michelin's listing, and a blank means it doesn't say.

Check-in and check-out

Check-inNot stated
Check-outNot stated

Minimum age

—

Not stated by the hotel.

Extra fees

Hamburg's Kultur- und Tourismustaxe applies: per guest per night by net room price per person, since Jan 1, 2025 €0.60 (about US$0.67) up to €25 (about US$30), €1.20 (about US$1) up to €50 (about US$55), €2.40 (about US$3) up to €100 (about US$110), €3.60 (about US$4) up to €150 (about US$170), €4.80 (about US$5) up to €200 (about US$225), then €1.20 more per extra €50, per hamburg.de's leaflet

Wi-Fi

Not stated

Parking for your stay

Not stated

For the cruise itself, see Parking.

Breakfast

Not stated

Pool

No pool listed; a spa with a gym, sauna and steam room

Pets

Michelin's page doesn't mention pets.

Food and drink on site

  • HaerlinFine dining
  • GRILLRestaurant
  • NIKKEI NINERestaurant

Rooms

156 rooms, per Michelin.

Accessibility

Vier Jahreszeiten’s pages we read say nothing on accessible rooms — ask before you book.

On site

  • EV chargingNot stated
  • Guest laundryNot stated
  • GymYes
  • Pets allowedNot stated

Nearby, by the hotel’s count

  • Inner Alsteron Neuer Jungfernstieg

Vier Jahreszeiten’s own figures, in its own units.

Also worth knowing

  • Three Michelin Keys; Forbes Four-Star
  • Forbes lists its spa as "Soon to be Rated"
Worth Knowing

Before you book

Worth knowing

  • Facts from Michelin and Forbes; we didn't read the hotel's own site.
  • About 60.2 road miles to Ostseekai by our routing.
  • Hamburg adds a per-guest overnight tax, from €0.60 to €4.80 a night by net room price, per hamburg.de.
  • Forbes lists the spa as "Soon to be Rated".

What we couldn’t confirm

  • Breakfast
  • Parking
  • Check-in times

The Vier Jahreszeiten's details as Michelin and Forbes listed them on October 4, 2026 — confirm with the hotel.

Other Splurges

The other splurges for a Kiel cruise

The park-and-cruise package · No. 1 of 17
Kieler Kaufmann
Park for the cruise, dine at Ahlmanns
On the fjord · No. 13 of 17
Kieler Yacht-Club
Rooms on the fjord
Three Keys on the Alster
The Fontenay
Three Keys and a rooftop pool
All seven
The splurge list, seven picks
All seven, side by side.
Want the easy morning?
Our seventeen for the night before
Ranked for the trip to Kiel’s two terminals — Vier Jahreszeiten is a drive away, so it isn’t scored.
Ready when you are

The Alster first, then the ship.

Send us your dates and we'll pair the Vier Jahreszeiten with a train to Kiel and a night near the terminal. No payment on the form.

Booking.com rates
FAQ

Vier Jahreszeiten FAQ

How many Michelin Keys does the Vier Jahreszeiten have?

Three, per Michelin's page for the hotel. Forbes rates the hotel Four-Star.

How far is the Vier Jahreszeiten from Kiel?

About 60.2 road miles to Ostseekai by our routing, roughly 68 minutes with no traffic.

What restaurants are at the Fairmont Vier Jahreszeiten?

The Haerlin, the GRILL and NIKKEI NINE, per Michelin.

How many rooms does the Vier Jahreszeiten have?

156, per Michelin.

Is there a spa at the Vier Jahreszeiten Hamburg?

Yes, with a gym, sauna and steam room, per Michelin. Forbes lists the spa as "Soon to be Rated".

Sources, read October 4, 2026:guide.michelin.com — fairmont-hotel-vier-jahreszeiten-12464https://www.forbestravelguide.com/destinations/hamburg-germanyguide.michelin.com — all-the-key-hotels-germany-michelin-guidhttps://www.portparking.de/en.htmlhttps://router.project-osrm.org/

Booking the cruise too?

Sailing from Kiel? Send your dates and line, and we'll pair Vier Jahreszeiten with the cruise and the ride to the ship. No obligation.

No obligation — a real advisor reviews every request.

Prefer to talk? Book a free 30-minute call or call (407) 312-0306.

Vier JahreszeitenSplurge pick · night before your cruise
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