Finally, now that we have settled in our room for the night in Lübeck, it’s time to write a short summary of the boat trip from Malmö to Travemünde. We also had some time to take a walk in this German beach town earlier tonight, so here are our impressions.
From Malmö to Travemünde with Finnlines M/S Finntrader
Initially, our plan was to drive to Germany over the bridges and through Denmark. Fortunately, we came to our senses and opted for the ferry instead. Now, there are several ferry lines between Sweden and Germany. At the end, we chose the rather slow (9 hours) journey from Malmö to Travemünde. So many hours on board meant that all three of us would have enough time to rest after a long night on the Swedish roads.
M/S Finntrader is mainly a cargo ship, but Finnlines seems to want to attract tourists as well. The ship had some public areas; two small cafeterias, a restaurant, a sauna and a pool (free of charge!), a small shop, and a sun deck.
We pre-booked the food, so we had two meals (brunch and dinner) on the ferry. The food was alright, nothing fancy, but it kept the hunger at bay. The brunch buffet had cold and hot food. We had sandwiches, boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, some sausages, and potatoes. At the dinner, we could choose between fish, chicken, and pork. And there was also pasta, rice, and potatoes. Ice-cream for dessert. Our theory, though, is that there was no chef onboard. We had a feeling that the food was not made on the ship, just heated there.The restaurant was only open for a couple of hours, and so was the shop. The cafeteria had decently priced snacks and drinks.
We really enjoyed our cabin as it was quite big. As we traveled during the daytime, we would probably have survived without a cabin. However, it was really nice to have one after that drive. The beds were comfortable and the bathroom felt fresh. There was a shower with nice, hot water as well. The shower was especially nice to have since we had been up the whole night before.
M/S Finntrader was alright for traveling with a baby. There were elevators and the public spaces were big enough. The car deck had enough space as well. We also had more than enough space in the cabin both for the baby and all her stuff.
The service onboard was good. The staff was friendly and helpful. However, there was not much entertainment onboard, and the restaurant and shops were closed during most of the journey. We did not try the sauna and the pool, but I can imagine it’s a nice place to spend a couple of hours.
A Walk in Travemünde
We had both heard about Travemünde before coming here, but not paid it much attention. We knew about the port, that’s all. As it turns out, it’s a popular seaside resort. We had some time to kill before continuing to Lübeck, so we decided to stretch our legs a bit before moving on with our journey. I have the impression that it can be a lively town, there were many cozy-looking bars and restaurants, as well different types of shops. Most of the shops were closed during our visit. Keep in mind, that we were in the town after 7 pm on a Saturday. The architecture was a mixture of old and new – some of the residential houses were really impressive.
Apparently, the oldest lighthouse in Germany is in Travemünde as well, but we did not see it during our walk.
Now it’s time for us to crawl into bed, it’s been a long day. We are looking forward to exploring the old Hanseatic city of Lübeck tomorrow. Hope to see you then!
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