Freight forwarding Lübeck – transport to and from the Czech Republic

Lübeck and Travemünde are not the same address

Lübeck was once the capital of the Hanseatic League, and its island old town between the River Trave and the canals is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Freight, however, moves on the edges. The Port of Lübeck is Germany's second-largest Baltic port, and its busiest part, the Skandinavienkai ferry terminal, lies in Travemünde at the mouth of the Trave, about 20 km from the city centre. Other terminals line the river inside the city:

• Skandinavienkai, Travemünde – ferries and ro-ro to Trelleborg and Malmö in Sweden, Helsinki in Finland and Liepāja in Latvia.
• Schlutup – built for the paper industry and still handling paper reels and pallets.
• City quays – break-bulk cargo, roundwood and wood chips.

The port runs its own railway network, but for delivery into Czechia or Slovakia a truck remains the fastest option. Please always tell us which terminal or warehouse is involved.

Finland's gateway: paper, timber, steel

The Helsinki ferries take roughly a day and a half and carry mostly products of Finland's forest industry. Imports we regularly move from Lübeck to Czechia include:

• paper and board on reels or pallets, and packaging cardboard,
• sawn timber, plywood and other wood products from Finland and Latvia,
• steel products and engineering parts from Scandinavia,
• Swedish industrial goods off the Trelleborg and Malmö ferries,
• confectionery and medical technology made in Lübeck itself.

Northbound, Czech machinery, glass, ceramics, building materials and beverages reach Travemünde for shipment to Finland and the Baltic states. Paper reels dislike damp and damaged edges, so they travel as a full load in a dry, flat-floor trailer with proper securing – see full truck transport.

Marzipan: a cargo that hates heat

Lübeck marzipan carries an EU protected geographical indication, and the city is Germany's best-known centre for it. Volumes peak between September and December as retailers stock up for Christmas, and capacity gets tight. Marzipan and chocolate must not overheat, so in warm weather we use temperature-controlled trailers that hold a steady temperature for the whole trip.

Route and transit time

The A1 runs from Lübeck to Hamburg, where trucks pick up the A24 to Berlin. To bypass Hamburg, the A20 Baltic motorway east to Wismar and the A14 south to the A24 near Schwerin is an alternative; dispatch decides on the day. From Berlin the A13, A17 and the Breitenau / Krásný Les crossing lead to the D8 and Prague – about 680 km. Morning collections usually deliver in Prague the next working day, late-afternoon ones on the second day. Brno is about 880 km, two working days. The A20 also links Lübeck with the ferry port described on freight forwarding Rostock.

Local details worth knowing

• The Herrentunnel under the Trave between Lübeck and Travemünde charges its own toll per vehicle, separate from the German truck toll.
• The old town's narrow streets are unsuitable for articulated trucks; we use smaller vehicles or an express van there.
• Schleswig-Holstein observes Reformation Day on 31 October, in addition to the national Sunday and holiday ban for trucks over 7.5 t and summer Saturday restrictions.
• Drivers register at the Skandinavienkai gate on entry and exit and need a booking or trailer number.

On the way to Denmark

North of Lübeck the A1 continues to Fehmarn and the port of Puttgarden, with a ferry to Rødby in Denmark. A road and rail tunnel under the Fehmarn Belt is under construction to replace the crossing. Czech goods heading for Copenhagen therefore often pass Lübeck; see transport to Denmark. Sweden, Finland and Denmark are all EU members, so a CMR note and invoice or delivery note are enough. For a quote, open the calculator.