Discover Bremen: Culture, parks and the Weser

Bremen offers a variety of options for planning your trip: the Town Hall and Roland statue on the Market Square represent the city’s history, while museums, parks and experiences along the Weser offer other points of interest. In Bremerhaven, the harbour, shipping and emigration history shape what the city has to offer.

Old Town, World Heritage and architecture

Bremen Town Hall and the Roland statue on Bremen’s Market Square stand for civic autonomy and sovereignty as they developed in the European Holy Roman Empire. Together, they form a UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 2004. The original sculpture of the Bremen Town Musicians is also located at the Town Hall.

In the Schnoor, Bremen’s oldest quarter, a maze of lanes winds between small houses dating from the 15th and 16th centuries. The buildings of Böttcherstraße offer a different architectural highlight: they are a rare example of Expressionist architecture and among Bremen’s main attractions. At the Bremen-Info visitor centre there, you can get personal advice for your stay, free information materials, tour tips and souvenirs.

Museums and interactive experiences

The Klimahaus Bremerhaven takes visitors on a journey along the eighth meridian through five continents and nine locations. Covering more than 10,000 square metres, the Übersee-Museum focuses on the world’s cultural and natural regions, including Asia, the African savannah and the Americas. Both museums explore world regions, but with different emphases: the Klimahaus through its journey along the meridian, and the Übersee-Museum through its presentation of cultural and natural environments.

At the Universum Bremen’s whale-shaped Science Center, an interactive museum invites visitors to explore people, nature and technology. The botanika’s Discovery Centre offers a different way to discover the plant and animal worlds, with interactive stations and exhibits bringing these topics to life.

Harbour, shipping and emigration history

The German Maritime Museum is located in Bremerhaven’s harbour district, right on the dike between the Old Harbour and the Weser. The German Emigration Center also focuses on Bremerhaven’s history: its opening in 2005 laid the foundation for a migration museum in Germany. Initially, the museum presented the history of 7.2 million German and Eastern European emigrants who left for overseas via Bremerhaven between 1830 and 1974.

At the Schaufenster Fischereihafen, you can watch fish being smoked live. At the Seefischkochstudio, visitors can get tips on how to prepare fish properly at home. The harbour experience therefore encompasses not only maritime history and museums, but also insights into working with fish.

Parks and botanical collections

Bremen’s Rhododendron Park covers around 46 hectares and is home to more than 10,000 rhododendron and azalea shrubs. The 3.2-hectare Botanical Garden lies within the park. Its scientifically focused collection includes more than 6,500 different plants from the region and around the world. The two figures represent different scales: the expansive park with its shrubs and the smaller garden with its plant collection.

Together with the adjacent city forest, Bürgerpark forms Bremen’s largest continuous park. This green oasis covers 200 hectares; numerous leisure facilities are located close to the main railway station.

Exploring the Weser

A 91-kilometre stretch of the Weser Cycle Route connects Bremen and Bremerhaven. Routes and conditions may change, so check the latest information before setting out on a cycling trip. Within Bremen, the seasonal Weser ferry runs between Pusdorf and Überseestadt. Check the current timetable before travelling.

From May to September, you can travel on the MS Oceana along the Weser from Bremen to Bremerhaven and back. The route passes Martinianleger, Pier 2, Mittelsbüren, Vegesack, Blumenthal, Farge, Brake and Nordenham Unionpapier before reaching Seebäderkaje in Bremerhaven. As seasonal sailings and details may change, check the latest information when planning your trip.

Brewery tour and trip planning

The brewery tour at Beck’s in Bremen takes you through the museum, raw materials room and brewhouse, and past malt silos and fermentation and storage tanks. It concludes with a beer tasting in the guest room. Together with the museums, historic sites, green spaces and Weser activities, this offers a variety of ways to tailor your stay to your interests.

When choosing your hotel, it helps to decide which places and experiences you want to focus on: city history and collections, parks or maritime attractions. If you’re planning seasonal ferry or boat trips, include the latest timetable in your plans.

Discover more destinations: Bremerhaven, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Brandenburg, Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland.

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