Bremen’s best tips: The 15 best Bremen tips for your day trip

Bremen is the perfect size for exploring the city’s main attractions in just one day. Of course, like almost every big city, Bremen has more to offer than just that. But everything you read about in this article can be done in one day on foot or by public transport.

An excellent starting point for your exploration tour is Bremen Central Station, especially if you are arriving by train.

But if you don’t want to explore everything on your own and also learn many details about Bremen, then a city tour with a guide is also a great option to get to know Bremen. Here are a few tours for you that you can book online in advance:

• Guided tour of the city center Guided city tour (2 hours)
• Guided tour in German with a night watchman(1.5 hours)
• The dark side of Bremen: killers and criminals (2 hours)

By the way: All the sights in this article that you can explore in one day can also be found here on the map. You can follow them in exactly the order described here:

Start at the main train station in the direction of Wallanlagen. Then continue to the sights around the market square and finally to the Weser embankment at Schlachte. Then continue along the embankment towards the Schnoor quarter. From there, you can either go to the Weser beach or directly back to the train station. You can plan a detour from the train station to the botanical garden by tram either at the beginning or at the end of your day trip.

1. Loriotplatz

Loriot was one of the most famous German cartoonists and humorists, and many of his characters and sketches are still well known everywhere today. He spent an important part of his career in Bremen.

That is why there are two places that have been built to honor Loriot.

Right on the way from the main train station to the old town, the bulbous-nosed man, who appears in many of Loriot’s cartoons, sits on a park bench in the greenery.

In front of the Radio Bremen broadcasting house stands the green Biedermeier sofa with a pug dog, made famous by Loriot.

2. The mill on the rampart

The historic windmill on the Bremen city wall, also called the Herdentorswallmühle or Ansgaritorsmühle or Beck’s Mühle, is a popular restaurant with a beer garden that serves typical dishes from Bremen.

There were once many such mills along the Wallgraben moat in Bremen. However, the Beck’s Mühle, first built in 1699, is the only one that has remained over time.

3. Bremen Town Musicians

Who doesn’t know the fairy tale of the four aging animals – a donkey, a dog, a cat and a rooster – who set out for Bremen to become city musicians?

And so the bronze figure of the Bremen Town Musicians, erected as early as 1953, is probably also the most famous landmark of the Hanseatic city, reminiscent of this fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. It stands right next to the town hall and is a very popular photo spot.

4. Bremen Town Hall and Bremen Roland

Both the richly decorated town hall and the 5-meter-high statue of the knight Roland(also known as Bremen Roland), erected in 1404 and standing directly in front of it, are so outstanding that they were added to the list of world heritage sites by UNESCO as early as 2004.

To see the town hall from the inside, you have to book a town hall tour (online here for €9 per person). This lasts 1 hour and you must choose a date and time beforehand. During this tour, you will be able to see, among other things, the festive Upper Town Hall with the magnificently decorated Güldenkammer.

Incidentally, the tour is also available in English book here.

If you get hungry, the quaint Bremen Ratskeller is a good option. In addition to a restaurant popular with tourists, it also houses one of the oldest wine cellars in Germany.

By the way: Sir Roland was a legendary military leader under Charlemagne (between 700 and 800 AD). He also plays the main role in the medieval Roland saga. This is the one that you should still know from your history lessons in the past.

5. Bremen Marketplace

The Bremen marketplace is not only the most central point in the old town, but also probably one of the most beautiful marketplaces in Germany.

It is surrounded by some of the city’s most famous attractions: the town hall with the Roland statue and the city’s musicians, the St. Petri cathedral and Böttcherstraße. There are also some popular cafés and restaurants where you can linger and watch the hustle and bustle on the square.

Be sure to check out the Bremer Loch as well. You can often hear strange noises there after you throw a coin.

6. St. Peter’s Cathedral

The St. Peter’s Cathedral, with its two 98-meter-high towers, is one of the most striking buildings in the old town. If you want to see Bremen from above, you can also climb one of the two towers for €4 per person.

A visit to the Cathedral Museum is worthwhile if you want to learn more about the 1200-year history of the cathedral, and it is free of charge.

7. Böttcherstraße

Böttcherstrasse is one of the most popular streets in Bremen with tourists, and it is not unlikely that you will spend a few hours longer here than planned. It is not for nothing that Böttcherstrasse is also known as a “city within a city”

There is lots of art and culture, museums, exhibitions, but also numerous souvenir shops, artisans and manufactories to marvel at.

The winding street was built between 1922 and 1931 by the inventor of Kaffee HAG, Ludwig Roselius. It consists of several buildings designed by Bernhard Hoetger in the style of expressionist architecture, which bear names such as “Robinson Crusoe House”, “House of the 7 Lazy Men” or “House of the Glockenspiel” and each has its own unique background story.

8. Bremen Schlachte

The banks of the Weser were once an important port and trading center, reinforced with wooden piles to make the shore accessible to merchant ships. This is where the name “Schlachte” comes from, which roughly translates as “row of piles”. Today, Bremer Schlachte is a promenade on the Weser. Numerous bars, cafés, beer gardens and restaurants in all sizes and price ranges line this promenade.

In winter (from November 25), the Schlachte is transformed into a popular Christmas market with special lighting, festive sounds and lots of medieval wooden stalls offering all kinds of delicacies and handicrafts.

If you are interested in one of the many boat tours, then the Schlachte is the best place for you to start. Tours along the Weser to the port of Bremerhaven start from here. These take about an hour and 45 minutes and depart from the Martinianleger on the Weserpromenade Schlachte 1.

9. Historic Ships Alexander von Humboldt and Pannekoekschip Admiral Nelson

If you are at the Schlachte in Bremen, these two historic sailing ships are sure to catch your eye. The Alexander von Humboldt should also look familiar to some of you from the television commercials for the Becks brewery. Anchored on the Weser, it serves as a hotel, restaurant and event ship. This means you can book a very special night’s stay on the Alexander von Humboldt if you decide on a longer stay in Bremen than just a day trip .

The Pannekoepschiff Admiral Nelson is moored right next to the Alexander von Humboldt. It is a replica of a frigate of the infamous English Admiral Nelson and serves as a restaurant ship in Bremen.

10. Schnoor Quarter

One of the most beautiful and oldest districts of Bremen is the Schnoor quarter. Here, small, colorful houses line up close together in the winding alleys.

The best thing to do is to simply drift around and explore the alleys on your own. But there are also guided tours that are a bit more structured and where you get a lot of historical background information, such as this very popular tour through the historic Schnoor quarter.

11. Taste Bremen’s sweets

Be sure to try some of Bremen’s typical delicacies while you’re in town. You shouldn’t miss out on the Bremer Kluten and the Bremer Klaben.

• Bremer Kluten are refreshing mint sticks with a crunchy layer of dark chocolate.
• Bremer Klaben is a heavy, moist fruit loaf with lots of raisins and a hint of spice, traditionally enjoyed during the winter season.

These delicacies are available in many bakeries and pastry shops. You should be able to find them in the Schnoor quarter, for example at the Konditorei Café im Schnoor. You can also find the Schnoorkullers here – large, round licorice balls dusted with powdered sugar.

12. Weser beach

On a nice day, a trip to the sandy beach on the Weser is a good idea. You can reach it with the Sielwall ferry, which is only about 15 minutes from the city center and runs between the two banks from May to October and also during the Christmas season.

On the beach, there is a café aptly named Sand. You can simply bathe in the sun there, in both the Weser and the sandy beach. Note that the Weser can also have a strong current, so it is best to bathe only near the shore.

13. Botanical Garden

The botanical garden of Bremen is located just outside the old town. You can reach it by tram line 4 from the main train station in about 30 minutes. It is the perfect attraction if you love botanical gardens and are also looking for some peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle of the lively old town.

There are several areas. The actual botanical garden (botanika) costs €11 to enter and contains various indoor greenhouses with different themes from around the world. From the Japanese garden to the tropical house and the mountain worlds of the Himalayas, you will find plants from all continents of the world here. There are even animals to marvel at and a butterfly house.

You should plan on about 2 hours for a visit to the botanika. But if you don’t have that much time, it’s also worth just strolling through the adjacent rhododendron park. This is also divided into different areas, but can be accessed for free.

14. Universum® Bremen

The Universum® Bremen is a hands-on science museum and one of the most popular attractions in the city. The building is also a great photo opportunity due to its futuristic design.

The Universum Bremen alone is worth a full day trip to Bremen and is worthwhile for young and old. However, you definitely need more time than just 1 or 2 hours. This museum is so great that I myself spend the whole day there from admission to closing and still have not seen everything.

If you absolutely want to go inside during your visit to Bremen, then you won’t be able to do too many other things on the list from this article here. So it’s best to plan an extra day just for the Universum.

15. Bremen Freimarkt

If you want to take a trip to Bremen in October, then you should visit the Bremen Freimarkt. This funfair-like festival with show booths, roller coasters and all kinds of food stalls is one of the biggest festivals in northern Germany and always takes place for 2 weeks at the Bürgerweide, right next to the main train station.

If you prefer a more leisurely pace, there is also a smaller version of the festival at the market square and in the city center.

Places to stay in Bremen

If you want to see more and take a whole weekend to explore Bremen, then you will of course need a good hotel.

A highlight is a overnight stay in the ship Alexander von Humboldt, which is best known from the Becks TV commercial.

Or you can book a weekend getaway with bed and breakfast included, such as this city trip to Bremen for 2 for €99.90 at the 4-star star hotel INNSiDE with wellness area (also available as a gift voucher).

---

As you can see, a day trip to Bremen is worthwhile. Which highlights of the Hanseatic city do you think should be added to this list? Let us know in the comments.