Hello everyone. The city that we will visit today is a city located to the north of Germany. A general clue isn’t it? Don’t worry now we will be more specific. We are talking about the beautiful Bremen. Does it sound familiar?

Bremen is the capital of the State of Bremen, that includes also the city of Bremerhaven (if you have time, go there because it is a very beautiful place and is very close to Bremen and is easily accessible by railway). It is a city located on the banks of the Weser river that just thanks to its great size it allowed the existence of a large port. The city has an important airport as well (Bremen City Airport), located in a central part of the city, and in fact holds the record among the most central airports in Europe. Besides being a greater maritime power, the city is also a great economic power. A little curiosity about the city is that Bremen is the city where takes place the story of “Town Musicians of Bremen”, fairy tale by the brothers Grimm (from now on you will often hear about them).

To know more ( what to eat, where to eat, where to have fun, things to visit…) continue to read.

Bremen is a city rich in history and you can see it from its numerous monuments and museums. Ready to start? Let’s go!

PLACES TO VISIT (MUSEUMS/THEATERS..)

• Bremer Dom: it is a church located in the center of Bremen. The building has had several restorations; first it was Romanesque church then converted into gothic. Bremer Dom presents two tall towers at the extremity.
• Kirche Unser Lieben Frauen: evangelical Protestant church located to the north of the main city square (Marktplatz). Its beautiful glass windows give the church an artistic look as well as its high top. Here there is a memorial dedicated to the victims of war. In the church takes place several events, particularly on Sundays and during religious festivities. The Unser Lieben Frauen Kirche is really famous for the “boys’ choir”, a chorus recognized throughout the region.
• Martinikirche: gothic church located at the end of Böttcherstraße. It is known for its prestigious organ.
• In a hidden area, between the cathedral and the Schnoor river, behind the facade of cafes, homes, shops (perfect place for a nice walk!) there is the Birgittenkloster. It is a monastery where some nuns offer accommodation for guests.
• Nasir Moschee: is the first mosque built here in Bremen.
• Baumwollbörse: former palace for cotton exchange. It is opened to the visitors and plushere are organized seminars for cotton aspiring traders.
• Universum Bremen: is a science museum, mainly focused on three themes: umanity, earth and cosmos. Exhibitions are many as well as visitors who come there, maybe also beacuse everyone is attracted by the shape of the building. This reminds a mix between a whale and a mussel (made even more realistic by the river that surrounds the building). It must be said that the interior is very unique, what you will notice will surely be the molitudine of “circular” stairs.
• Botanika: natural museum located inside the colored (it’s full of brightly colored flowers) Rhododendron-Park Bremen. In addition to natural elements, such as plants, flowers, trees, you will find different species of animals and lots of activities. A right way to combine fun, study and food. Why food? Because there is a good restaurant ready to make your belly full of food.
• Kunsthalle Bremen: is an art museum located in the old part of the town, at Kulturmeile. It houses a collection of European paintings from the fourteenth century to the present day. Among there are French and German ones, in particular the works of Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne, Max Liebermann; while for modern works there are: John Cage, Otto Piene, Peter Campus, Olafur Eliasso.
• Focke Museum: museum of history and art, which through exhibitions and photographs you will know the history of the city, archeological discoveries and special themes, such as: crafts or design. It is situated in a beautiful green area (where sometimes takes place concerts) with a wide variety of plants and flowers. Here you will also find a mill and former homes (you can visite the interiors). It is not finished because there will be some car models and ships. A vast place where it is nice to get lost for a while!
• Übersee Museum Bremen: ethnographic and natural history museum. The museum not only presents aspects related to their own city but also those of overseas regions (Asia, Oceania, America, Africa).
• Weserburg Museum: modern art museum located on the bank of the river Weser. It will be presented the history and the development that made the art from the sixteenth century to the present day. You can see it through paintings, films, exhibitions and collections (Finkenberg, Böckmann, Gerstner).
• Kunstsammlungen Böttcherstraße: art museum that houses paintings from the twentieth century to those of Paula Modersohn-Becker (have you seen how many art museums are there? But each of them has its own personality and a own specific theme). What will amaze you at first look will be its structure made by red brick. Very characteristic is the inside that calls the external structure. A must see!
• U-Boot Bunker Valentin: as the name suggests it is a bunker and former refuge and place where German submarines were built during World War II. Not an aesthetically nice place but rough and rich with history. But not all the interesting things have to be aesthetically beautiful, the important thing is the content, don’t you think?
• Beck’s Brewery: who doesn’t know the famous Beck’s beer?! All or most of you have heard or even drunk it, but maybe you don’t know that this beer was born right here in Bremen. So what could be better than a nice tour in this factory where is produced the beck’s to understand more about this product ?! Needless to say that the tour will include the taste of the beer. A good opportunity for those who never heard of it or has never had the opportunity to taste it.

The best known theater in the city is the Theater Bremen while Die Glocke is a concert hall.

 

ENTERTAINMENT(PUB/DISCO/PARKS…)

If before we activated the mind, now it is the time to enjoy the city in total carelessness.

• Now we’re going to report all (or almost all) of the beautiful places of the city where you can have a nice walk. First of there is the old part of the town (Altstadt in German) that starts from the Marktplatz to the Schnoor district (an area that still has its medieval character and especcially its fairytale side). This whole area is surrounded by the Weser river. A space to itself must be dedicated to the Marktplatz as there is much to admire. Here is situated the town hall (which houses a restaurant, Ratskeller), the Schütting (chamber of commerce), three important statute that are: Roland (protector of the city), Gerhard Marcks and Die Stadtmusikanten (musicians of the city represented in animal form as in the fairy tale by the brothers Grimm) and still many cafes and restaurants. We anticipate that Marktplatz held an important festival, but we will know something about this later.
• To the south of the Markplatz is situated Böttcherstraße. It is a street in the historic center of Bremen mainly known for its unusual architecture dating back to what can be called the Brick Expressionism. Here you will find everything, cafes, shops, clubs and even hotels. An attraction for many tourists. The center of this attraction is definitely the Meissen carillon (a porcelain bell located in Glockenspiel House). A little curiosity about Böttcherstraße and Schnoor is that these two streets are considered the “streets of fairy tales” (how could it not be like this?!).
• Schlachte: medieval port city (a few kilometers further on you will find the modern one). This is a pedestrian zone, located on the side of the river Weser, flanked by pubs, bars, restaurants, hotels (and hotel ships!) and there is also the opportunity to take on board and enjoy the beautiful view over the banks of the river. Every year there takes place various summer events such as regattas, markets and barbecue festival. A nice place where you can spend some time, especially in the summer season. Do not you agree?
• The Viertel district located in the east of the city. This place is known for its many bars and boutiques and for being the home of the Theater am Goetheplatz and the Kunsthalle Bremen (two buildings that we already know!).
• The Sögestrasse district known as the main shopping street in Bremen. During your walk you will notice a bronze statue of a shepherd beside him there are some pigs (hence the street name) and his faithful dog.
• Stephani-Brücke: a bridge (which will take you straight to the Duomo) to enjoy a spectacular view.
• Bürgerpark: the main city park, not far from the station. Here you can see and do pretty much everything. The park, in fact, offers several playgrounds (an example is that of mini-golf), paths, bars, and you can also rent boats. Can’t miss the sculptures and various building. A place that we are sure you will love it!
• Bremer Wallanlagen: another beautiful park, perfect for those who want to ride a bike and be surrounded by the wonderful landscape. Inside the park you will find an old mill.
• Rhododendron Park: can’t give up on to visit this amazing park full of flowers in stunning colors!
• In the most modern part of the city we can find a skyscraper, the Weser Tower. In the evening take it is even more beautiful thanks to the lights that illuminate the building.
• Kaffeemühle: what if we told you that you could even enjoy a good lunch or have a coffee in a mill? Believe it, it is all true!
• Unisee: city’s lake. A perfect place in the summer season to enjoy the sun or to refresh yourself.
• Here for you some tours offered by the city: Bremen Photography Tours, Abgefahren – bremen by bike, der Nachtwächter zu Bremen (tour by night).
• TeamEscape Bremen: escape room.

Before moving on to the night life we want to spend a few words about the most important and upcoming Bremen festival, Freimarkt. During the last weeks of October (from 14 to 30), the city is in celebration. Will open fun fair, there will be music, parades, food and much more. Why al this? Because it celebrates the permission given by the emperor to the people of Bremen to freely conduct the market in the squares and streets. There are many tourists who come there because of this festival, infact there are so many hotels full of reservations for this period (so we recommend you to book in advance if you want to participate at this great event).

After this small (but necessary) digression we can give a look where Bremen nightlife take place.

• ADIAMO Bremen Dance Club
• Soho Club
• NFF Club
• Club Moments: nightclub.
• Shagall: disco.
• Hegarty’s Irish Pub
• Lemon Lounge Bremen: lounge bar.
• Schauburg e CineStar: movie theater.

Note that all these locals are really close to each other.

 

TYPICAL FOODS

The gastronomic tradition in Bremen is very strong so let’s see now the typical dishes of the city.

• Grünkohl mit Pinkel: a dish made of sausage (typical sausage of the place, made of flesh, spices, oats, barley…) and cabbage (it is really appreciated in Bremen).
• Die Hochzeitssuppe: is called wedding soup because it is a dish that is always present in the wedding menu. The dish is composed by chicken broth with asparagus, cauliflower, meat balls and eggs.
• Knipp: is a very simple and popular dish. It’s made of oats, meat (from different sources) and spices. It can be eaten on bread or accompanied by cucumber or a apples mousse.
• Bremer Klaben: it is a sweet eaten during the Christmas period. It is made of dried fruit and to be more precise it is stuffed with raisins. Very tasty!
• Wickelkuchen: is a dessert consisting of yeast dough and it is stuffed with various ingredients (so many are the variants). However the tradition want that the main ingredient is the raisin (also here we can find it!).
  
• Very good and tasty they are the typical sweets of the city. Among these there are: Bremer Kluten (candy for half covered with dark chocolate and half a mint ), Bremer Babbeler and Kaffeebrot. Bremer Bonbon Manufaktur is the shop that we recommend you where you will find these and many other super tasty treats.

 

WHERE TO EAT(RESTAURANTS/CAFE’..)

We are ready to know some good locals where we can have a nice break. Are you there? Let’s start!

• Edel Weiss: Austrian, German and European cuisine.
• Kleiner Olymp: German and European cuisine.
• 1885 Die Burger: American,vegetarian and vegan cuisine.
• Gallo Nero: Italian, Mediterranean, European cuisine.
• Vengo Die Gemüseküche: Mediterranean, Vegetarian, Middle Eastern cuisine.
• Loui & Jules: bbq/steakhouse, European,vegetarian, French and international cuisine.
• Notos: Greek cuisine.
• Das Kleine Lokal: European, German cuisine.
• Altun …Mein Doner: fast food and Turkish cuisine.
• Teestuebchen im Schnoor: German, vegetarian, vegan, European cuisine.
• Gelateria Ferrari,Eiscafe
• Gasthausbrauerei Schuttinger: bar/pub with German and European cuisine.

 

Our tour in the beautiful Bremen is over but our trip in Germany has just begun. You, don’t change canal..ehm..blog!

Let us know your opinions about this place. If you liked it or not, if you’ve been there or you’re going to go there? What do you like least and what more? We are curious to read your opinions.

A big kiss to everyone.

 

Below we will list the accommodations that you can find in Bremen.

http://www.booking.com/searchresults.html?iata=BRE&aid=960457– accommodations next to the Bremen airport.

http://www.booking.com/searchresults.html?city=-1752234&aid=960457– accommodations in the city.

http://www.booking.com/searchresults.html?landmark=8692&aid=960457 – accommodations next to the central station.

 

 Booking.com