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A Day Trip To Bremen From Hamburg – Things to do in Bremen City
While places like Munich, Berlin, and Hamburg are well-known throughout the world, other cities in Germany, Europe though equally if not more charming are relatively lesser known.
I, as a local in love with my hometown Bremen, would recommend staying at least 2 days in Bremen, A day trip to Bremen from Hamburg (or Hannover) is a great idea.
So, if you are in Germany make sure to put Bremen City on your itinerary and check out these places on your day trip. And here is everything you need to know when visiting Bremen City for a day, but let’s start with a few other things to know about before you discover Bremen.
Things to know about Bremen City
Bremen is among the ten biggest cities in Germany, and famous for the Bremen Town Musicians, Beck´s Beer, and the football club Werder Bremen. However, Bremen has much more to offer and there is more to see. There are several UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Bremen and also a lot of parks. Indeed one day in Bremen holds the promise of some great times.
There exists a rivalry between Hamburg and Bremen that is rooted in football and hence the residents of Bremen too have a kind of love-hate relationship with their bigger neighbor Hamburg. So when you visit Bremen City, enjoy its sights and avoid raving about Hamburg. We love the people who appreciate the beauty of our city.
The best places to visit in Bremen are close to each other, so if you do not mind walking you can see all spots within a day and you would not even need to get a ticket for public transportation. However, public transportation in the city center is very good, so if you get tired just hop on a bus/tram and buy a ticket on board. A ticket will cost around 10 Euros.
How to get to Bremen City from Hamburg
While it is easy to get to Bremen by car (as most of it is via freeways) I recommend taking a train. Depending on the train, it takes about 55-75 minutes and you´ll arrive at the main train station in Bremen (Hauptbahnhof Bremen).
Things to Do in Bremen City
From the train station, you could take a bus/tram to get to the city but you will surely miss out on some amazing tourist attractions in Bremen.
I recommend walking to the city center (about 1 kilometer) as you pass some beautiful points of interest in Bremen, Germany.
Old Mill
Along the way you will see the Old Mill – the mill lies between the train station and the city center and is one of the most famous sights in Bremen City. In summer there is a beautiful flower decoration and if you want to have your first coffee, you can enjoy it in a little restaurant right inside the windmill.
Wallanlagen
On the other side of the Old Mill is the Wallanlagen.
The Wallanlagen is great if you want to relax and chill – Bremen is a very green city and so there is no shortage of parks. The Bürgerpark, another beautiful green park in Bremen, is a bit further away but easily reachable via tram, and there you´ll have even more activities (like rowing) to do.
After checking out the Old Mill and the Wallanlagen head to the city center, where you´ll find the market square.
Market Square
That is the place where you´ll meet many other travelers/tourists. It is in the heart of Bremen, actually, it is the heart of Bremen, the place we meet, demonstrate and celebrate.
The buildings around are pretty stunning with many little details so make sure to not rush through but marvel at the stunning architecture like the famous Town Hall (UNESCO World Heritage), the Roland Statue (UNESCO World Heritage), or the Schütting Building.
Next to those stunning old buildings are some new ones – like the Bremen Parliament (Bremen with its harbor town, Bremerhaven, is not only a city but also one of the 16 states in Germany – the smallest but a state after all).
Bremen Town Musicians
The Bremen Town Musicians are one of the most famous inhabitants of Bremen. The Bremen Town Musicians are one of the must-see attractions in Bremen. They are often overlooked as they are quite small, but nevertheless, they are one of the most popular photo opportunities.
Bremen Old Town
Bremen City has one of the best and cutest old towns in the world (not biased) with some streets that are so narrow that you can not even fit in a stroller. Houses date back a few hundred years and if you are looking for colorful Instagrammable houses you´ll find them here. It takes about 2 minutes to get there from the market square.
Viertel Quarter
Bremen´s alternative and Szenenviertel – if you are here for a day you´ll most likely not have time to check out clubs, but you might want to end your evening in Bremen with a drink.
Extra tip for football fans
Once upon a time, Bremen had a football team that was amongst the best in Europe. Some of you might remember and though my heart bleeds I must admit that it has been quite a while since Bremen´s football team made any positive news. For those interested in football I recommend a short trip to the Weserstadion – it is close to the Viertel quarter and the location is pretty great since it is surrounded by a lot of greenery and the river Weser.
After this, I recommend walking to the main shopping area in the city center – it is not a square, and you can just find your way. It is just behind the market square to do some shopping. From there you can walk back to the train station or hop onto a bus/tram.
This is quite a busy itinerary but if you only have a day, these are my top tips to see and do in Bremen.
Where to eat in Bremen
Bremen has some great restaurants and cafes – I love Hamburg, but I think, in this matter, Bremen has even more to offer than Hamburg. In the city center, Schlachte (especially in summer the best place to eat, as the restaurants are lined up along the river) or the Viertel. These are some great places to eat, or just have a sip of tea/coffee.
There are also many vegetarian/vegan options (it is not all about fish in Bremen), so leave your lunch package at home and try out some restaurants.
There is so much to do in Bremen. Have you been to Bremen? If not, add it to your itinerary the next time you are in Hamburg!
How to get to Bremen, Germany
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This is a guest post by Arzo. Arzo runs the travel blog Arzo Travels where she not only shares her own travel experiences but also shares her bucket list destinations. She is always on the hunt for the best view of a city. She is also obsessed with flowers, lakes, and colorful houses. She loves food and vegetarian food is another addiction. She mostly travels solo and there is no country she does not want to visit!
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Wow! These are some incredibly beautiful shots.
What a stunning place with so much life, history and colourful, it looks amazing.
What an adorable town! I’d never heard of Bremen before, but I’ll have to put it on my list. You’re right, the old town is gorgeous. I love all of the colors. I wish they still built like that.
Your hometown is gorgeous! I would love to spend a day or two exploring. Old Town looks like a great place to check out the pretty houses and take lots of photos. I’d love to visit and wouldn’t say a word about Hamburg.
I would love to travel to Germany one day! I love all of your photos!! Germany seems like such a gorgeous place to visit!!
My husband can’t wait to go to Germany one day. He talks about it all the time. Your hometown looks gorgeous and Becks is my husband’s family’s preferred beer. I love the buildings.
I have visited this wonderful city when we lived in the Netherlands. Been many years back and we would love to return and do some more exploring and enjoy the local food.
I’ve never been here before, but I need to go. It looks like a wonderful town to wander through.
I have never heard of this town but I do love to explore. If I ever get to Germany again I will have to check out this town. There’s so much to see in so many places and it was so much fun to see all of these even if I can only see pictures.
You did a great job of capturing the beauty of the city. I’ve always wanted to visit Germany.
I would love to visit any of these places in Germany. It looks like a great little city, not to be missed.
I love how the streets and all the houses look. That old fashioned windmill is gorgeous. I can’t wait to travel overseas.
I remember reading a book about the Bremen Town Musician when I was little. It would be so much fun to explore the town shared in the book.
Bremen sounds like I would want to do more than two days! And Hamburg sounds like a great adventure! Thanks, I just added this to my bucket list
I didn’t realize Bremen had some UNESCO sites! I will definitely check it out 🙂
I have always wanted to visit Germany.That old mill is something I’d like to see, and the architecture looks interesting as well.
Bremen looks like such a charming place. I love Germany and can’t wait to go back. I’ll definitely put Bremen on my list of cities to see.
Wow, beautiful photos! Loving the Bremen old streets. Looks like artsy vintage 🙂
Nice article about Bremen from Arzo Travels. The Old Town and Market Square look lovely and so do the parks.
It’s great to know that the best places to visit are in close proximity. I always enjoy a good walk when I travel so this is such a good thing to know coming from a local! 😉 Love how pretty informative your post is! Bremen looks and sounds like a great city to visit. The Old Mill is indeed gorgeous (I’d love a coffee and that view!).
Had no idea that Bremen Town’s one of the big cities in Germany and the buildings around Market Square is absolutely beautiful. Would love to explore the town center on foot and hopefully running into one of those talents musicians. 🙂 @ knycx.journeying
I love Bremen, it is such a charming quaint city and a wonderful place to walk around. Beers are good here as well (and I ain’t talking about Becks). Wonderful post and looking at the photos did bring back some good memories.
I love all these travels that you guys do. I get to see different side of the world that I haven’t been yet.
I am one of those people who prefers traveling to lesser known towns. It seems like you get a more realistic experience that way.
Wow this must of been so much fun! What a great experience too! I have never been to Germany but I’ve always wanted to go. One day for sure!
This post fills me with lovely memories of Europe and much longing to return. Gracias for the bella fotos and thoughts. Will be putting Bremen on our bucketlist. BB2U
I always trust a local’s perspective on a destination. No wonder, it is a credible guide. I am relieved to discover that it is possible to find vegan and vegetarian food in Bremen. I would love to visit Old Mill and spend the entire afternoon lazily in the restaurant nearby.
You are blessed to have such a lovely hometown. I was born and raised in the city so you can just imagine the envy here. Ha ha. Seriously though, I would love to visit Germany one day and if I do get the chance, Bremen City will be included in my itinerary.
There are few things in the world more beautiful than Europe’s old world charm on a day like the one captured in these photos!
I am surprised that Bremen is one of the 10 biggest cities in Germany and yet we have not heard of it. I love cities that you can see just by walking around. I did a lot of walking around in Vancouver and really enjoyed feeling the city all around me. Do you have any music festivals in Bremen?
I really appreciate you promoting your own town, we must promote our own backyards before promoting the rest of the world.
I was in Hamburg (on a side trip from Berlin) and really wanted to take a day trip to Bremen, but time just didn’t allow it. It looks like I missed out! There are so many charming smaller towns in Germany to discover.
Bermen definitely seems to have the old worldly charm that many European cities have. I didn’t know that it’s this big. It is definitely on my list of places to visit when I head to Europe next. I will remember your recommendation of places to visit.
Bremen looks pretty cool! I had no idea it was close to Hamburg, that would be a great day trip. Thanks for sharing all this info, that will be really helpful 🙂
The photographs you have there are absolutely gorgeous and surely made all of us readers feel like visiting Bremen right this very moment. I enjoy admiring magnificent architecture, so the Market Square is a must-do for me with the saturation of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and lovely buildings. Definitely considering adding Bremen into my itinerary when I visit Germany – thanks!
I once had a housemate who was from Bremen. He used to talk all the time of how lovely it was. I can see from your post that he was telling the truth! The Old Mill picture is gorgeous.
I love all things Germany and can’t wait to visit Bremen one day soon. It has an amazing mix of architecture, sights and war history all rolled into one.
Bremen sounds like a great trip to make from Hamburg indeed! I love all of the beautiful-colored row houses. So picturesque! It’s interesting to read that Bremen has even better food than Hamburg! Great post, Arzo!
I hadn’t heard of Bremen city before and Arzo took me through a wonderful local tour of her city! 🙂 Football rivalry with Hamburg! Aha! That is interesting. Love the fact that walking is an option. There is so much to discover when you walk in city! Loved the old mill and the serenity of The Wallanlagen. The heart of Bremen looks so vibrant with those colourful facades 🙂 Loved the colourful buildings. Really gorgeous and instagram worthy!
What a beautiful town. I have surely heard of Bremen but I don’t remember in what context though. I could have never imagined it to be so beautiful. So amny UNESCO sites! I am sure I will explore it someday as its proximity to Hamburg.
The Old Town looks adorable! The houses and the colors look like something out of Dr. Seuss. And the green spaces are so lush and gorgeous! I’ll make sure to keep an eye out for the musicians when we visit!
How nice to read about Bremen, I have just visited Bremen in December when the Christmas Markets where there! Unfortunately I had only a few hours in this beautiful city, but I loved it. Walking across the quay of the city and wandering through the streets of Old Town, it was so lovely! I loved loved loved the colored houses in Old Town with little shops in the houses. Too bad I haven’t had a chance Wallanlagen though.
My parents recently visited Bremen and loved it. Good to know it is a very walkable city as I try to avoid taxis and buses when possible. Especially love the Old Mill scenery.
Oh wow…. what a charming little old town. I didn’t know much about this place but a friend lived at least few hours from there. Time to pack and visit him, I guess:)
My friend studied in Bremen, and I always wanted to visit him. Finally I didn’t. Now I regret – there are so many interesting things to see there. As always great article! Thank you Sandy and Vyjay!
I absolutely loved this blog post! I visited Germany for the first time in October as my partners Dad now lives across there with his family. With upcoming visits, I have desperately been looking for new beautiful places to visit while we are there and Bremen is now 100% on my list!