Bremerhaven and environs

I enjoyed Schwerin in August 2015. Schwerin has a lovely historic district, complete with castle and lake. Unfortunately, I didn't get to any of the cities you mentioned.

Even in August Schwerin was noticeably cooler than central and southern Germany, so be prepared for cold, damp weather in March. Hating the cold as I do, I'd wait till the last minute to make hotel reservations so I could head to Berlin (indoor museums!) in the event of a disappointing weather forecast.

Northern Germany is much overlooked. Lübeck is a beautiful old Hansa city. Wismar is small, but interesting. The island of Rügen has the faded glory of old seaside resorts and offers good walking opportunities (the white cliffs north of Sassnitz are wonderful).

We spent some time in this area this past spring. We had two days in Hamburg, but for us, one long day..including a couple of hours at Miniature Wonderland...was ample. We chatted with many folks who spent the entire day there; I had no idea miniatures had such a following. We walked along the warehouse area but that didn't take long. We skipped our usual museum-cathedral itinerary and rambled along stopping for coffee or beer before wandering anew. The next day we opted to train to Luneburg ( there is an umlaut over the first "u" but I can't figure it out). Very glad we did...I thought it was one of the most picturesque towns we have ever visited, anywhere. Just beautiful, really. We stopped at the TI in the square for walking tour info. I figured we were in for a treat when he asked us if we wanted to concentrate on the old town or the old,old town route. We weren't disappointed. Lubeck was also nice, we spent another long day there, walking all over. It was larger than I had expected, and many, many fine buildings to admire, but also many not so interesting. Our visit there was the day after Luneburg and we still had stars in our eyes. Look too for marzipan in Lubeck. Still worthwhile. Rome2Rio may be a helpful resource to determine transportation options. I'm not certain how reliable or accurate it is, but gives a good overview and transport times that could help planning daytrips. Have a great trip, and safe travels.

Hi,

I have not been to Bremerhaven but to the other major places up there...Hamburg, Bremen, Lübeck, Kiel, Lüneburg, etc. All are worth it. If time is short, then do the day trip to Bremen or Hamburg. Cuxhaven would be worth it too.

We lived in Bremerhaven for about 18 months in the 1980's. We enjoyed ourselves very much but it is not a typical tourist destination. If you like seafood, it is (or was) the largest seafood port in Europe. Eat halibut and lemon sole instead of schnitzels and braten. Cuxhaven is nice and I much enjoyed walking along the sea dike between the two. I am a bird watcher and it is a great locale for that.

The 1000 year old Stade across the peninsula was a nice visit. We visited Bad Bederkesa a few times but just to eat. Ribe in Denmark is a pretty, old town with a beautiful church of many styles. Åbenrå on the opposite side of the Danish Peninsula struck me as a set for old Popeye cartoons.

I am missing the place even as I talk about it. Still, it is not a hot tourist destination. It is worthwhile to google images for Ribe and Stade.

Thanks for the suggestions. I would likely be travelling by train, and I hadn't realized how cut off Bremerhaven was from the main train routes in that part of the country. Stade looks incredible, I would never have thought of that otherwise; it's not in the Lonely Planet or Rough Guide. Definitely seems to be worth a daytrip.

One thing that's caught my eye is the ferry from Bremerhaven to Helgoland. Something about its highly unique history, red sandstone cliffs, and likely windswept March weather intrigues me. Has anyone been there?

Hi,

Bremerhaven is what is considered in Germany like Essen, Duisburg an "Arbeiterstadt." (workers' city) To reach it you have to transfer. On Helgoland and history the Germans got it back in 1890, swapping Zanzibar for Helgoland. In 1945 the British contemplated obliterating the island.

Hello all;

We finally finalized our hotel and flight plans. We will arrive in Bremen airport on the afternoon of Sunday, March 26th. We will then be in Bremerhaven for four nights while my partner is is at his conference Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I'll have three days to explore on my own. I'm thinking one day in Bremerhaven itself (the Emigration museum, the Klimahaus, and the Shipping Museum), one day in Bremen, and then taking the boat one day to Heligoland. On Thursday morning, after the end of the conference, we will take the train to Hamburg for three nights (thursday, friday, and saturday), leaving back to the states sunday morning. How does this plan sound? Is Hamburg worth a full 2 1/2 days, or should we do one day trip out of Hamburg? Perhaps Luneburg or Stade? Looking forward to suggestions from the knowledgeable people on this forum!

Thanks,
Jordan

On taking the boat ride to Helgoland, a good friend of mine from France, did exactly that in the early 1970s from Hamburg (?) as a day trip. On going to Lüneburg as a day trip, I heartily recommend that. Lüneburg is one my top three favourite towns in Germany, staying a couple of nights would even be better as you'll have to walk and explore the town, a lovely and relaxing town...Am Sande, Johanniskirche, Rathaus, etc. I first went to Lüneburg as a day trip from Lübeck the first time in Europe. The town escaped war damage, bombs and raking artillery fire, was quickly occupied by the British when crossing the lower Elbe at Lauenburg. A day trip to Lüneburg from Hamburg is easy and direct.

When you exit the train station at Lüneburg, turn left, down the street, then turn right, through the underpass, on the right is a Greek Imbiss, (it's been there for years), continue walking crossing the bridge, on the right you'll see the Hotel Altenbrücketor and a Chinese restaurant attached to (that's the closet hotel to the station), continue straight, you'll arrive at the Zentrum, Lüneburg's old town (Altstadt), the street "Am Sande" You'll see the huge Protestant church, the Johanniskirche with the sign "Bei der Joanniskirche" with a few concrete benches.

We really enjoyed our day trip to Helgoland. The ferry ride was pleasant. When you arrive you have a bit of a walk past some colorful buildings and small shops. The weather was brisk but nice enough to hike our way around the island. There are some restaurants there so we stopped midway and had some lunch. The views are quite spectacular and the history is fascinating.
You will also really enjoy the Immigration Museum. It is one of our favorite travel memories of all time especially because our grandparents came through this embarkation station. We felt like their replicas of Grand Central Station and Ellis Island were very well done. Plan to spend most of a day there. The other half of the museum is equally fascinating as it discusses/shows immigration into Germany.
We have done day trips to both Bremen and Lubeck. Both are worth visiting. We spent a few days in Hamburg and did many of these day trips from there. I believe that one of the new RS programs for this season is about Hamburg so you may want to check that out with your local PBS station. Have fun!

You don't want to miss a tour of Hamburg - especially the new Elbphilharmonie concert hall. Tickets for concerts sell out instantly. The access to the observation level is free. If you are soccer fans, take in a Bundesliga game of the HSV in the Volkspark Stadium. Walking the Old Elbtunnel is a must. Also: the Altona Fishmarket early Sunday morning is very unique and worthwhile to get up in an ungodly hour. Weather permitting, a harbour tour (Barkassen tour) would give you a good overview of the port activities.

Moin, Moin! As a West Coast expat living just outside of Bremen, I would say that your three solo day-outings look good. The three museums you mentioned in Bremerhaven are all good-quality and varied; just be sure that they are open on Mondays in the slower winter season.

Though Heligoland is nice in sunny and dry weather, I fear that you aren’t going to get much of that in March (it snowed earlier today but didn’t stick). I’m not sure what there is to do on most of the German North Sea Islands when the weather is bad but a quick google search showed that there is a museum there at least.

Bremen is very doable in a day. I would recommend booking an Beck’s Brewery tour as well as a guided tour of the UNESCO town hall. I believe there are daily English tours for both but I might be mistaken. Best booked in advance and you can reserve/pick up the tickets through the TI. I also recommend going to the Schnoor Quarter, as it is cute to meander through, and walking the Boettcherstrasse. You can catch the porcelain bells play on the hour and watch a ‘story’ on the rotating turret near the end of the alley. Both are small areas that take maybe 10-30 minutes to go through, but if you’re in Bremen anyways you might as well go to them as the sights are all basically around the downtown square. There is a kitschy pirate ship docked near the end of the Boettcherstrasse that serves various flat pancakes but don’t be lured in. It’s good for kids but that’s about it. If you fancy it, there is a permanent variety show group in Bremen that does shows nearly every night at the GOP Variete next to the Steigenburger Hotel. It is a fun way to spend an evening and isn’t too costly, but it definitely isn’t a very Rick Steve’s-ish type place.

In Hamburg I would recommend a harbor tour if they are running, and hiking to the top of the spire at St Michael’s church. The Elbtunnel is neat because of the concept but I didn’t find it very interesting to just walk through a tunnel and back. I prefer to walk through the Hafen City and look at the mix of architecture. And yes, people really seem to enjoy Miniatur Wunderland—you can get a ticket online and view when the busy entry times are. I can’t comment on the Elbeharmonie as I haven’t had the chance to attend, and there are also a few theatres that have musicals (like Aladdin and Lion King…in German). Hamburg is also known for having the more expensive brands luxury shops in the region.
I personally take guests to Hamburg and we can cover most everything in a day, especially when the weather isn’t great for strolling along the Ausser/Binnenalster and we don’t have anyone searching for Chanel and Gucci.

I would suggest looking up information on Lübeck, famous for its marzipan, as well. I haven’t been there but I have heard good things so maybe it is worth considering.

Happy Travels!

Thanks for all the thoughts! I'm also considering Schwerin for a day trip from Hamburg (for the Palace and to get a hint of the former GDR, which I've never been in). I see it's only an hour train from Hamburg. there's so many choices! Luneburg, Stade, Lubeck, and Schwerin are all possible day trips.

As to the Heligoland day, I know that's probably not on most people's radar in March, but Heligoland in bad weather would probably make me want to go more; I love windswept deserted places.

Hi,

Keep in mind that the British swapped Helgoland for Zanzibar in 1890. During the war it was plastered. My French friend liked going there in the early 1970s. I've never been there. Take the day trip to Helgoland, regardless of the weather. In Aug. 1987 when I took the ferry from Hamburg to Harwich/England, I remember as we were going through the Elbe to reach the North Sea, the weather was stormy, water splashing on the deck, it was rainy, windows were gray and wet, obviously no one was on the deck, otherwise the person would have been soaked, I was thrilled watching all this from inside.

Schwerin from Hamburg is easily doable, direct shot, if the trains are on schedule. If not, you might have to change to a bus at Ludwigslust, then continuing on to Schwerin. Ludwigslust , the Schloss, is on the 80 cent German stamp, another site in the area.

As noted above, visit the new Elbphilharmonie concert hall. I haven't been to Hamburg since this landmark has been completed but on our next visit it will be a high priority to attend a concert there. If you are the least bit interested in a symphonic performance, try to get tickets. This venue is now well known for the astronomical cost overruns during construction, and it would be interesting to see the interior and experience the acoustics in a hall where cost was (in hindsight) no object.

A canal boat tour would be chilly in March, but if available, I'd suggest you bundle up and go; one gets a very different sense of the fabric of the city from the canals.