Lubeck/Schwerin/Luneburg/Bremen/Bremerhaven

The Emigration Museum in Bremerhaven is excellent, and if you have any relatives or know any other "older" folks who had relatives who emigrated, it's interesting to look up their names and find the passenger lists for the ships they traveled on. An 18-year-old German male recently told me it was a really cool museum....he also liked the Klimahaus, which I didn't get to. Next time. :)

Hi,

If you have a desire to see these places listed, just go and visit them regardless if they are popular with Americans. That's irrelevant. That they are popular with Germans, all the better. My first trip in Germany in 1971 took me three of those towns/cities you listed, Lübeck, Luneburg and Bremen. I was going to go to Bremerhaven but laziness won out. I finally got to Schwerin this June. Going there it's better from Hamburg. You would have to transfer anyway at Hamburg Hbf. If you're staying a day or two in Schwerin, formerly of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, take the day trip to Ludwigslust to see the Schloß, currently featured on a German postage stamp.

Where to find out more information on these places, I suggest Rough Guide, the Michelin Green Book on Germany, etc. A totally different feel being in Lübeck, Luneburg, Bremen (haven't been back since 1992), they all form my first unforgettable, pleasant memories of Germany as a solo student backpacker in 1971, and Schwerin is a pretty fascinating place; see the old town, Innenstadt, the Backstein style of the architecture in Lübeck and Bremen. Lübeck was pretty much plastered by British area bombing, one of the first cities to be hit and then repeatedly. Luneburg was a lot luckier in that it escaped war damage, survived the war intact, was quickly captured by the British.

It seems like this area is somewhat popular with Germans for vacations

The Baltic coast from Lübeck to the Polish border is actually Germanys most popular tourist destination, more popular than Bavaria.. ;-)

For Schwerin, we will be doing a day trip via train from Lubeck. It
seems like all anyone sees in Schwerin is the castle (which looks
amazing). Has anyone done anything else in Schwerin? Should we combine
with a short stop in Wismar or Ludwigslust?

The old town of Schwerin is very pleasant, a nice mix of half-timbered, Hanseatic and 19th century government buildings. No real highlight though, just a pleasant preserved town to stroll around. With a boat tour (the castle looks best from the lake) and a museum visit you can easily spend the whole day in the city.
Many people, especially on a cruise, however do both Schwerin and Wismar, so it's entirely possible to see Schwerin and a second place. Which one you prefer depends on you. Ludwigslust is basically a cute village with a castle and a big park. Wismar is a typical Hanseatic town like Lübeck. They look quite similar. Lübeck is bigger, but Wismar is better preserved.

Thank you, all! Fred, we are definitely going to all these places; I just made the comment about them being less popular with Americans because that is why it is harder to find information (at least in English or simple enough German that I can understand it) about them. I bought the Rough Guide, and it does have some information about Lubeck, Bremen, and Bremerhaven, but even then, the information is very high-level. I would love to get some restaurant/bakery recommendations here!

Martin, thanks for the info on Schwerin, Wismar, and Ludwigslust. We will probably pick ahead of time between Wismar and Ludwigslust as a potential second stop and then play it by ear to see if we want to try for two stops in one day.

Hi,

Depending on how much time you're spending in Lüneburg, I would suggest this: If you're staying in the centre (Innenstadt), from the main drag Am Sande, where those historical buildings are located on both sides of the street, stroll through to the end. At the end is a bakery, on the right side, typical of what you find in north Germany. The place has there for years.

I can't offer any suggestions on the driving routes, but driving south from Lüneburg in the direction of Uelzen, you'll see the famous Lüneburger Heide, also between Uelzen and going westward towards Munster/Otze. I've always taken the train in this region, Celle, Lüneburg, Uelzen, Munster/Otze, such as transfered trains at Uelzen to get to the history museum at Munster.

If you drive a route through the Luneburg Heide consider stopping at Bergen-Belsen, the concentration camp where Anne Frank died.

If you have a chance to stop in Celle you'll find a beautifully colorful town with many choices of restaurants. Google image Celle to see how stunning this town is.

In Bremen we enjoyed the shops and restaurants in the old Schnorr (sp?) District.