Coffee, cocoa and catacombs

According to recent statistics, the Hanseatic city of Bremen is Germany's greenest big city, with 60 square metres of green space per inhabitant. The many parks and green spaces in the city include world-class spaces, such as the Bürgerpark and the Rhododendron park, both of which are of German and even world renown. By its own account, Bremen is home to the world's largest collection of rhododendrons. Let's take a walk.

The greenest major city in Germany is Bremen - with an average of 60 square metres of sports, leisure and recreation space per person. Parks, sports facilities, but also water areas invite you to relax from the hustle and bustle of the city every day.

The gastronomy scene in Bremen's Überseestadt is incredibly diverse. Let us take you on a tour of the district's kitchens.

Before every city trip, I look online for pubs, where I can hear music that suits my taste. The search is not always easy. This has made me feel free to offer some tips for like-minded people at this point. And to point out the new Metal Festival, which starts this summer.

At the port in Vegesack, somewhat hidden behind a shopping centre, there looms an old warehouse building. It has been here for 200 years and has experienced a lot. Anyone who wants to know its history, and that of the people who were part of it, can return to 1845 on a scenic tour. I too allowed myself to be taken along and became acquainted with Anna Lange and her employees on the trip through time.

I’m in a bit of a hurry, but I just have to tell you about the bronze model of the old quarter that has appeared – much to my surprise – on market square. I had to have a quick look this morning on my way to work to check it out.

Every now and again, I go for stroll along the Schlachte Embankment. Bremen’s former harbour still provides moorings for ships and boats, and there’s quite a range of historical vessels here, from steamers to tall ships. So, I decided to take a closer look at them during my walk.

Bremen is and remains a port city. The annual figures for transshipments and number of vessels are impressive, even if the really large container vessels don’t dock here. Spreading along the Weser river, the vast docklands are now also used by companies that are not related to the maritime industries, and some areas are being converted for residential use. The Speicher XI Dockland Museum casts an eye on the developments over 130 years of harbour history to the present day.

The Viertel in Bremen is the liveliest quarter in the city. Ostertor and Steintor meet in the middle of the Viertel quarter, at the corner of Sielwall. Culture, subculture, party animals and true Bremen characters – the Viertel is nothing if not diverse. Let me show you!

Fries are one of my great foodie passions, much to the detriment of my hips. So where in Bremen can you buy the best fries?

Did you know that Bremen is one of Europe’s most important hubs for space technology? This city is full of surprises! ;-) We have put together a short video to give you an impression of our space tech tour at the Airbus Defence and Space centre.

Here she is, our brand-new sightseeing coach. During my maternity leave (did you miss me?!), I spotted her on the streets of Bremen a few times. But with a baby and all the accessories in tow, I never managed to get a picture.

For about a year now, Bremen has had a market hall. It isn’t really a covered market in the traditional sense though, but rather a gallery of food stalls and little restaurants that use regional produce and sustainable methods and invite you on a culinary journey around the world. I went to have a look around and found it hard to resist the temptation to have some of everything! The venue is called Markthalle Acht. It is located on Domshof square and offers a feast for all of your senses, not just the palate.

Hanseatic is a word that you will come across wherever you go in Bremen. Centuries ago, the city was part of one of the world’s most powerful trade alliances, whose members joined forces to make trading routes safer and pursue shared commercial interests. But what remains of this Hanseatic League? What remnants of this chapter of history can still be found in Bremen today? I embarked on a mission to find out more.

You want to go on a trip, but are short of money? Whether it's after work at the Schlachte, feasting in the Überseestadt or cycling out into the countryside - summer in Bremen puts you in a good mood. A holiday in the city on a budget? For those on a budget, you'll find lots of useful insider tips here.

When it comes to the sweet temptation of cocoa, Bremen is at the forefront. From fine craftsmanship in patisseries to well-known brands - chocolate has a special place in the Hanseatic city. And for special occasions, delicate melting can be perfectly combined with the right fine wines.

Sugar and spice and all things nice … Gingerbread bakers Manke and Coldewey are well stocked on all the usual ingredients with one exception – wheat flour. Their handmade Elisenlebkuchen are in fact gluten free. But that’s not all the Bremen manufacturer has to offer – far from it.

From time to time I find myself walking through the Schnoor quarter – and I always stumble upon Father Christmas, standing there smiling at me, chubby cheeks and all. Not just in winter, but in the height of summer too. I met up with him recently – in July.

The carillon in Böttcherstrasse is different. It’s unlike any carillon that I know of. And that fits in with Bremen. As I recently made my way through yet another throng of people enjoying the carillon in the small square in Böttcherstrasse, I thought to myself: I must have a closer look at those bells. No sooner said than done.

The first time you read about typical Bremen dishes and see names such as kohl und pinkel, labskaus and knipp, you’re unlikely to get very excited. But maybe names such as hochzeitssuppe, or ‘wedding soup’, kaffeebrot or backfisch will tempt you to give them a try. Where in Bremen can you tuck into typical local food?

The Schnoor is still one of my favourite places in Bremen. This is where history really comes to life for me. The Schnoor is Bremen’s oldest quarter, and its narrow lanes are lined with pretty little half-timbered houses dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries. There’s so much to discover here, from arts and crafts to food and drink.

I’ve got to admit I love drinking tea. I get through at least two pots a day. Maybe it’s because I’m originally from Oldenburg – not all that far from East Friesland with its tea drinking tradition. According to statistics, every East Frisian drinks more than 300 litres of tea a year – I think I can match that.

Once a year, part of the Schlachte Embankment is transformed into a swashbuckling pirate market. During the run-up to Christmas, market stallholders here wholeheartedly embrace Bremen’s heritage of seafaring and trade. I strolled around the market on opening night and have gathered my impressions in picture and word form here – hopefully they convey the festive spirit of the place.

“Please send us a recipe for a typical Bremen delicacy”. OK, so the people from the Dutch magazine were quite clear in what they were after. The editors wanted to run an article on Bremen – much to our delight – and were looking to add a little extra in the form of a practical tip for their readers. We were pleased about that, too, but it did present us with a bit of a challenge.

Bürgerpark is Bremen’s green lung. Its footprint is reminiscent of New York’s Central Park, as is its location in the heart of the city. When landscape gardener Wilhelm Benque designed and built the park more than 150 years ago, he could hardly have imagined the scenery today.

The tourist information office at the Boettcherstrasse on the market square has recently introduced a new wheelchair hire service, which is available free of charge. So, even if you pick up an injury ahead of your trip to Bremen or you are unable to walk for any other reason, you can still explore the city. I took this as an opportunity to test out a wheelchair and create a barrier-free version of Bremen’s tourist trail, which is marked out by metal discs in the ground.

The rollo, a type of falafel wrap, was invented in Bremen. At least that’s what they say. Its birthplace is said to be the Tandour restaurant, which advertises itself with a smiling ‘Original Arabic’ cartoon. It’s located in the Eck, an area in the heart of the Viertel quarter, next to the Eisen bar. But I don’t care about all that. The main thing is that it tastes great!

A summer without ice cream? That’d be like pizza without the cheese, or marzipan without the almonds. As it happens, the temperatures these last few days have been so high that an ice cream would be a welcome way of cooling down. So where are the best places in Bremen to get your hands on an icy treat? I can think of a few off the top of my head. And so I set off to visit them.

I love cycling around Überseestadt to see how it’s changing. I especially like the mix of old buildings (and ships) and new buildings (and boats). My favourite stop is Europahafen. This pretty space has become even more interesting since Schuppen Eins opened. And not to forget the marina. So do as I do – grab a camera, jump on your bike and explore Europahafen, one of my favourite places in Bremen!

One of my favourite places in Bremen is Ulrichsplatz square. I’m thinking of it now that it’s cold and wet outside, with snow forecast over the next few days. At times like these I yearn for those warm days in the Ostertor quarter.

Situated in the harbour basin of Bremen’s Europahafen, Schuppen Eins was built in 1959 as a double-storey cargo transshipment facility (or Stückgutumschlagschuppen in German, a bit of a tongue-twister!), constructed around a skeleton of reinforced concrete. In contrast to a storehouse, where goods were stored away for long periods, Schuppen Eins was a warehouse and short-term unloading and loading point for all manner of goods. It was one of the most striking buildings to emerge from the post-war reconstruction of Bremen’s ports. Once complete, it was by far the largest port warehouse in Bremen.

Life comes to an end eventually. Visitors to the Bleikeller lead cellar, probably Bremen’s most enigmatic attraction, know this only too well. I joined my colleague Carolin on a journey through life and death in St Peter’s Cathedral.

It’s impossible to miss Bremen’s 146-metre-high Fallturm drop tower, an amazing laboratory that creates zero-G conditions without having to fly out to space.

Have you seen our brochures and leaflets? They’re ideal for planning a trip to Bremen from the comfort of your own home – simply order one from us or flick through the online version. Of course, you can find all the latest information on our website too. But, there’s something special about leafing through a brochure – you see things differently.

You can still experience traditional harbour life in Holzhafen, in the evolving Überseestadt district in Bremen. Fish meal is still shipped and coffee is still roasted here.

Bremen’s town hall, or Rathaus, has survived undamaged for 600 years, and has been on the list of World Heritage sites for ten years. For Bremen, it’s a symbol of the independence of the city state and its citizens, and this autonomy has always been influenced by the city’s proximity to the Weser river and the sea.

Bremen is a city of green. Its wonderful parks and gardens make it such a great place to live, and you cannot help but fall for its charms. Especially during the main flowering season, when the explosion of colour in Rhododendron Park is simply stunning.

There’s something a bit different about the residential streets of Bremen, compared with other German cities. The streets of the outer districts are lined with terraced houses, which, although commonplace in Great Britain or the Netherlands, are quite unusual in Germany.

Sabine Marquardt and her employees at Bremer Bonbon Manufaktur create sweets of all shapes and sizes, from huge lollies dangling from the ceiling, to tiny sweets that fit into test tubes. And the variety of flavours also offers everything your heart could desire, such as liquorice, sweet, sour, coffee, strawberry, caramel, and even something called damenschrei, or ‘lady’s shout’.