Bremen

Bremen's Marktplatz, Böttcherstraße and the Schnoor

Two days are a relaxed pace for Bremen. Day one covers the Marktplatz with a Rathaus tour, the Roland and the Town Musicians statue, St. Petri Cathedral and its Bleikeller, then Böttcherstraße and the Schnoor. Evenings belong to the Schlachte riverside or the Ratskeller wine cellar under the town hall.

Day one, morning. Start in the Marktplatz. Join a guided tour of the Rathaus to see the Upper Hall with its ship models hanging from the ceiling, then step outside to the Roland and the Town Musicians statue by the town hall's west wall. Cross the square to St. Petri Cathedral; climb the tower if open and visit the eerie Bleikeller.

Afternoon. Walk down Böttcherstraße, pausing at the Glockenspiel when it plays, and visit the Paula Modersohn-Becker Museum devoted to the Worpswede painter. Continue into the Schnoor for coffee and cake among tiny houses.

Evening. Walk along the Schlachte for dinner and a beer by the Weser, or descend into the Ratskeller beneath the town hall for German wine among the barrels.

Day two, morning. Visit the Kunsthalle, one of northern Germany's best art collections, at the edge of the Wallanlagen. Walk on into Das Viertel for lunch in the Ostertor.

Afternoon. Ride a tram to the Universum science centre, or cross the Weser to the Neustadt for a Beck's brewery tour. Families might prefer the Bürgerpark, the big landscaped park behind the station.

Evening. Back in the Viertel, try the bars along Ostertorsteinweg, or catch a Werder match at the Weserstadion if one is on.

What to eat in Bremen, from Grünkohl to Labskaus

Bremen eats like a northern port. In winter order Grünkohl, kale stewed with smoked pork and Pinkel sausage, often at the end of a Kohlfahrt walk. Labskaus, corned beef with potato and beetroot topped with a fried egg, is the sailors' dish, Knipp is the breakfast sausage and Knigge serves coffee and cake.

Bremen eats like a northern port. In winter the city revolves around Grünkohl, kale stewed for hours with smoked pork and served with Pinkel, a smoky sausage of oats, bacon and onions. Groups make a whole day of it on a Kohlfahrt, a walk through the countryside with a handcart of schnapps, ending with kale at an inn and the crowning of a Kohlkönig, or kale king.

Labskaus is the sailors' classic: corned beef, potato and beetroot mashed together, topped with a fried egg and served with pickled herring and gherkin. Knipp, a fried sausage of oats and pork, is the Bremen breakfast. Smoked eel, herring in many forms and, in March, Stint (smelt) fried whole are the fish to look for, alongside the sweet dessert rote Grütze, a red berry compote with vanilla sauce.

Coffee is a Bremen trade, and cafés take it seriously. Knigge on Sögestraße is the traditional coffee house for cake, including Butterkuchen, a flat sheet cake soaked in butter and almonds. At Christmas, look for Bremer Klaben, a heavy fruit loaf.

For where to eat, the Marktplatz and the Schnoor are atmospheric but touristy; Böttcherstraße has some fish restaurants, and the Schlachte is lined with beer gardens. The Viertel east of the Kunsthalle is where locals go for Turkish, Middle Eastern, West African and Asian food, reflecting the city's diverse population.

Bremen festivals and day trips to Bremerhaven and Worpswede

Bremen's biggest festival is the Freimarkt, first recorded in 1035 and held for about two weeks in the second half of October on the Bürgerweide. Summer brings the Breminale to the Osterdeich, and Advent the Christmas markets. Bremerhaven is about 40 minutes north by train, and Worpswede makes a second day trip.

Bremen's festival year peaks in autumn. The Freimarkt, first recorded in 1035, runs for about two weeks in the second half of October on the Bürgerweide behind the station, with rides, beer tents and a parade. From late November, Christmas markets fill the Marktplatz and the Schlachte-Zauber sets up along the river. In summer, the Breminale brings music stages and food stalls to the Osterdeich riverbank.

The climate is maritime. July averages 24C with lows of 13C; winter days hover around 5C with nights near freezing, and rain of 40-75 mm falls fairly evenly through the year, so bring a jacket in any month. April is the driest month.

For day trips, Bremerhaven, about 40 minutes north by train, is the city's sea port. The German Emigration Center tells the stories of millions who sailed to the Americas from here, the Klimahaus takes visitors on a walk around the world along a single line of longitude, and the German Maritime Museum sits by the old harbour.

Northeast of the city, Worpswede is an artists' colony on the edge of the Teufelsmoor bog, where Paula Modersohn-Becker and Heinrich Vogeler worked around 1900. It is reachable by bus or a pleasant bike ride through the Blockland. Oldenburg, with its palace and pedestrianised centre, is about half an hour west by train.