Bremerhaven travel guide
Emigrant halls, a cog from 1380 and fish suppers on the Weser estuary
Bremerhaven is Bremen's port exclave on the Weser estuary, visited for the German Emigration Center, the Klimahaus, the maritime museum and the Fischereihafen. Harbour boat trips and dyke walks need the summer months. Plan two days. Schengen rules give many visitors 90 days without a visa.
Bremerhaven sits where the Geeste runs into the Weser estuary, about 50 km downriver from Bremen, and belongs to that city-state as a detached exclave. Bremen founded it in 1827 because ships could no longer reach its own silted quays. Two centuries on, the container quays stretch for kilometres along the river north of town, and most visitors come to watch that traffic and spend a day or two in the museums lined up beside the old harbour basins.
The waterfront cluster called the Havenwelten is where the time goes. The German Emigration Center retells the departure of millions who sailed from these quays for New York. Next door the Klimahaus sends you round the planet along one line of longitude, and the German Maritime Museum keeps a merchant cog from the 1380s. A short walk south, the Fischereihafen trades fish in converted packing halls.
Expect a working port town rather than a resort. Much of the centre was rebuilt after wartime bombing, the weather off the North Sea changes by the hour, and evenings are quiet outside the bars on Alte Bürger. Two full days covers the museums, a boat round the harbour and a fish supper; add a third for Cuxhaven or the Wurster coast.
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Top things to do in Bremerhaven
Most of Bremerhaven's sights line the Weser between the zoo and the fish harbour, and you can walk them all.
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Best time to visit Bremerhaven
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Highs of 20 to 22C and the most cruise calls, though July is also the wettest month at about 84 mm.
April is the driest month (about 36 mm) and the Havenwelten museums are uncrowded before school holidays.
Highs near 5C and a raw wind off the estuary; a good time for indoor days at the Klimahaus and the emigration museum.
On days when a cruise ship is in at the Columbus Cruise Center, the Klimahaus queue builds by late morning; go at opening time.
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Getting there
Regional trains from Bremen and the Weserfähre from Nordenham
Bremerhaven's own airfield closed in 2016, so fly into Bremen (BRE). From the terminal, tram 6 reaches Bremen Hauptbahnhof in under 20 minutes, and from there regional trains run north to Bremerhaven Hauptbahnhof; the faster RE services take roughly 35 minutes, the stopping Regio-S-Bahn closer to an hour. Allow about 1 hour 15 minutes door to door. Hamburg Airport (HAM) has far more international flights; from there the usual route is train via Bremen, or a slower line operated by EVB via Buxtehude. Transatlantic travellers often route through Frankfurt and continue by ICE to Bremen. Drivers come up the A27 from Bremen; exit 10 leads straight to the Fischereihafen and signposted motorhome sites at the Fischkai and the Doppelschleuse. From the Lower Saxony side of the river, the Weserfähre car ferry crosses from Nordenham-Blexen. In summer, cruise ships berth at the Columbus Cruise Center north of the museums.
- Bremen Airport (BRE)
- Tram 6 to Bremen Hbf, then RE or Regio-S-Bahn north; about 1 hour 15 minutes in total
- Bremerhaven Hauptbahnhof
- South of the centre; bus or a 30-minute walk to the Havenwelten
- Weserfähre
- Car and foot ferry from Nordenham-Blexen across the estuary
- The Hauptbahnhof is a fair way from the museums; take any bus heading for the Stadtmitte if you have luggage.
Where to stay
Havenwelten towers, Alte Bürger bars or the Fischereihafen quays
Stay between the Neuer Hafen and the Fischereihafen, the stretch most visitors need. The Havenwelten has the big hotels, including the sail-shaped Atlantic tower, steps from the Klimahaus and the emigration museum. Bremerhaven is long and thin along the river, so hotels near the Hauptbahnhof are cheaper but a bus ride from the waterfront.
- Havenwelten and Neuer Hafen
- Big hotels including the sail-shaped Atlantic tower, steps from the Klimahaus and the emigration museum; the priciest part of town
- Mitte around Bürgermeister-Smidt-Straße
- Shops and the pedestrian zone, close to the Alte Bürger bars; can be loud at weekends
- Near the Hauptbahnhof
- Practical for early trains and cheaper, but a bus ride from the waterfront and dull after dark
- Fischereihafen
- A handful of rooms and the Fischkai motorhome site among the fish halls; very quiet once the restaurants close
- Lehe
- Grand 19th-century apartment blocks and cheaper holiday flats; rougher at the edges, so check the street
Getting around
BremerhavenBus routes and the Weser dyke on foot
The tram network closed decades ago, so local transport means buses run by BremerhavenBus on the VBN tariff shared with Bremen. Pay the driver, use a machine or the VBN app; a day ticket makes sense if you plan to hop between the station, the Havenwelten and the Fischereihafen. The core sights are walkable: the dyke promenade runs along the Weser from the Zoo am Meer past the Weser-Strandbad and the Klimahaus, and the Fischereihafen is about 25 minutes further south over the Geeste. Bikes are handy on the flat dyke paths but the wind off the estuary can be hard work. For the container terminal and the car quays, which are fenced off, take a harbour boat from the Havenwelten pier; the Weserfähre to Nordenham makes a cheap mini-cruise with a good look back at the skyline.
- BremerhavenBus
- VBN tickets and day tickets, valid on buses across the city
- Dyke promenade
- Zoo am Meer to the Fischereihafen, about 45 minutes on foot
- Harbour boats
- From the Havenwelten pier past the container terminal, roughly 75 to 90 minutes
- Taxis wait at the Hauptbahnhof; elsewhere call one, as cruising cabs are rare.
Know before you go
Emigration history, a climate museum and a big working port.
Why travelers love it
- The emigrant passenger list at the Auswandererhaus, where you follow one real person's crossing through recreated quays, steerage berths and the hall at Ellis Island.
- Watching a container giant swing into the Weser from the dyke beside the Atlantic Hotel tower or from the deck of a harbour boat.
- A Fischbrötchen in the Fischereihafen, eaten at a counter in the converted packing halls with the trawler quay behind you.
Good to know
- The wind decides your day. Pack a waterproof even in July; showers blow in from the estuary with little warning.
- Allow a full day for the Klimahaus, and buy a ticket for a set time slot when it is busy to skip the queue.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Bremerhaven, month by month
Bremerhaven has a windy, mild North Sea climate, and May to September is the season for harbour boats and dyke walks. North Sea averages are listed for every month.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Bremerhaven (NOAA, via Wikipedia).
The emigration house, the Bremen Cog and the Klimahaus in two days
Plan two days for Bremerhaven. Spend the first at the Deutsches Auswandererhaus, the Deutsches Schifffahrtsmuseum with its Bremen Cog and the Wilhelm Bauer submarine, and the Zoo am Meer. Give the second morning to the Klimahaus, then take a harbour boat past the container terminal and finish at the Fischereihafen.
Day one, morning. Open the day at the Deutsches Auswandererhaus on Columbusstraße. You are handed a boarding pass with a real emigrant's name and follow that person from the crowded quay of the 1850s, through the cramped decks of a sailing ship and later a steamer, to the registry hall at Ellis Island. The second half covers people who came to Germany. Budget three hours.
Afternoon. Cross to the Deutsches Schifffahrtsmuseum on Hans-Scharoun-Platz for the Bremen Cog, a Hanseatic trader of about 1380 pulled out of the Weser mud in 1962. Outside in the old harbour basin lies the Type XXI submarine Wilhelm Bauer, which you can climb through. Finish on the dyke and walk north to the Zoo am Meer, small but built into the sea wall, with polar bears, seals and penguins.
Day two. Give the Klimahaus a full morning, if not more. It follows the 8th meridian east through hot and cold zones, from a Swiss alpine hut to the Sahel, an Antarctic ice station and the South Pacific, with the temperature and humidity changing room by room. After lunch, board a harbour boat from the Havenwelten pier for the container terminal and the car-export quays, then walk south over the Geeste to the Fischereihafen for the fish halls, the lock and dinner. If the evening is clear, end at the dyke as the ships' lights come on across the river.
Fischbrötchen, Labskaus and Krabben at the Fischereihafen
Bremerhaven eats fish, and the place for it is the Fischereihafen, the old trawler harbour south of the Geeste. Order a Fischbrötchen with Bismarck herring, Matjes or smoked mackerel at a counter, Labskaus or North Sea Krabben in a sit-down restaurant, and Grünkohl in winter. For late beer, go to the Alte Bürger bars.
Fish is what Bremerhaven eats, and the place to eat it is the Fischereihafen, the old trawler harbour south of the Geeste. Its long brick packing halls now hold restaurants, smokehouses and the Schaufenster Fischereihafen, where the Fischbahnhof houses a sea-fish cooking studio and the Fischbahnhof360° film show alongside the stalls. The simplest order is a Fischbrötchen: a bread roll with pickled herring (Bismarck), soft Matjes, fried fish or smoked mackerel, with onion and a smear of remoulade. Eat it standing at a counter with a view of the quay.
For a sit-down meal, the classic North German plate is Labskaus, a pink hash of corned beef, potato and beetroot topped with a fried egg, a rollmop and a gherkin. Sailors lived on it, and it tastes better than it looks. North Sea brown shrimp, called Krabben, come piled on rye bread or folded into scrambled eggs. Old-style fish restaurants such as Natusch, beside the Fischbahnhof, serve plaice, sole and the day's catch.
Winter brings Grünkohl, kale stewed with smoked sausage and pork, often eaten on organised outings with a walk first. For a break from fish, the bars on Alte Bürger in Mitte serve beer and pub food late.
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How we research our Bremerhaven travel guide
Harbour boats and the Weserfähre run to seasons and timetables, so bremerhaven.de and the operators are checked for both, along with museum hours. Trains via Bremen come from Deutsche Bahn, and the German National Tourist Board adds context.
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Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of BremerhavenGerman National Tourist BoardDeutsche Bahn
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Bremerhaven answers on museums, harbour tours and trains from Bremen.
Getting there
Take tram 6 to Bremen Hauptbahnhof, under 20 minutes, then a regional train north to Bremerhaven Hauptbahnhof. Expect about 1 hour 15 minutes in all.
Timing & weather
About three hours. The exhibition follows individual emigrants from the quayside to New York and also covers immigration to Germany.
On a harbour boat from the Havenwelten pier, which runs past the container and car terminals. The dyke near the Atlantic Hotel tower also gives good views of ships on the Weser.
The best time to visit Bremerhaven is May to Sep. Highs around 17 to 22C, harbour boats running daily and long light evenings on the Weser dyke.
- Summer: June - August (Highs of 20 to 22C and the most cruise calls, though July is also the wettest month at about 84 mm)
- Spring: April - May (April is the driest month (about 36 mm) and the Havenwelten museums are uncrowded before school holidays)
- Winter: November - February (Highs near 5C and a raw wind off the estuary; a good time for indoor days at the Klimahaus and the emigration museum)
July is the warmest month in Bremerhaven, with average highs of 22°C, and January the coolest, with lows of 1°C. July is the wettest month, at about 84 mm of rain; April is the driest. Bremerhaven has a windy, mild North Sea climate, and May to September is the season for harbour boats and dyke walks.
General
Many visitors spend four hours or more inside. The route crosses several climate zones along one meridian, so arrive at opening time if a cruise ship is in port.
Yes. The Wilhelm Bauer, a Second World War Type XXI boat, lies in the old harbour basin by the museum and is open to visitors in the main season.
It is the old trawler harbour south of the Geeste, now lined with fish restaurants, smokehouses and the Schaufenster market halls. It is about 25 minutes on foot from the Havenwelten and the best place in town for a fish lunch.
A sailors' hash of corned beef, potato and beetroot served with a fried egg, a rollmop herring and a gherkin. Fish restaurants in the Fischereihafen usually have it.
It specialises in northern and marine species, including polar bears, seals and penguins, plus a small aquarium of North Sea life. It is one of Germany's smallest public zoos and takes about two hours.
It is a car and passenger ferry crossing the Weser estuary to Nordenham-Blexen. Foot passengers can ride it as a short round trip for the view back at the Bremerhaven skyline.
Yes. It is about 40 km north along the coast, with mudflats, a beach promenade and the Kugelbake beacon; trains and buses connect the two towns.
Bremerhaven is best known for:
- The emigrant passenger list at the Auswandererhaus, where you follow one real person's crossing through recreated quays, steerage berths and the hall at Ellis Island
- Watching a container giant swing into the Weser from the dyke beside the Atlantic Hotel tower or from the deck of a harbour boat
- A Fischbrötchen in the Fischereihafen, eaten at a counter in the converted packing halls with the trawler quay behind you
Visa & documents
As a Schengen member, Germany shares one set of entry rules with most of the EU. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Pickpocketing at large stations, Christmas markets and on big-city public transport is the main risk in a very safe country. Carry ID and validate paper tickets where required. Call 110 for police and 112 for fire or ambulance.
