Last Updated on: 3rd November 2025, 11:22 pm
Germany, the home of fairy tales, is full of adorable little cobblestone historic old towns (Altstadt) and gothic architecture. The old town of Bremen is an easy day trip from Hamburg, Germany. Find out how you can get there and what you can do in the small town of Bremen.
About Bremen
Bremen is a city about half the size of Hamburg and twice the size of Lübeck, all of which are within the state of Schleswig Holstein. Most of the best sightseeing portion is in the main plaza or marketplace in the old town, or the Marktplatz in the Altstadt.
The Altstadt has cobblestone paved grounds lined with historic buildings repurposed as cafes and shops, so it’s aesthetically original and modernly functional, all in one.
The easily walkable small old town is a nice place for a stroll by yourself, with a friend, or even a date trip, with plenty of photo opportunities and things to see for architecture and history lovers.
What you can do in Bremen
Getting to Bremen Altstadt
Bremen is roughly one to one and half hour by direct train from Hamburg with 2 cheaper regional trains per hour and extra ICE trains to supplement, and so makes for a good easy day trip from Hamburg.
The great thing about Bremen is that almost everything worth seeing in the old town is within a 250m radius, in the old town’s centre, and a short 10-15 minute bus or Straßenbahn (tram) ride from the main central train station (Bremen Hauptbahnhof).
Use the NAH SH smartphone app to find the daily trains from Hamburg to Bremen. Then use google maps or the local bus stop signs to find the bus to the place you want to go to. It is easy to get to the Altstadt: Just ask how to get to the Altstadt or the Old town. Pretty much all the bus and tram lines go there on the right side of the road from the train station.
Wallanlagen
Wallanlagen is a serene park in the city that has a lake, grassy areas, flowers, and a windmill. You will likely pass it on your way from the station to Bremen Altstadt. If you have time and the whether is nice, you can have a picnic there.
St Petri Cathedral
The St Petri Cathedral (St Petri Dom, in German), is a medieval cathedral that is over 1,200.
Bremen Rathaus
Every town in Germany has a town hall, or Rathaus, in German. It is typically an impressive building and located in the centre of the town. If you ever get lost in an old German town, or need a reference point to find your way, just ask or look for the Rathaus.
The UNESCO world heritage Bremer Rathaus is over 600 years old and the medieval stone arches are intricately carved and decorated.
Bremen Chamber of Commerce
Grand looking enough to be a palace, the Schütting used to serve merchants and trades people of Bremen as a guild house, and became the Bremen Chamber of Commerce in 1849.
The glass windows reflect the blue sky on a clear and sunny day and looks like a brilliant blue gem.
See the Town Musicians of Bremen
Time needed: 5 minutes
Bremen is the setting for the whimsical fairy tale story of the “Town Musicians of Bremen”. It’s a story about some farm animals who escape the far, meet each other along the way, then become musicians. There is a small bronze statue by Gerhard Marcks, in the altstadt of Bremen. Once you arrive in open space of the altstadt town square, you’ll see the majestic town hall, or Bremer Rathaus. The Musicians of Bremen (Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten) statue is on the west wall of the town hall.
Location: The statue is right at the base of the Rathaus wall on the north east corner. If there are no crowds, you can get a photo easily.
Listen to the music played by the town musicians of Bremen at the Bremer Loch (Bremen Hole)
Time needed: 1-5 minutes
This is a manhole cover on the ground in the Altstadt Marktplatz (market place or plaza) that has a coin activated music box inside. From the outside, it looks just like an ordinary manhole cover, but there is a coin slot. If you put in a coin, the hole will play music by the Bremen town musicians. Hint: it’s not what you might think.
Location: East side of the Altstadt plaza, in front of the Bremer Rathaus (Town Hall), on the corner of the Bremer (Bürgerschaft) parliament.
Because each piece lasts a few seconds and there are people huddled around it, you might have to wait for your turn. Alternatively, just enjoy the music that has been activated by someone else’s coin.
Note: Some people have said that it does not work. Unless it is broken, it does work. You have to put the coin in the thin, rectangular coin slot in the middle of the manhole cover and not in one of the circular holes along the perimeter.
Böttcherstraße
Watch the changing clock tower every hour at the Haus des Glockenspiels
Time needed:
Haus des Glockenspiels or Glockenspiel House is a medieval red-brick building with timber shutters and a cylindrical brick clock tower. The round brick clock tower has sections that spin around every hour, revealing the colourful relief sculptures in each panel. While the sections turn, 30 porcelain bells ring out, playing folk songs.
The Glockenspiel Haus is located at the Bremen Tourist Information centre in Böttcherstraße. The Bremen Tourist Information is inside the building and the clock tower is part of the building.
When:
The panels turn daily at the following times:
January to March: 12pm, 3pm, 6pm (12, 15, and 18 in 24 hour time).
April to December: hourly from 12pm to 6pm (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 in 24 hour time).
Böttcherstraße (straße meaning street) is a small shopping street with stores selling mostly handicrafts in brick and stone buildings. It’s a nice place to go for a stroll to admire the medieval style architecture.
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