One weekend, my goal was to see my Hunk in Groningen, Holland. Flights to Groningen are not cheap from London, so after a look on the map I found that Bremen was about the same distance from Groningen as Amsterdam was, and the flights were £60 cheaper! Good old Ryanair.
It was a no-brainer, I was going to fly via Bremen and then spend the day in Bremen on Sunday before my evening flight.
Trains between Bremen and Groningen run pretty frequently and there are numerous coach bus services which run 5 or so services per day to Groningen, so it’s very easy to get between these 2 cities!
Bremen on a Sunday
After arriving in Bremen at 1pm I decided to get on down to the Old Town for my main touristing activities. However there was one thing I didn’t find out about Bremen before I travelled here.
ALMOST EVERYTHING IS SHUT ON SUNDAYS!
The tourist sights are ‘open’ because they are old buildings and the like. But your lunch options are slim. Also – not a single store was open. I saw 3 H&Ms completely shut. ON. A. SUNDAY.
Sights to see
The Ratskeller – an old Wine Cellar. I didn’t go here because it seemed quite expensive and I was by myself 🙁
St Peter’s Cathedral – twin 89m towers. It has a beautiful garden that I wanted to read my book in.
Statue of Roland – Bremen’s Statue of Liberty and has been in it’s place since 1404.
The Schnoor Quarter – an old part of town dating to the 15th century with narrow lane ways and cute houses with even cuter doors.
The Bottcherstrasse – marked with a gold plaque. A short arcade with stores, musems and restaurants. Everything was closed.
The Market Square – the centre of the Old Town – I enjoyed having a Becks (brewed in Bremen) in one of the terrace cafes.
The Town Musicians – you see many representations of these travelling musicians across Bremen, but the most famous is by the Town Hall (Rathaus).
Muhle Am Wall – a windmill that dates back over 100 years. As I go to Holland often, I can’t get enough of windmills. I always count how many windmills I see each time I’m there, so naturally I loved seeing this one! It has a cafe inside and around it too, and is in a garden park.
Beer Garden Row – had I known about this place sooner, I’d not have seen any of Old Town. There is about 20 pubs all with Beer Gardens along the river. What more could you want on a sunny afternoon?
Eating in Bremen
Being in Germany requires you to eat a bratwurst. And my favourite kind is the Currywurst. It’s a delish sausage that is either:
- dusted with curry powder,
- curry powdered before it becomes a sausage, or
- is smothered in curry sauce.
In any of these ways I will take it. If you haven’t had Currywurst – put it on your list of eats.
What I thought of Bremen
I found that the Old Town was very much like Bruges. It had a lovely vibe and is very pretty. It’s remarkable how old some of the buildings are! Even though Sundays are a no-go for Bremen in my opinion, I did still have a really nice time walking around discovering the city. A cute small city with a lot of historical character, and a decent lager.
Have you been to Bremen?
Australian expat, married to a Dutch guy, living in Amsterdam. Previously lived in London for 3 years, too! Lover of travel, coffee, brunch, beaches, fresh flowers, and family. Now a new mum, navigating life with a baby!
