Making the most of Bremerhaven
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
The Columbus Cruise Center in Bremerhaven is without doubt one of the most modern passenger terminals in the world. It is located 2 km from city center. A 80 million euro pier refurbishment project was completed at the end of 2021 that expanded the pier.
The Bremerhaven Bus is offering direct transfers with modern coaches between Bremerhaven's train station and the cruise terminal of Bremerhaven. The schedules are according to the arrival /departure times of the cruise ships. Tickets are sold by the bus driver. A taxi stand is located at the main entrance of the Columbus Cruise Center.
Brochures on Bremerhaven's sights (the museums, the zoo, the shopping mall Columbus Center, etc.) are available at the information desk on the first floor.
Getting to the cruise terminal:
The signs will help you to find the terminal: look out for „Kreuzfahrt Terminal".
Parking for approximately 380 cars is located in front of the cruise terminal.
It's a 5 minute taxi ride to Bremerhaven.
City center: 2 kilometers
Airport (regional): 15 minutes to Bremerhaven
Airport (international): 25 minutes to Nordholz, 45 minutes to Bremen
Railway station: Bremerhaven main station 10 minutes
Bremerhaven has only a few historical buildings, and the high street and city center are almost exclusively post-war.
The main attractions for tourists are the German Emigration Center (since August 8, 2005) and the German Maritime Museum (Deutsches Schiffahrtsmuseum) on the historical harbor with many museum ships.
Every five years Sail Bremerhaven is held, a large sailing convention that attracts tall ships from all over the world. The last time it was held was in 2015.
Getting around
The public transportation company “BREMERHAVEN BUS” is offering a direct transfer with modern coaches between Bremerhaven’s main train station and the cruise terminal. The schedule is adapted on the arrival/departure times of the trains and cruise ships. Moreover a shuttle service to/from Bremerhaven downtown is offered during the stay of cruise ship(s). These shuttle tickets are also valid for the transfers. Please refer to the information posted in the terminal. All tickets are sold by the bus driver.
Der HafenBus or HarborBus conduct tours of the Harbor: You will experience the Seaside City from its most fascinating side, then only with the HarborBus can you experience the hustle and bustle of the large harbor and ship yard operations right up close.
Taxis are dependable, but expensive.
Nearby places
Bremen at 70 km: the marketplace with the Renaissance City Hall, the Norman cathedral and high gabled houses makes it the most beautiful City center in Northern Germany.
Hauptbahnhof, about a 10-minute walk from the Columbus Center. Choose between fast (40 minutes) and slow (one hour) trains to Bremen.
Food and shopping
Special purchases include precision optical equipment such as binoculars and cameras, porcelain, handmade crystal, silver, steel ware, Solingen knives, leather wear, sports equipment, toys from Nuremberg and Bavarian Loden cloth. Special purchases in eastern Germany include musical instruments, wooden carved toys from the Erzgebirge Mountains, and Meissen china
In Germany snacks (Schnellimbiss) are widely available, especially Bock wurst (boiled sausage), Bratwurst (grilled sausage) and Curry wurst (spiced sausage), as well as fries and hamburgers
German fast food is cheap, hearty and diverse; there are a number of sausage stands, imbisses and specialty stands; you have many options from which choose. Many of the fast food is of Turkish origin, this food is very popular for being cheap and healthy. The German's favorite Turkish fast food is the Doner Kebab; a thick pita filled generally with either chicken or beef complemented with fresh French fries and salad.
Money
Euro. There are plenty of ATM machines around.
Credit Cards are not well liked and accepted in Germany, because of the high commissions retailers, hotels, restaurants have to pay. Please pay in cash whenever possible. Visitors are advised to have their traveler's cheques exchanged at bureaux de change as banks often refuse to change them and they are not accepted as payment in stores.
Staying connected
German spoken. Germans are regarded as being punctual, disciplined and last but not least, a little formal. In German there are two forms of you: "Du" and "Sie." "Du" is less formal, "Sie" is more so. You almost always should use the "Sie" form and someone's last name with people you don't know.
110 -- Police Emergency 112 -- Fire Emergency or Ambulance Call
Internet cafe in the cruise terminal building. On the top floor 5 euros per hour for online time.
Several webcams offer a nice overview of the port Bremerhaven.
Opening Hours and
All stores must close no later than 8 p.m. Some close as early as 6:30 p.m. On Saturdays stores lock up at 1 or 2 p.m.; although in big city centers most stay upon until 2 or 4 p.m.
Sundays all stores are closed, except some bakeries which are open on Sunday morning.