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
Bremerhaven’s Columbus Cruise Center is undoubtedly among the world’s most modern passenger terminals and stands 2 km from the city centre. An 80 million euro refurbishment, completed at the end of 2021, enlarged the pier.
Bremerhaven Bus provides direct modern-coach transfers between the railway station and cruise terminal. Timetables follow ship arrival and departure times, with tickets purchased from the driver. A taxi rank stands beside the Columbus Cruise Center’s main entrance.
The first-floor information desk stocks brochures covering Bremerhaven attractions, including its museums, zoo and Columbus Center shopping mall.
Travelling to the cruise terminal:
Follow the signs marked Kreuzfahrt Terminal to locate the cruise facility.
Parking spaces for approximately 380 vehicles are available outside the cruise terminal.
Central Bremerhaven is a 5 minute taxi journey away.
City centre distance: 2 kilometres.
Regional airport: 15 minutes from Bremerhaven.
International airports: 25 minutes to Nordholz and 45 minutes to Bremen.
Rail connection: Bremerhaven main station, 10 minutes away.
Bremerhaven retains few historic structures, and its city centre and principal shopping street are almost entirely post-war.
Leading visitor attractions include the German Emigration Center, open since August 8, 2005, and the German Maritime Museum, or Deutsches Schiffahrtsmuseum, beside the historic harbour and its collection of museum ships.
Sail Bremerhaven is a major sailing gathering staged every five years and attracting tall ships from around the globe. Its most recent event took place in 2015.
Getting around
BREMERHAVEN BUS runs direct modern-coach transfers between the main railway station and cruise terminal. Schedules are coordinated with train and ship arrivals and departures. While a cruise vessel is in port, a downtown shuttle also operates, and its ticket includes the same transfer service. Check notices inside the terminal; drivers sell every ticket.
Der HafenBus, or HarborBus, leads harbour tours showing the Seaside City from its most compelling angle. It gives passengers a close view of the activity throughout the extensive docks and shipyard operations.
Taxis are reliable but costly.
Nearby places
Bremen is 70 km away. Its market square, Renaissance City Hall, Norman cathedral and tall gabled houses create what is described as Northern Germany’s most beautiful city centre.
Hauptbahnhof is roughly a 10-minute walk from Columbus Center. Trains to Bremen include fast services taking 40 minutes and slower journeys of one hour.
Food and shopping
Distinctive purchases include precision optics such as cameras and binoculars; porcelain; handmade crystal; silver; steelware; Solingen knives; leather goods; sports equipment; Nuremberg toys; and Bavarian Loden fabric. In eastern Germany, specialities include musical instruments, Erzgebirge Mountain woodcarvings and Meissen china.
Germany has plentiful Schnellimbiss snacks, particularly Bock wurst, or boiled sausage; grilled Bratwurst; spiced Curry wurst; chips; and hamburgers.
German fast food is affordable, substantial and diverse, with abundant sausage, imbiss and specialist stalls offering many choices. Many dishes have Turkish origins and are valued for being inexpensive and healthy. Doner Kebab is a German favourite: thick pitta generally filled with chicken or beef, fresh chips and salad.
Money
The euro is used, and cash machines are widely available.
Credit cards have limited popularity and acceptance in Germany because retailers, hotels and restaurants pay high commissions. Use cash whenever practical. Visitors should exchange travellers’ cheques at bureaux de change, as banks often refuse them and shops do not accept them for payment.
Staying connected
German is spoken. Germans are commonly considered punctual, disciplined and slightly formal. The language has two versions of you: informal Du and formal Sie. With strangers, almost always choose Sie together with the person’s surname.
Police emergency: 110. Fire service or ambulance emergency: 112.
An internet café operates on the cruise terminal’s top floor, charging 5 euros for each hour online.
Several webcams provide useful views across Bremerhaven’s port.
Opening Hours and
Stores must close by 8 p.m., with some shutting from 6:30 p.m. On Saturday, retailers may finish at 1 or 2 p.m.; in major city centres, however, many trade until 2 or 4 p.m.
Every store is closed on Sunday, apart from selected bakeries opening in the morning.