The RICKMER RICKMERS, a historic windjammer built in 1896, is a floating museum and landmark in Hamburg’s harbor since 1983. Open daily (except Mondays), it offers insights into sailors’ lives, maritime exhibitions, and an onboard restaurant. Visitors can explore the ship’s adventurous history, learn about propulsion methods from wind to diesel, and climb the 35-meter-high rigs for stunning views. Interactive activities and exhibitions make this iconic vessel a must-visit for maritime enthusiasts.
The International Maritime Museum Hamburg, located in the historic Kaispeicher B in the Speicherstadt, houses the world’s largest private collection of maritime treasures spanning 3,000 years of naval history. Spread across 10 floors and 11,000 square meters, the museum showcases 26,000 ship models, rare artifacts, nautical devices, and art, including a LEGO model of the Queen Mary 2 and the skull of pirate Klaus Störtebeker. Opened in 2007, it’s a must-visit for maritime enthusiasts, offering something for all ages – from deep-sea mysteries to panoramic sea paintings – in Hamburg’s oldest surviving warehouse.
The Cap San Diego, known as the “White Swan of the South Atlantic,” is a 1961 cargo ship turned museum with a permanent berth at Hamburg’s Überseebrücke. Part of the city’s iconic harbor panorama, the world’s largest navigable cargo ship departs several times a year for special voyages. Open daily for tours, it also hosts exhibitions like “A Suitcase Full of Hope,” detailing emigrants’ stories from 1850 to 1930. Visitors can even stay overnight in original passenger cabins. The ship serves also as a venue for events and cultural programs.
Germany’s only adventure park by the sea offers unrivalled maritime leisure fun. Embedded in the picturesque Baltic Sea landscape with a view of the sea, eleven different themed worlds, lots of rides and numerous shows invite you to play, have fun and enjoy adventure and, of course, to take the necessary relaxing breaks in between.
Discover the nature of the Jasmund National Park on 2,000 square metres – the origins in the chalk sea, life underground and the life cycles of various inhabitants of the national park. You will be accompanied by an audio guide system, with a choice of three themed tours (also with English translation). Outside the museum, you can enjoy a unique view of the Baltic Sea from the viewing platform on the famous Königsstuhl from the 118 metre high world-famous chalk cliff.
Germany’s only adventure park by the sea offers unrivalled maritime leisure fun. Embedded in the picturesque Baltic Sea landscape with a view of the sea, eleven different themed worlds, lots of rides and numerous shows invite you to play, have fun and enjoy adventure and, of course, to take the necessary relaxing breaks in between.
Visitors to the Klimahaus in Bremerhaven travel through almost every climate zone in the world along the eighth degree of longitude. From rockfall in Switzerland to a dried-up riverbed in Niger and the Antarctic cold of a polar station. Switzerland, Italy, Niger, Cameroon, Antarctica, Samoa, Alaska, Hallig Langeness and Bremerhaven are the stations where the climate is experienced up close with all the senses and from often unusual perspectives.
More than 1,000 trains, over 10,000 carriages, 130,000 trees and 263,000 figures make the world’s largest model railway a visitor magnet for all young and old visitors to Hamburg. Around 20 million visitors from all over the world have now seen the exhibition, and international fans have voted Miniatur Wunderland Germany’s favourite attraction three times. It all started with Knuffingen, Austria and Central Germany, followed by wonder worlds such as the USA, Scandinavia, Switzerland and Italy.
Lübeck’s Old Town is surrounded by the rivers Trave and Wakenitz. Wherever you turn, you are never far away from the water. It shapes the face of the city. The Hanseatic city is best explored by boat, canoe or – for the more adventurous – by stand-up paddleboard. You can sail past the colourful painters’ corner or the historic ships in the museum harbour at your own pace and enjoy a unique view of the 7 towers. The Drehbrückenplatz is a wonderful place to linger with a fish roll in hand. Excursion boats take guests all the way to the seaside resort Travemünde – Lübeck’s gateway to the world. Stroll along the promenade or walk up to “Nordermole” – the best spot on the quayside. Feel the fresh Baltic Sea breeze while you watch the big ships pass by within touching distance.
A castle, a park, a lake – this romantic combination is more common in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern than in any other European region. Between green hills, dense forests and colourful meadows, around 2,000 castles, manor houses and manor houses are picturesquely nestled in romantic parks and the vast landscape between the Baltic Sea coast and the Mecklenburg Lake District.
The Valentin Bunker Memorial has been open to the public since November 2015 and provides extensive information about the history of the bunker through the information centre, the circular route and the exhibition. A place that harbours memories of the war, warns of the crimes of the Nazi regime and gives you goosebumps every time you visit.
In the Schnoor, Bremen’s oldest district, history is combined with a shopping tour in the most beautiful way. Narrow half-timbered houses from the 15th and 16th centuries are home to artisans, restaurants and cafés. The medieval half-timbering of the more than 100 listed residential and craftsmen’s houses, the ancient cobblestones and the unique atmosphere of the winding alleyways will make you forget the stress of everyday life in no time at all.
“A man had a donkey,” begins the famous fairy tale of the Bremen Town Musicians. The fairy tale does not say whether the unlikely foursome – donkey, dog, cat and rooster – ever made it to Bremen. What matters is the message: “We’re going to Bremen, you’ll find something better than death anywhere”, an allusion to the free thinking and aspirations of the people of Bremen. Even today, the bronze statue by Gerhard Marcks in the centre of Bremen is a reminder of the popular fairy tale.
The “Viertel”, as Ostertor and Steintor are simply called by Bremen locals, is just a few minutes’ walk from the city centre and is Bremen’s colourful shopping, trendy and cultural meeting point. In addition to art, theatres and museums, the popular district offers international flair and an individual, varied nightlife.
Right in the harbour, Hamburg’s unique landmark sparkles in the sun. The dazzling glass structure of the Elbphilharmonie rises 110 metres above the brick body of a former cocoa warehouse. The centrepiece of the building, designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, is a world-class concert hall at a height of 50 metres with 2,100 seats, providing a spectacular stage for Hamburg’s vibrant classical music scene and stars from all over the world. Between the old quayside warehouse and the new glass building, visitors can enjoy a unique 360° panorama of the port and city from a height of 37 metres on the viewing platform known as the PLAZA. There is no better view of Hamburg!
Exclusive shopping can be found on Hüxstraße and Fleischhauerstraße, undoubtedly the most beautiful shopping streets in the Old Town. Small, individual shops and boutiques, restaurants, bars and cafés made for exclusive shopping and a leisurely stroll. Many shops focus on high-quality regional products and fair-trade goods.
The best place to experience the most beautiful city in the world and its maritime side is on one of the many harbour launches that invite you to take a harbour cruise in Hamburg Harbour. Here you can directly experience the maritime lifestyle and learn about the origins and future of this fascinating world harbour. The popular canal and canal cruises take you to the oldest bridges, the imposing Hamburg City Hall and the UNESCO World Heritage Site Speicherstadt.
Hamburg is a paradise for shopping enthusiasts! It’s not for nothing that Hamburg’s city centre is one of the most attractive shopping streets in Germany. In addition to international luxury brands such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Hermès, there are also many owner-managed, traditional shops here. This is what makes Hamburg’s shopping scene unique: every neighbourhood, indeed almost every street in the city, exudes its own flair. The Jungfernstieg is located very close to the shopping streets. Here you can enjoy being right on the waterfront of the Binnenalster. The Jungfernstieg is a place of relaxation for the people of Hamburg and just the right place after an extensive day of shopping.
Wolfsburg is home to the Autostadt, a Volkswagen theme park. In the themed worlds, everything revolves around mobility, the history of the automobile and its design. Directly opposite, the city offers another highlight with the phæno: the building was designed by star architect Zaha Hadid. Inside, visitors can discover 300 interactive experiment stations.
Flensburg is home to the longest shopping mile in Schleswig-Holstein. From Rote Straße via Südermarkt and Nordermarkt to Norderstraße – every shopping enthusiast’s heart beats faster here. Boutiques, shopping centres and specialist shops invite you to explore. You can enjoy the hustle and bustle over a cup of coffee in one of the many cafés and restaurants.
Usedom is famous for its piers and rightly so. With the oldest pier in Germany in Ahlbeck and the longest pier in continental Europe in Heringsdorf, the island attracts thousands of tourists all year round. Take a walk out to sea and enjoy the Baltic Sea breeze and the marvellous view of the vast sea. Another highlight is the diving gondola at the Zinnowitz pier, which allows you to dive below the surface of the water. During the summer months, passenger boats dock at all the piers, taking you out onto the Baltic Sea or to the neighbouring seaside resort.
Shopping with Hanseatic flair, strolling around the city harbour and enjoying delicious, traditional dishes in the fresh sea air: the Hanseatic city of Rostock with its historic old town offers its guests a very special shopping experience. Whether in the city centre or in Warnemünde, residents and visitors alike have the opportunity to discover large centres, small shops and various restaurants, cafés and bars in Rostock.
The historic towns in Lower Saxony are characterised by their many well-preserved half-timbered houses. In the old town centres of various towns, such as Celle, Wolfenbüttel and Hann. Münden, the half-timbered jewels are lined up close together. Many rural regions of Lower Saxony are also home to half-timbered buildings with their characteristic wooden beams. A large part of the 3,000 km long half-timbered road also runs through Lower Saxony. On the regional route “From the Elbe to the Harz – the most beautiful in the north”, half-timbered towns such as Stade and Einbeck and many others invite you to linger.
It’s not just the landscape in the true north that impresses with its diversity, but also our shopping opportunities. There is something to suit every taste: from charming old towns with small, individual shops to shopping streets where you can find well-known fashion chains and department stores, to shopping centres and designer outlets that leave nothing to be desired.
Schleswig-Holstein is famous for its gardens: whether typical farm gardens, baroque and landscape gardens, artists’ and theme gardens or market gardens – the green paradises are popular excursion destinations and inspire holidaymakers and locals alike. They often attract visitors in conjunction with historic castles or imposing manor houses that have been lavishly restored and can be visited. Here you feel like you are in your own personal fairytale.
Between 1834 and 1972, seven million people emigrated all over the world via Bremerhaven – rarely driven by a thirst for adventure, but often by pure hardship and desperation. Their fate is documented in the German Emigration Centre, which was built right next to the harbour basin where the emigrants waited for the next ship. It is not a museum in the usual sense, but an adventure that gets under your skin at every stage and attracts visitors from as far away as the USA to Bremerhaven.
A swift ferry ride takes you to the Priwall peninsula. Follow the promenade and marina on your way to the fine sandy beaches of the Priwall peninsula. With a view of the anchored sailing ships and a refreshing cocktail in hand, you can enjoy the sunset in a prime location. Browse the market hall and unique shops for quality souvenirs and local produce. One of the most beautiful tall ships in the North is the storm-tested four-masted barque Passat, which has retired to Priwall harbour after 50 years of service as a cargo ship. The proud sailor was once part of the famous “Flying P-Liner” fleet, which sailed at speeds of up to 18 knots in good winds. Today the 115 metre long four-masted barque is Travemünde’s landmark. On board there is an interesting exhibition about the life and daily routine of sailors on long voyages.
The everyday life of people in the Hanseatic era and the close trading relationships between merchants and cities are brought to life in six impressive room installations in the European Hansemuseum. The eventful 800-year history of the Hanseatic League united the people of Europe and still characterises many cities today. Innovative museum technology allows visitors to witness everyday moments: colourful cloth trade in Bruges, fragrant spices from Venice, stockfish from Bergen.
Among Lübeck’s most famous sons are the Nobel Prize winner Thomas Mann and his brother Heinrich Mann, author of the novel “Der Untertan”. The Buddenbrook House is dedicated to their life and work and Thomas Mann’s world-famous novel “Buddenbrooks”. In the former home of the Mann brothers’ grandparents, two permanent exhibitions with historical furniture, film sequences, audio stations, original documents and first editions showcase the work of the family of writers. Three rooms from the ‘Buddenbrooks’ – “Landscape Room”, “Dining Room” and “Hall of Columns” – bring the world of the Hanseatic merchants to life. The Buddenbrook House is reopening in 2031 after extensive renovation and extension work. In the meantime, the interim exhibition “The Mann Brothers” is on display at the Behnhaus Drägerhaus Museum.
Universum Bremen turns science into an adventure! 250 hands-on exhibits in the Science Centre on the topics of man, earth and cosmos, a fantastic special exhibition, exciting science shows and the interactive discovery park await those thirsty for knowledge. If you want to stop real lightning bolts, defy gravity and outwit your own senses, Universum Bremen is the place for you!
The OZEANEUM at Stralsund harbour – Europe’s Museum of the Year 2010 – is both an aquarium and a museum. Forty aquariums, some of them huge, invite visitors on a unique underwater journey. It begins in the harbour basin right on the doorstep and leads through the habitats of the Baltic Sea and North Sea to the North Atlantic and the cold Arctic Ocean. An impressive school of mackerel swims in the largest aquarium with a capacity of 2.6 million litres. The “1:1 Giants of the Seas” exhibition is huge. Here, full-size replicas of whales float above your head.
