Experience the best of Bremen

Bremen is a port city on the River Weser and, together with Bremerhaven, forms a German state in its own right. Its market square is framed by the Gothic town hall with a Renaissance façade, the Roland statue, a stone knight that symbolises the city's freedom, and the twin-towered St Peter's Cathedral. The town hall and Roland are World Heritage Sites.

A bronze statue of the Town Musicians of Bremen, the donkey, dog, cat and rooster of the Brothers Grimm tale, stands beside the town hall. The Schnoor quarter is a tangle of narrow lanes with small houses from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and Böttcherstraße is a short brick street of expressionist architecture with a carillon of porcelain bells. Worpswede, an artists' colony in moorland, is a short drive away.

Bremen is a coffee city, with roasters of long standing and plenty of cafés. Kale with smoked sausage, called Kohl und Pinkel, is the winter dish, and the Freimarkt, a large funfair in October, is a city tradition. The Weser promenade is busy with walkers on summer evenings, and the weather is mild and often damp.