Port of Bremerhaven cruise port guide

Port of Bremerhaven — Bremerhaven, Germany.

Bremerhaven is the seaport of Bremen, on the Weser estuary on Germany's North Sea coast, and has been a major emigration and shipping port since the 19th century. Its Havenwelten (Harbour Worlds) waterfront has three of the country's best-known maritime and science museums. Most cruise visitors choose between this and a day in Bremen itself, a roughly 35-minute train ride away, with a UNESCO-listed town hall and Roland statue on its market square.

Getting ashore

Where do cruise ships dock in Bremerhaven?

Ships berth at the Bremerhaven Cruise Port terminal (Columbuskaje 1), on the historic Columbus Quay, dating from 1927. On cruise days a Bremerhaven Bus service signed 'Kreuzfahrt-Terminal' runs between the terminal, the Havenwelten waterfront and the main railway station (Hauptbahnhof), in both directions; tickets are sold by the driver. There is a taxi rank in front of the terminal's main entrance, and the terminal has public Wi-Fi. You can also walk from the terminal to Havenwelten in about 30 minutes, along the Kommodore-Ziegenbein Promenade and across the Kaiserschleuse lock. The terminal's visitor gallery on the 4th floor, entered from Steubenstraße 7, looks over the ships and the Weser.

Getting around

The shuttle bus links the terminal with Havenwelten and Bremerhaven Hauptbahnhof, and Havenwelten itself is easily walked. For Bremen, take the regional train (RE) from Bremerhaven Hauptbahnhof; the fastest direct trains take about 35 minutes and there are around 35 to 40 trains a day. Check the timetable on bahn.de or the DB Navigator app for the day, including any engineering works with replacement buses. In Bremen the Marktplatz is the centre of the old town; trams 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 stop at Domsheide, close to the Ratskeller.

Don't miss

• Klimahaus Bremerhaven 8° Ost — A science centre in the Havenwelten where you travel along the 8th degree of east longitude through climate zones around the world. Open daily 10am to 6pm; tickets from €22.50 (2026 price). Allow 2 to 3 hours.
• Deutsches Auswandererhaus — The German Emigration Center in the Havenwelten, on the story of emigration and immigration through Bremerhaven. Open daily 10am to 6pm from 1 March to 31 October, including Mondays, with last entry an hour before closing. Adult ticket €22 (2026 price); no reservation needed. Allow 2 hours or more.
• Deutsches Schifffahrtsmuseum — The German Maritime Museum, with historic ships moored outside. Open daily 10am to 6pm (ships to 5:45pm); €10, under-18s free. The museum is being rebuilt, and at present the Cog Hall and Bangert Building can be visited, so check what is open.
• Bremen Marktplatz — The Town Hall and Roland statue on Bremen's market square are a UNESCO World Heritage Site (listed 2004), and the Bremen Town Musicians statue by Gerhard Marcks stands beside the Town Hall. Allow 1 to 2 hours in the old town, plus about 35 minutes each way by train.
• Böttcherstraße — A street only about 100m long off the Marktplatz, with buildings put up mostly between 1922 and 1931 in a brick expressionist style. Worth a short detour when you are in Bremen.
• Terminal visitor gallery — The 4th-floor gallery at the cruise terminal looks over arriving and departing ships and the Weser. Worth a look if you have time before boarding.

Planning your day

If you want to stay near the ship, take the shuttle to Havenwelten and spend the day at the Klimahaus and the Auswandererhaus, with lunch at one of their restaurants. If you want Bremen, take the shuttle to Bremerhaven Hauptbahnhof, catch the regional train to Bremen, walk the Marktplatz and Böttcherstraße and have lunch at the Ratskeller, then allow plenty of time to return. Check the all-aboard time and your return train before you go.

Food & drink

North German cooking is hearty, and Bremen has its own specialities, such as kale with Pinkel sausage in the colder months and Labskaus. The Bremen tourist board says almost every second coffee bean imported into Germany comes through the city. In Bremerhaven the Havenwelten museums have their own restaurants; in Bremen the Ratskeller, beneath the Town Hall, is the classic stop.

Where to eat

• Klimahaus restaurant — The restaurant at the Klimahaus is open 10am to 5pm, with warm meals until 4pm, so it suits a late-morning or lunch visit. There is also a small café, Café südwärts, inside the exhibition.
• Speisesaal, Deutsches Auswandererhaus — The Emigration Center's restaurant and café serves organic dishes, regional and grilled specialities and homemade cakes. Open daily 10am to 6pm; reservations by phone.
• Bremer Ratskeller — The restaurant beneath Bremen's Town Hall, open every day from 11am, with the kitchen open from noon to 9:30pm Monday to Thursday (to 10pm Friday and Saturday). It serves Bremen dishes and has a wine list of about 650 German wines; the cellar has served wine since 1409.

Must try

• Kohl und Pinkel — Bremen's best-known winter dish: kale served with Pinkel, a smoked groats sausage, and other smoked meats. It is a cold-weather dish, so it may still be on menus in March.
• Labskaus — A North German speciality of Bremen and Hamburg, made from salted or corned beef, potatoes and onion, often with beetroot, gherkin or herring on the side.
• Bremen coffee — The tourist board says the first coffee house in the German-speaking world opened in Bremen in 1673; roasters such as Lloyd Caffee run guided tours with tastings.

Know before you go

• 🗣️Language — German. The main museums publish information in English, and English is widely understood in tourist areas.
• 📋Documents — Carry your passport or photo ID as P&O instructs. Germany is in the Schengen area; entry rules depend on nationality, so check the current requirements before you sail.
• 🛍️Shopping & hours — Your call is on a Monday (27 March 2028). The Deutsches Auswandererhaus, the Klimahaus and the Maritime Museum all open daily, including Mondays, from 10am to 6pm, and the Bremer Ratskeller is open every day. Prices quoted here are 2026 prices and may be higher by 2028.
• 🌤️Weather — Cool and changeable in March. Average highs are about 8°C, lows about 2.5°C, with rain or drizzle on around 16 days of the month and a little snow possible. Bring a warm, windproof coat and a waterproof; the Havenwelten waterfront is exposed.
• 📶Connectivity — Germany uses the euro. The cruise terminal has public Wi-Fi. For mobile data, check what your UK network charges in Germany before you rely on roaming.
• ♿Accessibility — The cruise terminal lists wheelchair assistance among its guest services, and the Auswandererhaus has an accessibility page on its website. The Ratskeller has a step-free entrance on the cathedral side. Step-free access on the shuttle bus isn't published.
• ⏱️Getting back — If you go to Bremen, allow about 35 minutes by train each way plus the shuttle between the station and the terminal, and leave a generous margin before all-aboard in case of a late or cancelled train. Staying in Havenwelten is the lowest-risk option.

Sources: https://bremerhaven.de/en/tourism/ships-harbors/cruise-terminal-bremerhaven.35141.html; https://www.bremerhavencruiseport.com/; https://www.klimahaus-bremerhaven.de/en/restaurant-cafe-suedwaerts/; https://dah-bremerhaven.de/en/prices-info/; https://dah-bremerhaven.de/en/speisesaal/; https://www.dsm.museum/en/; https://www.ratskeller-bremen.de/wir/anfahrt-oeffnungszeiten/; https://bremen.eu/life-in-bremen/bremen-cuisine; https://www.bahn.de/reisen/view/verbindung/bremerhaven/bremen.shtml; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bremen_Town_Hall; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%B6ttcherstra%C3%9Fe; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bremerhaven