Emigration-themed weekend tour in Bremen and northern Germany

Day 1: Arrival in Bremen

Welcome to the Hanseatic city of Bremen! It’s an almost magical feeling to be “back home”, knowing that for the next few days, you will walk in the same paths as your German ancestors once did.

Make your own way to the centrally located hotel. It is easily reachable from Bremen’s main train station or Bremen airport. Once you have settled in, meet your tour leader (usually Sonja!) in the hotel lobby. 

Then, head out to explore the medieval market square of Bremen just a few footsteps from your hotel. Afterwards, we enjoy our first included welcome dinner at a cozy restaurant. 

Meals included today: Welcome Dinner

Day 2: Bremen

After a hearty breakfast at your hotel’s breakfast buffet, we will head to the nearby medieval market square and enjoy an emigration-themed guided walking tour of the city of Bremen.

We will pass by all highlights of the city: The 600-year-old town hall and Roland statue, the 1,000-year-old cathedral, the Bremen Town Musicians statue from the famous Bremen fairy tale, the old harbor front at the river and the medieval Schnoor quarter with Bremen’s oldest houses.

This afternoon, the choice is yours: Either join one of our optional activities (we will send you a list 30 days prior to your trip) in Bremen or enjoy some free time for shopping, an extended lunch or “Kaffee and Kuchen” (coffee and cake).

Meals included today: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 3: Day trip to Bremerhaven

Today we make our way to Bremerhaven. The harbor town is located about 50 miles north from Bremen at the seafront of the North Sea. 

We get there the same way as your German ancestors did: by boat! It takes longer than by train or car, but we will surely pass by some beautiful sights and might feel even closer to your predecessors. And don’t worry: The modern ships are very comfortable!

Here, we visit the emigration museum “German Emigration Center”. In an interactive exhibition, the museum has recreated the journey that your ancestors would have taken when they emigrated from Bremerhaven to America.

After so much food for thought, we enjoy the fresh breeze of the North Sea coastline and see the Emigrant statue at the original departure dock, from which more than 7 million left for a new life overseas. Both are located just a few steps by foot from the museum.

After heading back to the city of Bremen, we meet up again for another included dinner.

Meals included today: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 4: Day trip to a living history museum in Cloppenburg 

Once we fueled up at our hotel’s hearty breakfast buffet, we make our way from Bremen to Cloppenburg in the neighboring state of Lower Saxony. Here, we will visit the open-air museum “Museumsdorf Cloppenburg” (museum village Cloppenburg). 

Old (farm) houses were brought here from all over this region in the northwest of Germany. So it’s almost like stepping into the past when we set foot in them. On a guided tour in English with a local guide, we travel back in time. 

During the tour, we learn more about what the daily life (and daily struggles) of your German ancestors were REALLY like. You will also have some time to explore the open-air museum on your own. And if you like, you can enjoy some authentic German lunch in the village inn.

Tonight, we get together as a group again and enjoy another group dinner at an authentic German restaurant in the city of Bremen.

Meals included today: Breakfast, Dinner

Old farm house in the open-air museum “Museumsdorf Cloppenburg”

Day 5: Departure from Bremen

In German, there is a saying that goes “All good things have an end, just the sausage has two”. So unfortunately, our tour must come to an end today. After one last breakfast buffet, it’s time to say “Tschüss” (goodbye) to Bremen. 

But: By the end of your weekend in Bremen, you will have learnt a lot about emigration from northern Germany and the living conditions of your German ancestors prior to their emigration. 

You will understand the reasons why they emigrated and also have some insights into what their lives were like back in the home country. Now, it’s up to you to explore the next chapter of your ancestor’s journey. Perhaps your next stop is your ancestors’ German hometown(s)?

Meals included today: Breakfast