Bet you didn't know that: Bremen is 3rd in the ranking of cycling cities in Europe! And in Germany, no other major city with more than 500,000 inhabitants has more people cycling than Bremen. Bremen is a true cycling city - and with 821 kilometers of bike paths, it's good for the climate, for your attitude to life and for your fitness. Bremerhaven is also a cycling hotspot: many national and international bike paths crisscross the maritime city. Cycling is very, very Bremerhaven. And if you want to be part of it, just ride along.
A bike can be rented quickly at bike shops or with sharing apps like WK-Bike or Call-a-Bike. You can expect a city made to measure for cyclists. An old town that is currently being transformed into a bike zone with special road surfaces and more parking options. Dedicated bike lanes with special rights, such as Humboldtstrasse in the neighborhood. A bicycle parking garage in the city center and, spread across the city, bicycle repair stations with free use of tools. Got a flat tire? At the "tube-o-mat," you simply pull out a new tube.
Wherever you are in Bremen the bike is the perfect means of transport for a discovery tour through the city. You can stop anywhere spontaneously, find a parking space at any time and see, smell, hear much more than when you are in the car or in the public transport.
Your ideal companion for casual pedaling through Bremen and Bremerhaven? The Bike Citizens app, which you can download to your phone for free. Designed for cycling, this navigator always finds the best route because it looks for side streets, bike lanes and green spaces. And it talks to you, so you can keep your hands on the handlebars. Another pretty cool invention is the Finn bike mount. With this casual rubber part, you can securely attach your smartphone to the handlebars - never again have to get off your bike to consult the navigation system!
And where to go now? The best thing to do first is a nice inner-city round. "Mittenmang and around"is the name of the tour, which shows Bremen as a lively, exciting city with edges and corners. On the route are the art and culture mile Ostertorsteinweg, the colorful quarter "Quarter", the pubs of the "Bermuda Triangle", the Osterdeich with Weser Stadium and Bremen's Neustadt with brewery, coffee roastery and colorful population. A total of 18 kilometers, a Weser tunnel and a Weser bridge are on the program. The tour is available in the Bike Citizens app; it can also be organized with a guide on request.
If, on the other hand, it is to be country air, we recommend a Tour of the Blockland. This is an agricultural recreation area immediately to the north of Bremen. Quiet marshland where more cows live than people. Meadows and ponds. Almost no cars. There's no sign of the big city here, and instead you can whiz along paved roads through beautiful nature, bent low over the handlebars.
You can find more information about trips to the countryside here: Off to the countryside! Where Bremeners recharge their batteries in nature
How to get to Bremen by train: Plan arrival.
Cycling on the sandbank? That's possible in Bremerhaven! The Luneplate, a nature reserve consisting of two sandbanks in the Weser, is off-limits to cars, but accessible to cyclists. With its freely grazing water buffaloes, the Luneplate is one of the big attractions on the "Nature round Bremerhaven"The 34-kilometer route is pleasantly flat and takes you in a wide arc through the green surroundings of Bremerhaven. Other highlights: the small river Lune, the idyllic village of Üterlande, a tidal scoop, the "skyline" of Nordenham and much more.
Prima can also be found in Bremerhaven in the Weser Cycle Route -one of Germany's most popular bike paths thanks to excellent infrastructure and few inclines-and ride along the river to Bremen (80 kilometers through the Wesermarsch, one of Germany's largest contiguous grassland regions).
Alternatively you can also start from Bremerhaven downstream the last stage of the Weser Cycle Path to Cuxhaven (56 kilometers through dike landscapes and the estuary of the Weser). Finally, the view of the Wadden Sea and Elbe shipping beckons!
How to get to Bremerhaven by train: Plan arrival.
Cover photo: Sporty on the road - by bike in Bremen © WFB/Ingo Wagner