From museums and historical sites to science centers and beer breweries, Bremen has an impressive combination of both history and modern innovations. To get the most out of the city, it is important to create a balance between both modern and historic attractions.

Museums and Galleries

Kunsthalle is the most famous art gallery in Bremen. It displays incredible 17th century Dutch masterpieces, French and German impressionistic paintings, works of classical modernism, and a collection in honor of Paula Modersohn-Becker, an important 20th century German artist. Today, sadly, Kunsthalle is closed until the winter of 2010/2011 for renovation and modernization, so if you're planning to go to Bremansoon, you won't be able to visit this fantastic gallery. However, many works from its collections are now being temporarily displayed in 22 other museums in the city. If you're taking a trip after that time, you're sure to be even more impressed with the new look of Kunsthalle.

To learn about the history of the area, culture, and design check out the Focke Museum. Its separation of works of art from different periods of history is intriguing and reveals aspects of the culture of each time, and there are some excellent displays of photography. Admission for adults is 4 Euros, and for children is 2 Euros. Gerhard Marcks Haushas more displays of art, but with more focus on contemporary sculpture and paintings specifically by Gerhard Marcks.

Historical Sites

Bottcherstrasseis a famous, classy street filled with museums. Walking down the street, you can appreciate the ornate architecture of all of the buildings. A rich coffee dealer actually changed the area from a rough part of town to the educational, elegant area it is today from 1926 to 1930. The Markt is another historical area in Breman boasting the town hall, or Ratskeller, filled with frescos by Max Slevogt. In front of the town hall is the Roland statue, which has symbolized Breman's independence since the 1400s.

Be sure not to miss St. Petri Dom, or Saint Peter's Cathedral. Entrance to the cathedral is free, and its gorgeous architecture will impress even those who have seen many other cathedrals in Europe. Saint Peter's has a magical atmosphere emphasized by its oversized arches, elegant ceiling adornments, and carved wooden staircase. If you want an intimate view into the history of Bremen, go to Schnoorviertel, the city's oldest section. It has very distinctive, and sometimes strange-looking, houses from the 15th through the 18th century, and attracts many artists.

Beck's Brewery

For all of you beer lover's, the Beck's Brewery Tour is an attraction not to be missed. For around 7 Euros per person you can see how Beck's beer is made and watch the different steps of the process. The explanation is around an hour. Afterwards, you head to the tasting room to try out all the different types of Beck's beer, first blind testing them and then identifying the actual varieties. During the tour you get six reasonably sized glasses of ice cold beer.