One of the nicest areas to spend some time is the area in and around the Bötcherstrasse and Schnoorviertel areas. Here you will find many small shops, galleries and cafes.

Rathaus
On the Market Square is the historic Rathaus displaying an unrivalled Renaissance-style façade. It is called to be one of the most splendid buildings in northern Germany. You can only visit the interiors as part of a guided tour (Mon – Sat 11am, noon, 3pm and 4pm, Sun 11am and noon, entrance fee 5,- DM), but it is worth it to see the extrames of Bremen’s civic pride: rooms awash with gilded wallpaper and ornate carving etc.

Cathedral (Dom St. Peter)
The imposing early Gothic Cathedral of St Petri, on a small rise beyond the Rathaus, is a must see. Its brooding interior ranging from Romanesque to late Gothic. You can climb one of the twin towers (Easter – October: Mon till Fri 10am – 5pm, Sat 10am – 1pm, Sun 2pm – 5pm). In the crypt are some fine works of art, notably an 11th century “Enthroned Christ” and a magnificent 13th century font. Off the southeast corner is the Bleikeller (Openings like the towers), where lead for the roofing was stored: a macabre attraction is provided by the corpses which were discovered here when the room was opened up, perfectly preserved as a result of the lack of air.

Market Square and Roland
Bremen's cosy "Reception Room" is a relatively small place dominated by the Rathaus. For centuries, the Market Square has been at the heart of the Hanseatic City, rating with the most elegant in Germany. The square is placed around the Hanseatic Cross, commemorating those Hanseatic members that took part in the War of Liberation.

When turning round while standing in its centre, the stone statue of Knight Roland, Bremen's most famous, is the first sight of landmark that catches your eye. The Roland was erected in 1404 as a symbol of civic rights and independence from its archbishop. He now stares at the modern Parliament building, one of the ugliest edifices to disgrace a German town.

Schnoorviertel
Tucked away between the Dom and the river is a small, extraordinarily well-peserved area of medieval fishing houses known as the “Schnoorviertel”. Rather like a thread of beads - thus its Low German name of “'Schnoor”' - little gabled houses from the 15th and 16th centuries huddle together in Bremen's oldest quarter. Though prettified, it has managed to avoid soulless gentrification.

Artisans, goldsmiths and gallery-owners now occupy many houses along the crooked lanes and tiny backyards, while restaurants and cafés cater for even the most discerning palate. Other buildings accommodate the Theatre in the Schnoor, the varieté theatre of Madame Lothár, a wedding house - arguably the world's smallest hotel - a toy museum, a Christmas shop, the Institute for Low German Language, the St Jacobus Merchant House and the friary church of St Johann.

Bötcherstrasse
Off the south side of the Markplatz, the Böttcherstrasse was transformed in the 1920s by the Bremen coffee Magnate Ludwig Roselius, who commissioned local artists to convert the alleyway into a Gothic-cum-Art Nouveau fantasy. The street, today a 110-metre pedestrian walkway area, was at one time inhabited by the town's coopers and barrel makers.

The traditional red-brick architecture and more modern expressionist constructions, for which Böttcherstrasse has become well known, offer contrasting yet interesting sights. The street was transformed between 1923 and 1931. The gilt Bringer of Light relief over the entrance to the Market Square was forged by artist Bernhard Hoetger. Besides its tiny stores, crafts workshops and Bremen's Casino, the Paula Modersohn-Becker Museum, the Roselius Haus as well as a fine carillon make rewarding sights. A walk down the alleyway towards the River Weser takes you to St Martini's, a Gothic hall church with three naves.

Liebfrauenkirche
At the top of Sögestrasse, Bremen’s main shopping street, you will find the Liebfrauenkirche, a lovely hall church engulfed by a flower market.

Schütting
One of the restored patrician houses along the “Marktplatz” is the Schütting, a ritzy, Flemish-inspired mansion where the guild of merchants convened.

Roselius-House
Situated in the Böttcherstrasse, the Roselius House, named after the local coffee merchant Ludwig Roselius (inventor of decaffeinated coffee), today is a museum of art and furniture (Tue – Sun: 11am – 6pm). The best works are paintings by the Cranachs and an alabaster statue of Saint Barbara by Riemenschneider.

Paula-Modersohn-Becker-House
Adjacent to the Roselius House this museum contains a number of paintings by the artists, who lived in nearby artist community Worpswede.

Kunsthalle
Bremen’s most famous museum, the Kunsthalle, houses a superb array of mainly nineteenth- and early twentieth-century paintings, including some forty works by Modersohn-Becker.

Rathaus
On the Market Square is the historic Rathaus displaying an unrivalled Renaissance-style façade. It is called to be one of the most splendid buildings in northern Germany. You can only visit the interiors as part of a guided tour (Mon – Sat 11am, noon, 3pm and 4pm, Sun 11am and noon, entrance fee 5,- DM), but it is worth it to see the extrames of Bremen’s civic pride: rooms awash with gilded wallpaper and ornate carving etc.

Cathedral (Dom St. Peter)
The imposing early Gothic Cathedral of St Petri, on a small rise beyond the Rathaus, is a must see. Its brooding interior ranging from Romanesque to late Gothic. You can climb one of the twin towers (Easter – October: Mon till Fri 10am – 5pm, Sat 10am – 1pm, Sun 2pm – 5pm). In the crypt are some fine works of art, notably an 11th century “Enthroned Christ” and a magnificent 13th century font. Off the southeast corner is the Bleikeller (Openings like the towers), where lead for the roofing was stored: a macabre attraction is provided by the corpses which were discovered here when the room was opened up, perfectly preserved as a result of the lack of air.

Market Square and Roland
Bremen's cosy "Reception Room" is a relatively small place dominated by the Rathaus. For centuries, the Market Square has been at the heart of the Hanseatic City, rating with the most elegant in Germany. The square is placed around the Hanseatic Cross, commemorating those Hanseatic members that took part in the War of Liberation.

When turning round while standing in its centre, the stone statue of Knight Roland, Bremen's most famous, is the first sight of landmark that catches your eye. The Roland was erected in 1404 as a symbol of civic rights and independence from its archbishop. He now stares at the modern Parliament building, one of the ugliest edifices to disgrace a German town.

Schnoorviertel
Tucked away between the Dom and the river is a small, extraordinarily well-peserved area of medieval fishing houses known as the “Schnoorviertel”. Rather like a thread of beads - thus its Low German name of “'Schnoor”' - little gabled houses from the 15th and 16th centuries huddle together in Bremen's oldest quarter. Though prettified, it has managed to avoid soulless gentrification.

Artisans, goldsmiths and gallery-owners now occupy many houses along the crooked lanes and tiny backyards, while restaurants and cafés cater for even the most discerning palate. Other buildings accommodate the Theatre in the Schnoor, the varieté theatre of Madame Lothár, a wedding house - arguably the world's smallest hotel - a toy museum, a Christmas shop, the Institute for Low German Language, the St Jacobus Merchant House and the friary church of St Johann.

Bötcherstrasse
Off the south side of the Markplatz, the Böttcherstrasse was transformed in the 1920s by the Bremen coffee Magnate Ludwig Roselius, who commissioned local artists to convert the alleyway into a Gothic-cum-Art Nouveau fantasy. The street, today a 110-metre pedestrian walkway area, was at one time inhabited by the town's coopers and barrel makers.

The traditional red-brick architecture and more modern expressionist constructions, for which Böttcherstrasse has become well known, offer contrasting yet interesting sights. The street was transformed between 1923 and 1931. The gilt Bringer of Light relief over the entrance to the Market Square was forged by artist Bernhard Hoetger. Besides its tiny stores, crafts workshops and Bremen's Casino, the Paula Modersohn-Becker Museum, the Roselius Haus as well as a fine carillon make rewarding sights. A walk down the alleyway towards the River Weser takes you to St Martini's, a Gothic hall church with three naves.

Liebfrauenkirche
At the top of Sögestrasse, Bremen’s main shopping street, you will find the Liebfrauenkirche, a lovely hall church engulfed by a flower market.

Schütting
One of the restored patrician houses along the “Marktplatz” is the Schütting, a ritzy, Flemish-inspired mansion where the guild of merchants convened.

Roselius-House
Situated in the Böttcherstrasse, the Roselius House, named after the local coffee merchant Ludwig Roselius (inventor of decaffeinated coffee), today is a museum of art and furniture (Tue – Sun: 11am – 6pm). The best works are paintings by the Cranachs and an alabaster statue of Saint Barbara by Riemenschneider.

Paula-Modersohn-Becker-House
Adjacent to the Roselius House this museum contains a number of paintings by the artists, who lived in nearby artist community Worpswede.

Kunsthalle
Bremen’s most famous museum, the Kunsthalle, houses a superb array of mainly nineteenth- and early twentieth-century paintings, including some forty works by Modersohn-Becker.