Bremerhaven
The Deep Water Port Of The Bremen City State, Rebuilt As A Museum Waterfront: The German Emigration Centre, The Klimahaus Walk Through Every Climate On The Eighth Meridian, And The German Maritime Museum · Bremerhaven, Bremen
Bremerhaven is the deep-water port of the Bremen city state, an hour north of Bremen where the Weser meets the sea, and it is not a pretty town: it was bombed flat, rebuilt plainly, and it works for a living shifting containers and new cars. What brings visitors is a cluster of museums on one waterfront. The German Emigration Centre is the best of them and one of the best museums in the country: you are handed a real emigrant's name and you follow that person from the quay to the ship to arrival and into whatever happened next. Next door the Klimahaus walks you along the eighth meridian of longitude through Switzerland, the Sahel, Antarctica and Samoa in real heat, cold and humidity. The German Maritime Museum, the small Zoo am Meer and a viewing deck in the Sail City tower fill out the day. Flat, windy and glazed with sea light, it is essentially one very good museum day rather than a city break - and in bad weather that is exactly what you want.
Havenwelten on the Weser at Bremerhaven, about 60 km north of Bremen, Bremerhaven, Bremen, Germany
The two big museums open daily through the main season and keep a shorter week in winter, with last admission well before closing because both take hours to walk - the Klimahaus in particular stops selling tickets early enough to finish the route. The Maritime Museum and Zoo am Meer keep shorter hours and may close one weekday. The historic ships and the submarine in the museum harbour are seasonal and shut in winter. The Havenwelten waterfront, the dyke and the lighthouse views are open at any hour and free. Confirm current days, times and prices before travelling, especially around Christmas and New Year.