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Lubeck/Schwerin/Luneburg/Bremen/Bremerhaven

Lubeck/Schwerin/Luneburg/Bremen/Bremerhaven

Old Aug 19th, 2015, 11:23 AM
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Lubeck/Schwerin/Luneburg/Bremen/Bremerhaven

Hi all,

I'm traveling to Germany with a friend in mid-September for a wedding, and we're doing a trip from Lubeck (day trip to Schwerin) via Luneburg to Bremen, then via Bremerhaven to the wedding location. It seems like this area is somewhat popular with Germans for vacations, but except for Lubeck, not so popular with Americans, so I'm not finding too much detailed info.

For all stops--Lubeck, Schwerin, Luneburg, Bremen, and Bremerhaven--I'm looking for recommendations on restaurants and cafes.

For Schwerin, we will be doing a day trip via train from Lubeck. It seems like all anyone sees in Schwerin is the castle (which looks amazing). Has anyone done anything else in Schwerin? Should we combine with a short stop in Wismar or Ludwigslust?

For Luneburg, we will be driving from Lubeck to Bremen and stopping in Luneburg for lunch and to walk around the old town. I'd like to drive to Bremen on a route that would allow us to see the Luneburger Heide, where I think the heather will still be in bloom. I see several possible routes but wonder if anyone knows a good route where we could stop off at a park entrance or something and walk around a bit (not a long hike), or if there is a particularly scenic part that would be better. I saw some info about some archaeological sites in the park but no info on where they are or how to get to them.

In Bremen, is the Universum mainly for kids?

For Bremerhaven, any opinions on Emigration Museum vs. Klimahaus vs. Maritime Museum vs. Zoo? We can probably pick 2.

We are also considering a stop by the coast near Cuxhaven but again can't find much information on where would be a good spot to see the coast in the Wadden See park area.

Thank you in advance for any help you can provide!!
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Old Aug 19th, 2015, 12:11 PM
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I'd love to be able to help you with your questions since we were in that area in May. Unfortunately the day we want to visit Ludwigslust, and a couple of other places it was Ascension day, which is known as Herrentag in Germany and everywhere, but everywhere was full of groups of German men, walking, or riding on tractor trailers, with a huge supply of booze being imbibed.
We gave up in the end and moved on east to a campsite out in the country, though even there we didn't avoid them!

It is an area I want to return to, but not in near Ascension Day!
I shall follow this thread with interest.
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Old Aug 20th, 2015, 06:29 AM
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Ha, I'm sure it wasn't so funny at the time when you wanted to see Ludwigslust, but this story made me laugh! Thanks for sharing.
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Old Aug 20th, 2015, 08:06 AM
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I highly recommend that you go to CruiseCritic.com. In the Ports-of-Call Forum for Europe (subset Northern Europe and the Baltics), there is a contributor named "Travelanni" who began a thread entitled, "Welcome to NE Europe" in which she answers questions about the region you are planning to visit. (She lives in Ludwigslust). Here's a link to that thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1963750

In addition to this thread, she has a website devoted to things to see and do in this region, "Travelanni Times" Here's a link to it: http://www.travelanni.webs.com/

And finally, I recommend getting a copy of Lonely Planet Germany and/or Rough Guide Germany from your local library or bookstore. Those were the only guidebooks I found which had information on Luebeck, Schwerin, etc.

(BTW, you are going to love Luebeck. While we did not get a chance to eat there, the Kartoffel Keller looked so pretty and inviting with its outdoor seating.)
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Old Aug 20th, 2015, 08:57 AM
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Thanks so much, longhorn55 (and Hook 'Em Horns!). Those links look helpful.

I have the Rough Guide to Germany and also Back Roads of Germany (or something like that) from Eyewitness Travel, which were the ones I saw with the most info, but it's still pretty limited. It's not too hard to find information on the things to do in Lubeck and Bremen, but the other stops are more difficult.

I am really excited about Lubeck!
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Old Aug 21st, 2015, 01:50 AM
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You have done much research already! (Although American guidebooks ignore the northern half of Germany.)

Schwerin: I used to work for the City of Schwerin and you are right, the castle is the main attraction. You might like to stroll a bit through the castle park, but otherwise there is not too much to do there. Ludwigslust would be another castle south of Schwerin, but maybe the short train ride to Wismar makes more sense. Wismar has a historic town place with all those picturesque buildings around.

Lüneburger Heide: Driving from Egestorf to Welle woud be the best drive, with a stop in Undeloh which is a most romantic village. From Undeloh you drive a 4 km road into the Heide to Wilsede. There you will be in the midst of things.

Archeological sites: the best megalithic graves are in the southern part of the Heide but they are only open on weekends (because they are on a military training ground). If you will be there on a Saturday or Sunday drive to Bad Fallingbostel, from there to Oerbke Lager and Ostenholz and follow the roadsigns. If you will be there on a weekday, drive from Lüneburg southwest to Amelinghausen. North of town is the Oldendorfer Totenstatt, the second-best prehistoric site in the area. http://www.oldendorf-luhe.de/dorfleb...att/index.html

Bremen: It is a beautiful town with a picturesque Old Town, a magnificent City Hall (in any case, do a guided tour AND have a meal or drink in the restaurant in the basement) and picuresque art deco Schnoorviertel. The Universum is something like a childrens museum. You can do experiments there. Some adults like this stuff too, but most of the visitors will be children. Sorry, I have not been to the museums in Bremerhaven, but the Emigrants' Museum might be of special interest for Americans because it is about those who emigrated to the USA.

Cuxhaven: You find many guides and companies offering guided tours, either on foot or with carriages. E.g. http://www.cuxwatt.de, http://www.blaues-klassenzimmer.de/, http://www.cuxhaven-tours.de/files/S...ndern_2015.pdf
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Old Aug 21st, 2015, 01:57 PM
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Thank you!! This is so helpful. We will be in the Luneburger Heath area on a weekday and so will not try to visit the megalithic graves. Amlinghausen looks right on the way to Bremen, though, so maybe we will stop at Oldendorfer Totenstatt! I know a little German but not enough to search for and locate websites like the ones you provided, so that is so helpful.
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Old Aug 22nd, 2015, 12:36 AM
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldendorfer_Totenstatt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmwQNK2apeY
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Old Sep 4th, 2015, 06:05 AM
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This looks great! Thanks!
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Old Sep 28th, 2015, 02:28 PM
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We found the Oldendorfer Totenstatt and really enjoyed it and walking around the heath a bit. Unfortunately we missed the town hall tour in Bremen--it was inexplicably closed the day we were there. In Cuxhaven we just kept driving through the town, following signs for the Wadden See visitors, and wound up in Duhnen with very easy and obvious beach access. We hadn't thought we would make it there at all and so didn't try to time it for low tide, so we were there close to high tide, but still got to walk out in the mud flats closest to the shore.
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