Bremen – Germany's greenest city

The greenest major city in Germany is Bremen – with an average of 60 square metres of sports, leisure and recreation space per person. Parks, sports facilities, but also water areas invite you to relax from the hustle and bustle of the city every day.

A closer look at the 15 largest German cities (cities with more than 500 000 inhabitants)* reveals figures that show how green Bremen really is. The hanseatic city is in first place for sports, leisure and recreation areas and also in first place for green spaces, both in terms of area per capita.

Sport, leisure and recreation areas include all areas that serve the practice of sports, leisure activities and recreation. According to the official definition of the Federal Statistical Office, this also includes green spaces that contribute to recreation and the beautification of the cityscape.

This makes Bremen the greenest major city in Germany - with around 70 to 100 percent more recreational areas per inhabitant compared to Hamburg or Berlin. The average among the most populous cities is just 37 square metres. So compared to other cities, Bremen offers a lot of space and more opportunities to get some fresh air, clear your head and enjoy the weather.

*Source: Federal and state statistical offices, Germany, 2025, Data as of: 2022/23

A green Bremen contributes to a higher quality of life

Getting to know Bremen's green heart is worthwhile for tourists and locals alike. The numerous parks not only invite you to stroll and relax, they also offer places of well-being in every season and for all tastes. Culinary, musical and entertaining offers in the green spaces provide well-deserved breaks from everyday life.

A small selection of Bremen's most popular parks:

Bürgerpark

Bremen's green lung, a land of adventure for children, an idyll for lovers, a retreat for the stressed – the Bürgerpark offers something for everyone on its 200 hectares. And it has been doing so for over 150 years!

Rhododendron Park

A botanical treasure with up to 600 wild species and almost 3500 varieties of rhododendron - the largest collection in the world! A visit tot he park is especially recommended during the flowering season in spring, but also at any other time of year.

Knoops Park

Voted one of the ten most beautiful parks in Germany in an internet ranking, this park in Bremen North offers over 60 hectares of green spaces, a garden for the blind and many events throughout the year.

Stadtwerder

This is the local recreation area for many Bremen residents. Within walking distance of the city centre, this is where people barbecue during summer, swim in the nearby Werdersee, do sports or simply relax.

Of course, these are only a few examples of the parks in Bremen. There are too many of them to name them all here. You can get a more detailed overview on bremen.de.

Nature conservation is important to the people of Bremen

Who would have guessed it? Bremen is also one of the federal states with an above-average proportion of nature conservation areas. Like Saarland, Schleswig-Holstein, North Rhine-Westphalia or Brandenburg, more than eight percent of the state's area is covered by nature reserves. You can for example discover the Borgfelder Wümmewiesen, Werderland, Hollerland as well as numerous other areas. By the way: in no other major German city are there as many marsh areas per capita as in Bremen.

Water is your constant companion in Bremen

Besides enjoying all the benefits of living in a major city, the people of Bremen also like the outdoors – and not only the parks. They also flock to the nine public swimming lakes, to the dykes and to the banks of our rivers. That's right: rivers. We've got no fewer than four of them. To the west is Ochtum river, to the east is the Wümme, to the north the Lesum, and right through the centre runs the Weser. The latter winds its way through Bremen's metropolitan area for nearly 42 kilometres, and along its banks there are many places of interest.

NATURally – Bremen Celebrates Green

In 2025, nature takes center stage in Bremen. As part of the themed year "NATURlich Bremen 2025: Ab ins Grüne!" (which can be translated with "NATURally Bremen 2025: Off into the Green!"), events celebrating Bremen’s green treasures will take place almost daily throughout the year.

Biking along the water and through green areas

The best way to explore the city centre is by bike along the banks of the Weser. Whether you like to take your time or have a need for speed, BREMEN BIKE IT!'s Weser Circuit will take you from the buzzing and popular Schlachte Embankment along the Osterdeich and past the Weser Stadium to the large Weserwehr. From there it's over the river towards the Stadtwerder park and on to the old water tower. Then it's off to the Überseestadt, the New Harbour District, and into the port area. If you get there towards the end of the day, you can enjoy the sunset over the waters of Europahafen or Holzhafen. It has to be one of the most picturesque places in Bremen to watch the sun go down.

And if you'd like your cycle tour to last a little longer, then we recommend taking the Bremen-Nord loop, where you can see the tall ship Deutschland and the Valentin U-boat pen memorial site. Or you can take the Worpswede loop for an excursion in Bremen's green surroundings and cycle through nature reserves with flat meadows and a unique light backdrop.

In total there are almost 40 square metres of water per resident – no other German city with more than 500 000 inhabitants has as much water as we do here in Bremen. And that's why Bremen offers without doubt the best maritime experience.

So whether it's in our parks, forests and nature reserves, on our dykes, or by, on or even in the water – there's plenty to explore in green Bremen.