Bremen is loaded with medieval charm. In fact, the city is a UNESCO World Heritage site and home to a famous Brothers Grimm fairy tale — “The Bremen Town Musicians” — commemorated by statues of the characters scattered throughout the city.

Located 60 miles southwest of Hamburg, Bremen is historic even by European standards. The city dates from the second century A.D. But the Old World appeal of this port city, one of the most populous in Germany, is counterbalanced by a thriving technology industry, including space technology and Airbus facilities.

Most visitors fly into Bremen Airport (BRE), only about 10 minutes from the city and linked via frequent tram service.

A place to start exploring Bremen is the Universum Bremen (Wiener Strasse, tel 49 421 33460, http://www.universum-bremen.de/en/startseite.html), a new science center that showcases the connections between mankind, the earth and the cosmos. The 250 or so interactive displays and simulations have drawn thousands of visitors — not to mention some controversy over the facility’s unusual design — since its grand opening in 2000. The center is accessible via tram from the main train station.

No visit to a German city would be complete without a taste of its beer. The Becks Brewery (Am Deich 18-19, tel 49 421 50940, http://www.becks.de) offers tours, beer tastings and a beer museum. For a quintessential outdoor biergarten experience, head to the Schlachte Embankment (http://www.bremen-tourism.de/english/bremen.cfm) along the River Weser, which is teeming with restaurants, food stalls, shops and outdoor markets.

Art lovers should work in a visit to the Kunsthalle, (Am Wall 207, tel 49 421 329080, http://www.kunsthalle-bremen.de), a vast space that exhibits everything from 14th-century art to French Impressionists. Contemporary art is a signature of German culture, and one of the top venues in Bremen is the Neues Museum Weserburg Bremen (Teerhof 20, tel 49 421 598390, http://www.weserburg.de), which houses rotating special exhibitions and private collections. Fans of German Expressionism shouldn’t miss the Kunstsammlung Böttcherstrasse museum, (Böttcherstrasse 6-10), which houses the works of Paula Modersohn-Becker and holds the distinction of being the only museum in Germany dedicated to a woman. The museum is situated in a historic district known for its elegant architecture, cafés and shops.

Nature lovers can stop and smell the flowers at the Rhododendron Park(Marcusallee 60), which boasts hundreds of species of rhododendrons, as well as a science center and a Japanese garden.

Visitors with a little extra time should consider making the trek to the new and much vaunted German Emigration Center (http://www.dahbremerhaven.de) in Bremerhaven, about 30 minutes north of Bremen. The museum, designed to mirror Ellis Island, chronicles the journey of more than 7 million people from the port between 1830 and 1974.

Public transportation in Bremen is efficient and inexpensive with a Bremen Card (http://www.bremen-tourism.de), good for a day of unlimited travel and discounts on top attractions. The card is priced from about $12 per day. For more information, visit http://www.bremen-tourismus.de or http://www.cometogermany.com.