A brief tour of the city reveals that the wonderfully restored Old Town is still buzzing today. Lots of small boutiques make Stade the perfect place for a shopping trip. Specialist shops, cosy pubs and cafés with welcoming summer terraces by the waterside now stand where ships were once unloaded and goods weighed, cleared through customs and stored before continuing on their journey.
The Hanseatic harbour in the heart of the popular Old Town with the “Willi” sailing barge or the nearby town harbour with the “Greundiek” museum ship and its berth for leisure crafts show that Stade continues to maintain its traditional ties to water and shipping. One of the city’s most beautiful spots has to be the fish market with its reconstructed wooden crane, which is surrounded by the quay walls and glorious half-timbered houses.
