Mainz

Understand

Once the episcopal seat of the influential Prince-Electors, the "civilized" origins of Mainz date back to around 38 BC, when the Romans built a citadel here, named Mogontiacum. It was founded by the Roman general Drusus, brother of emperor Tiberius and father of emperor Claudius, at the strategic confluence of the Rhine and the Main; it shortly became the provincial capital of Germania Superior. Drusus died while campaigning beyond the Rhine, in the summer of 9 BC; his body was brought here to be mourned, and a massive funeral monument dedicated to him was built. The so-called 1 Drususstein still stands (although unclad of its marble) inside the citadel of Mainz. The city's location at the confluence of the Rhine and the Main rivers is ideal for trade, something reflected by the artifacts kept in the Landesmuseum, that show there have been settlements here since 300,000 BC. The most logical starting point is the Dom, the Cathedral of St Martin and St Stephan, especially on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, when the farmers' market is open. Although the cathedral was actually started in 975, most of what is seen today was built from the 11th to the 13th centuries. At the Dom und Diözesanmuseum in the cathedral cloisters, you can truly witness the opulence and wealth controlled by the Church in Mainz. Mainz is also the home of the man identified by Time Magazine as the most important individual in the last millennium, Johannes Gutenberg, who most Westerners regard to be the inventor of the moveable type printing press (the Chinese had developed moveable type in the 11th century but it was rarely used). Mainz is also the home of the music publisher Schott Music.

Tourist information Mainz tourism website

Getting there

By plane From Frankfurt International Airport (FRA IATA), the local train S8 towards Wiesbaden stops at Mainz Hauptbahnhof (or optionally Mainz Römisches Theater). The train runs at least every 30 minutes daily, and takes around 30 minutes to get the Mainz. Also regional trains towards Koblenz and Saarbrücken stop in Mainz. Both options share the same local tariff, regional trains are faster and somewhat more convenient. Cologne/Bonn Airport (CGN IATA) is served by a direct ICE connection and from low cost hub Frankfurt-Hahn Airport (HHN IATA) there is a direct shuttle bus connection.

By train Mainz has several train stations. The biggest and the only one in which InterCity and InterCityExpress trains stop is 1 Mainz Hauptbahnhof (main station), it is on the western edge of the city centre and works as a general hub for local traffic. Flixtrain serves the city from Berlin via Hanover and Frankfurt. Nightjet, OBB's sleeper train, runs three times each week between Brussels and Vienna via Munich and Salzburg, Berlin and Brussels via Frankfurt, and Amsterdam and Zurich. Note that Mainz is a few hours away from these terminal stations, so sleeper trains stop here after midnight or before 05:00.

Another noteworthy station is 2 Mainz Römisches Theater (Roman theatre), south of the centre, but it is only served by regional and commuter trains. Both are served from Frankfurt, about 45 minutes away, by S-Bahn line S8. As of 2026, the cost of a single ticket on the Regional train (S-Bahn line S8) to Mainz Hauptbahnhof from the Frankfurt International Airport is €6.90. Behind the Rhine bridge there is the station Mainz-Kastel with S-Bahn line S1, S9 and Stadt-Express SE10 from Frankfurt to Wiesbaden.

By car Mainz is ringed by the A60 from Bingen / Rüsselsheim and the A643 and A671 from Wiesbaden, at the northern end of the A63 from Kaiserslautern.

A61 from Koblenz A66 from Fulda A3/A67 Frankfurt am Main When parking in Mainz if you use your EC debit card or a credit card in the entrance and exit machines instead of pressing for a pay at machine ticket you will get 10% discount on the parking fee. Alternatively taking a ticket from the machine on entrance allows 4 people to travel for free on buses and trams in the city.

By bus 3 Mainz intercity bus station A number of long range buses (including Flixbus) serve Mainz, usually halting at Hauptbahnhof. The station is also a hub for local bus traffic, serving the surrounding countryside and Wiesbaden. From Frankfurt Hahn Airport for those arriving with Ryanair, there is a direct bus service to Mainz r

Getting around

The centre of town is accessible on foot from Mainz Hauptbahnhof. There are signposts and maps throughout the city centre, or you can pick up a map from the DB information desk in the station.

The day ticket for Mainz and Wiesbaden cost €7.80 (Bus, Tram, S-Bahn and Regionalbahn). The Single-Ticket cost €3.90. (MVG, RMV) Some good offers to explore the surroundings include the Rheinland-Pfalz/Saarland Ticket, offering unlimited travel in local trains for up to 5 persons inside the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. The ticket costs €30 - 70 per day (as of 2026). For Hessen (including Mainz, but not the rest of Rhineland-Palatinate) exists the otherwise similar Hessenticket, costing €42,50 per day.

Public transportation The Deutsche Bahn site provides excellent maps, timetables, and route guidance for getting around Mainz via the city's extensive bus and light rail systems. Google maps shows the locations of tram and bus stops in Mainz. If you click the tram or bus symbol, you will get the name of the stop as well as a list of routes serving that stop. The local transit operator (MVG - Mainzer Verkehrsgesellschaft) has a website in German.

By bike The local transit operator offers a bike rental system with stations all around the city. The cost is €1.20 per 30 minutes. A map of available stations can be found here. Get the meinRad App for Android or iOS, register in the App and you can start riding.

By e-hailing Uber and Free Now cover the city.

See

2 Dom St. Martin (Mainz Cathedral), Markt 10 (bus 55-57 and 62-65; stop: Höfchen/Listmann), ☏ +49 6131 253412. M-Sa 09:00-17:00, Su 13:00-17:00. A 1,000-year-old Romanesque cathedral featuring a double-chancel design and numerous funerary monuments of former Prince-Electors. The interior and the associated cathedral museum house religious artworks spanning a millennium of the city's history. Public tours are held on the last Saturday of each month (registration via [email protected]). (updated Apr 2026) 3 Stephanskirche (Church of St. Stephan), Kleine Weißgasse 12, ☏ +49 6131 231640, [email protected]. Mar-Oct: M-Sa 10:00-18:00, Su 12:00-18:00; Nov-Feb: M-Sa 10:00-16:30, Su 12:00-16:30. Founded in 990 and rebuilt as a Gothic hall church between 1267 and 1340, this is the city's second most significant church and features a distinctive double-choir layout. While its Baroque interior was lost in the 19th century and the original vaults were replaced by a flat wooden ceiling after World War II, it remains notable for its large octagonal bell tower and late-Gothic cloister. Visited in part for its world-famous blue windows by Marc Chagall. St. Stephan is world-renowned for its nine blue stained-glass windows created by Marc Chagall, which depict biblical scenes and bathe the interior in a unique blue light. The church closes to visitors during weddings, which frequently take place on Saturdays between 13:45 and 15:00; as these are only announced in the local parish bulletin, they cannot be checked online in advance. (updated Apr 2026) 4 Christuskirche (Christ Church), Kaiserstraße 56, ☏ +49 6131 234677, [email protected]. Sa-Th 11:00-17:00, F 12:00-18:00. Built between 1896 and 1903 in Renaissance Revival style, this Protestant church features a massive dome designed as a counterbalance to the Catholic cathedral. Guided tours, including the tower, are available by appointment, though tower access is closed from March to mid-August to protect nesting peregrine falcons. The church offers a special visitor program on the Open Heritage Day (Tag des offenen Denkmals), held annually on the second Sunday of September. (updated Apr 2026) 5 Sankt Ignaz, Kapuzinerstraße 36, ☏ +49 6131 224264, [email protected]. Completed in 1775, this Neoclassical hall church features an impressive sandstone facade modelled after the Parisian church of Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais. It is notable for its vaulted ceilings painted by Johann Baptist Enderle and a historic crypt containing over 190 "baker's oven" grave

Do

Walk around the town. It's a beautiful place to walk around and see the sights. Go and explore the outdoor town market on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at the cathedral. On Saturdays, local winegrowers sell their wines to visitors of the market. In the last couple of years this has become some kind of a tourist attraction. If huge crowds are no problem for you, you can have a lot of fun here (wine is sold until 16:00). Visit the small but very pretty Altstadt (old-town) of Mainz. Located just behind the cathedral with a beautiful baroque church and a number of well preserved Fachwerkhäuser (Medieval style houses) to be seen. 1 1. FSV Mainz 05 (Opel Arena), Isaac-Fulda-Allee 5. Go to see a football match of the Bundesliga-club in its new stadium.

Events OPEN OHR Festival – in May, Zitadelle Mainz, an alternative youth festival with some (mostly local) music acts and political or creative workshops and movie presentations. A three day ticket costs around €25. Mainz Midsummer St. John's Night Festival - Johannisnacht – in June Carnival in Mainz. Late February - early March 5.

Buy

To take in most of the typical main shop name walk north east from the market square to Am Brand then west along Stadthausstraße to Römerpassage. For more individual shops, explore the Altstadt around Augustinerstraße and Kirschgarten. Out of town supermarkets can be found in the Gutenberg Center in Mainz-Bretzenheim. If you want to bring some wine or food from the region, your best bet is the farmers' market on the squares next to the Dome. It is held Tu F Sa from 09:00 to 14:00.

Eat

Mainz has two culinary specialities, both types of cheese. Spundekäse is local cream cheese whipped with cream into a soft paste, served with chopped raw onion and pretzels — the taste is mild and it goes great with beer. Handkäse is a sour milk cheese with a pungent aroma, most often served mit Musik, or marinated in vinegar and oil, then sprinkled with caraway seeds, resulting in a bizarre, firm, gelatinous mass that most people find to be a bit of an acquired taste — and the "music" refers to the flatulence it tends to cause!

Food markets 1 Wochenmarkt Mainz Domplatz (Farmer's market). Tu F Sa 09:00-14:00. A big farmers' market in the Old Town. Some of the stands also sell fast food. One of them, a local fish farm's stand, has really good fish bread rolls. You can also buy really good plums (they are locally grown around Mainz), sometimes the price gets especially cheap after 13:00 when the vendors want to get rid of their rests. (updated May 2022)

Budget

City centre 2 Best Worscht in Town, Augustinerstraße 11, ☏ +49 6131 88 62 110. M-Th 11:00-20:00, F Sa 11:00-22:00. This place is known for its good Currywurst with home-made bread and 9 different sauces. You can also choose how spicy you want your Currywurst. But be cautious, it can be really spicy - it is best to start low! In Frankfurt, there are also several Bestworscht locations. Currywurst €4.10. (updated Jul 2022) 3 Restaurant Brauhaus zur Sonne, Sonnengäßchen 2. German cuisine (updated May 2022) 4 Zur Andau, Gaustraße 77. German dishes (updated May 2022) 5 Die Waffel, Lotharstraße 24. An Afghani restaurant (updated May 2022) 6 Souperie, Große Langgasse 6. (updated May 2022) 7 Pizzeria Kiara, Welschnonnengasse 1. (updated May 2022) 8 City Döner, Hintere Flachsmarktstraße 10. (updated May 2022)

Around the main train station 9 Meenzer Worschtstubb II, Bahnhofplatz 1, ☏ +49 6131 1432772. Sausage and fries (updated May 2022) 10 "Bei Helga", Mombacher Str. 37. German dishes (updated May 2022) 11 Restaurant Grillstube Damaskus, Gärtnergasse 30. A Syrian restaurant (updated May 2022) 12 Tarz Döner, Bahnhofstraße 8. (updated May 2022)

South-west Mainz 13 Gutenberg center, Haifa Allee 1 (Just off the A60 - Mainz-Lerchenberg). In the shopping centre is a German Imbiss, small Asia Imbis, Turkish Imbiss, Chinese self-service restaurant, a Subway and German bakery. Across the road you will find McDonald's, Burger King and KFC. (updated May 2022)

Mid-range

14 Am Holztor, Holzstraße 40, ☏ +49 6131 5547700. Traditional small wine tavern with good selection of wines and beers, servers exc

Drink & nightlife

Bars 1 Hafeneck, Frauenlobstr. 93, ☏ +49 6131-4801977, [email protected]. Tu-Sa 18:00-01:00. neighborhood bar that manages to simultaneously cater to football fans, local hipsters and an endless streams of niche musicians ranging from the Whiskey Rabbi to Vicky Vomit. The kitchen (open 17:00-23:00 daily) also serves up huge salads, a few German classics like schnitzel, plus giant savoury pancakes (Eierpfannkuchen) with unusual fillings, many of them vegetarian — try the Hades to add some spice to your life. (updated Aug 2022) 2 Good Time and Alexander the Great, Hintere Bleiche 18a and 8, ☏ +49 6131 9716660. M-Th 17:00-04:00, F Sa 17:00-07:00, Su 18:00-04:00. Popular Hard Rock pubs quite close to the main railway station. They serve mead in horns and play anything from Death Metal to classical music (depending on the day of the week). (updated Aug 2022) 3 Beim Budiker, Raimundistraße 13, ☏ +49 6131 6069739, [email protected]. M-Th 17:00-01:00, F Sa 17:00-02:00, Su 17:00-midnight. (updated Aug 2022)

Beer gardens 4 Mole-Biergarten am Winterhafen, Victor-Hugo-Ufer (On the Rhine opposite the Main), ☏ +49 6131 221990. Watch the ships go by with a beer and a snack. (updated May 2016)

Sleep

Budget 1 Jugendherberge Mainz (Youth Hostel), Otto-Brunfels-Schneise 4, ☏ +49 6131 85332, [email protected]. Beautifully located between the river Rhine and the People's Park with two bus stops nearby. 2 Ibis City Hotel, Holzhofstraße 2, ☏ +49 6131 2470.

Mid-range 3 Novotel Mainz, Augustusstraße 6, ☏ +49 6131 9540. 4 Favorite - Parkhotel Mainz, Karl-Weiser-Straße 1, ☏ +49 6131 8015-0. 5 Hilton Mainz, Rheinstraße 68, ☏ +49 6131 2450.

Splurge 6 Hyatt Regency Mainz, Malakoff-Terrasse 1, ☏ +49 6131 73 1234, [email protected]. Incorporates Fort Malakoff, Mainz's 19th-century castle, into its 21st-century architecture. It's the only 5-star hotel in Mainz on the river Rhine. 7 Atrium Hotel Mainz, Flugplatzstraße 44, ☏ +49 6131 4910. (updated Apr 2017)

Go next

Bacharach in the Middle Rhine Valley is an extremely well-preserved medieval town right next to the Rhine river, with a castle, which is now a youth hostel, overlooking the town. Trains from Mainz to Bacharach at least hourly, takes about 40 minutes. Bingen am Rhein Darmstadt, 30 minutes by train RB Ingelheim Frankfurt, take the S-Bahn S8 from Hauptbahnhof or S1, SE10 or S9 from Mainz-Kastel. Heidelberg is an hour away by train Continue down the most scenic part of the Middle Rhine Valley towards Koblenz. Oppenheim, 20 minutes by train RB Wiesbaden is just across the Rhine, take the S8 (13 min), the train RB (11 min.) or Bus linie 6 (30 min). Worms, 45 minutes by train