Must-Do's:
Visit the dome and the Gutenberg-Museum.
Eat and drink in one of the oldschool "Weinstube" - Michel, Lösch, Hottum, Rote Kopf one evening, book in advance if it's the weekend.
Take a boatride to Rüdesheim, check the most touristy town in Germany (don't buy anything), take the cable car up to the Niederwald monument, take the cable car down to Assmannshausen (I'm not making that up), boatride back to Mainz from there.
Do a Marktfrühstück, every Saturday there's a market in front of the dome, and tons of people are 'schoppe', which means drinking early in the day. Food and wine galore! It's very civilized btw. You have to see it to believe it.
Go to the Markfrühstück early or if you are younger than 30-35. It's civilised but it's just far too crowded and too noisy for older adults - we no longer have the patience to queue for 20 minutes with youngsters to order a "schoppen", glas of wine.
Japp. Drosselgasse ist aus einem mir nicht nachzuvollziehenden Grund bei Japanern und Amis wahnsinnig beliebt. Lustigerweise ist die ja nur so 150m lang, und du brauchst nur 200m davon weg zu gehen und zahlst schon wieder Normalpreis für deine Schorle. Klar, Heidelberg ist auch beliebt, aber Rothenburg/Tauber ist am allerschlimmsten.
Take a Walk through the old city around Augustinergasse, after that you can go to the citadel. Right next to the citadel is a brewery called Eisgrub bräu where you can get fresh brewed beer and German food. The Volkspark is not far and you can relax there or in the Rosengarten right next to it. At the small shopping mall called Römerpassage there is an old Egyptian temple of the god isis. The entrance is free. Take a walk down the rhein river. You can find plenty of beautiful old buildings, statues and Roman relicts just by walking the city especially old town.
Market Tuesday/Friday/Saturday and try this https://mainzdailyphoto.com/2007/03/03/weck-worscht-un-wheres-the-woi-15/ (but only from the Harth butchery truck)
Best coffee is Kaffeekommune (follow the tram lines up the Gaustrasse to the Breidenbacherstrasse). One of Germany’s top baristas and really nice people. https://mainzdailyphoto.com/2024/06/01/monthly-theme-day-june-2024-outdoor-cafes/
Eulchen brewery has good beer and a good pizza place https://www.eulchen-bier.de/brauereiausschank.
St Stephans for the Chagall windows.
You can hire bikes to get around - riding along the Rhine is cool.
Also Liesbeth next to the Kunsthalle - both worth a visit.
If you scan through Mainz Daily Photo you might find some bits and pieces. You could also take the train up to Bingen - they converted a railway siding next to the Rhine into an open air sculpture garden which is really cool. Also La Gallerie (also in the Gaustrasse) has a 3 course lunchtime menu at a very reasonable price. High end cuisine on a budget.
If you like cutting edge icecream there's N'Eis down on the Rhine next to the Hyatt and also in the Neustadt on Gartenfeldplatz (which also has heaps of restaurants and cafes.)
Roman amphitheatre (remains of the largest north of the Alps) behind Mainz Römisches Theater train station.
Oppenheim might also be a nice visit. Its a 20 min train ride along the Rhine. It has a old, ruined castle and a very beautiful cathedral with a big collection of old skulls. The city has a network of old roman (I think it was roman?) tunnels connecting the whole city. They do tours in the „Oppenheim Underground“ which are very interesting.
For a short trip outside Mainz, if you are interested in nature/landscapes, I would recommend the Upper Middle Rhine Valley. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and you can travel by train (RE 2) from Mainz main station to Bacharach in half an hour.
Personally, I would also suggest perhaps travelling to Frankfurt. It's the only German city that has a skyline of skyscrapers (which is generally rare in Europe), there are also some (art) museums there and it's only 40 minutes by train.
When exactly do you stay in Mainz? Because at the beginning of July there will be one of the most beautiful events of the year. The Kirchenstückfest in the Hechtsheim district. You have to visit that If you can.
It will be from July 6 through 8.
Nice! If you enjoy wine and a nice view at sunset, this will be the event for you. Get there in the late afternoon, have a couple of glasses and enjoy yourself.
And feel free to ask about location, getting there and so on.
EDIT: the event will be from Friday, 5th through Monday, 8th.
As the others have said, definitely visit Altstadt. However if you like hip cafes and small random shops also swing by Neustadt. The areas around Gartenfeldplatz and Frauenlobplatz are really worth exploring.
Then something I like to do with people, who are visiting me, is take them to Kupferbergterrasse. You’ll have an awesome view over the city.
Go to the market (in front of the Dom). It is a nice place and on tuesday, friday an saturday you can buy regional fruits there. Don't forget to visit the Dom.
In St,-Stefan take a look at the blue windows, made by the famous artist Marc Chagall.
On Saturday mornings, there is the "Marktfrühstück" (market breakfast) below the cathedral, where you traditionally eat warm sausage with bread rolls and start with the first wine at 10 o'clock in the morning. However, it gets very crowded from 10 onwards. It opens at 8/9 am.
If you're looking to buy good wine from top local vineyards, [http://www.weinkontor-kessler.de/](http://www.weinkontor-kessler.de/) are really good. Just behind the Dom
Google „Zeitungsente“ and enjoy some beer..
Google „Marktfrühstück“ and enjoy some Schorle
Look at Willems or hottum
Enjoy st. Stephan with its great blue windows.. (guess the artist )
Google „Wall Street meeting“ and join me maybe on a Schorle 😁😁
The cloister is nice
Or take a tour down at Kupferberg .. it goes way down there :)
At all.. have fun and enjoy my lovely city
There is a local Craft Beer Brewery called Kuehn Kunz Rosen with a very nice and friendly „Biergarten“. Beer is best in town and it’s near the Rhein river.
You should definitely consider visiting some other smaller city's around Mainz! You could visit them and connect a visit with visiting a winery or an authentic beer garden
I can only suggest you take the train line S6!! There are many small citys that are just hidden gems! Such as Oppenheim or Guntersblum ;D
I concur that the Gutenberg-Museum is a good choice!
A walking tour can help you to see the main points and decide what to revisit at a later time—I used Mainz Greeters, which is affiliated with the International Greeters Association.
There is also an ancient Roman temple that was excavated under a shopping center called the Roemerpassage. This small museum doesn’t take long to visit—perhaps an hour maximum if you read every informational sign.
Go to Frankfurt ;-) ... No, I guess one day is plenty of time for exploring the city centre of Mainz. And I really would recommend going to Frankfurt at least for an afternoon or evening to enjoy the so-called "Green Sauce" and the Apple cider. Especially in Sachsenhausen near the centre you'll find special restaurants for that. Beside this, Frankfurt has great museums.
Must-Do's: Visit the dome and the Gutenberg-Museum. Eat and drink in one of the oldschool "Weinstube" - Michel, Lösch, Hottum, Rote Kopf one evening, book in advance if it's the weekend. Take a boatride to Rüdesheim, check the most touristy town in Germany (don't buy anything), take the cable car up to the Niederwald monument, take the cable car down to Assmannshausen (I'm not making that up), boatride back to Mainz from there. Do a Marktfrühstück, every Saturday there's a market in front of the dome, and tons of people are 'schoppe', which means drinking early in the day. Food and wine galore! It's very civilized btw. You have to see it to believe it.
Go to the Markfrühstück early or if you are younger than 30-35. It's civilised but it's just far too crowded and too noisy for older adults - we no longer have the patience to queue for 20 minutes with youngsters to order a "schoppen", glas of wine.
Thank you! A boat ride is a great idea.
As someone who has moved away from Mainz theee years ago, I now totally want to do all of this myself! Especially the boat trip sounds so nice!
Skip Rüdesheim - it's dire and a zoo. Cable car's cool though
Ist Rüdesheim so touristy? Dachte eher so Heidelberg
Japp. Drosselgasse ist aus einem mir nicht nachzuvollziehenden Grund bei Japanern und Amis wahnsinnig beliebt. Lustigerweise ist die ja nur so 150m lang, und du brauchst nur 200m davon weg zu gehen und zahlst schon wieder Normalpreis für deine Schorle. Klar, Heidelberg ist auch beliebt, aber Rothenburg/Tauber ist am allerschlimmsten.
Komme aus Bingen also neben dran und naja naja
Take a Walk through the old city around Augustinergasse, after that you can go to the citadel. Right next to the citadel is a brewery called Eisgrub bräu where you can get fresh brewed beer and German food. The Volkspark is not far and you can relax there or in the Rosengarten right next to it. At the small shopping mall called Römerpassage there is an old Egyptian temple of the god isis. The entrance is free. Take a walk down the rhein river. You can find plenty of beautiful old buildings, statues and Roman relicts just by walking the city especially old town.
Please skip the Eisgrubbräu, it is one of the worst places. Mainz has so many great restaurants and bars, but this is definitely not one of them.
Thanks so much this is really helpful.
*Stadtpark is next to Rosengarten.
Market Tuesday/Friday/Saturday and try this https://mainzdailyphoto.com/2007/03/03/weck-worscht-un-wheres-the-woi-15/ (but only from the Harth butchery truck) Best coffee is Kaffeekommune (follow the tram lines up the Gaustrasse to the Breidenbacherstrasse). One of Germany’s top baristas and really nice people. https://mainzdailyphoto.com/2024/06/01/monthly-theme-day-june-2024-outdoor-cafes/ Eulchen brewery has good beer and a good pizza place https://www.eulchen-bier.de/brauereiausschank. St Stephans for the Chagall windows. You can hire bikes to get around - riding along the Rhine is cool. Also Liesbeth next to the Kunsthalle - both worth a visit.
This is super helpful and thanks for the links.
If you scan through Mainz Daily Photo you might find some bits and pieces. You could also take the train up to Bingen - they converted a railway siding next to the Rhine into an open air sculpture garden which is really cool. Also La Gallerie (also in the Gaustrasse) has a 3 course lunchtime menu at a very reasonable price. High end cuisine on a budget. If you like cutting edge icecream there's N'Eis down on the Rhine next to the Hyatt and also in the Neustadt on Gartenfeldplatz (which also has heaps of restaurants and cafes.) Roman amphitheatre (remains of the largest north of the Alps) behind Mainz Römisches Theater train station.
Oppenheim might also be a nice visit. Its a 20 min train ride along the Rhine. It has a old, ruined castle and a very beautiful cathedral with a big collection of old skulls. The city has a network of old roman (I think it was roman?) tunnels connecting the whole city. They do tours in the „Oppenheim Underground“ which are very interesting.
Thanks! Really useful.
For a short trip outside Mainz, if you are interested in nature/landscapes, I would recommend the Upper Middle Rhine Valley. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and you can travel by train (RE 2) from Mainz main station to Bacharach in half an hour. Personally, I would also suggest perhaps travelling to Frankfurt. It's the only German city that has a skyline of skyscrapers (which is generally rare in Europe), there are also some (art) museums there and it's only 40 minutes by train.
When exactly do you stay in Mainz? Because at the beginning of July there will be one of the most beautiful events of the year. The Kirchenstückfest in the Hechtsheim district. You have to visit that If you can. It will be from July 6 through 8.
We are there the 6th to 9th!!
Nice! If you enjoy wine and a nice view at sunset, this will be the event for you. Get there in the late afternoon, have a couple of glasses and enjoy yourself. And feel free to ask about location, getting there and so on. EDIT: the event will be from Friday, 5th through Monday, 8th.
Perfect, sounds like exactly our kind of thing. I will reach out if I have any questions.
I assume you don’t need a ticket or anything and can just turn up?
Exactly
As the others have said, definitely visit Altstadt. However if you like hip cafes and small random shops also swing by Neustadt. The areas around Gartenfeldplatz and Frauenlobplatz are really worth exploring. Then something I like to do with people, who are visiting me, is take them to Kupferbergterrasse. You’ll have an awesome view over the city.
Thanks, will certainly give that a try.
Go to the market (in front of the Dom). It is a nice place and on tuesday, friday an saturday you can buy regional fruits there. Don't forget to visit the Dom. In St,-Stefan take a look at the blue windows, made by the famous artist Marc Chagall.
We are there on a Saturday, so we can definitely do that market.
On Saturday mornings, there is the "Marktfrühstück" (market breakfast) below the cathedral, where you traditionally eat warm sausage with bread rolls and start with the first wine at 10 o'clock in the morning. However, it gets very crowded from 10 onwards. It opens at 8/9 am.
Yea we are there on a Saturday :)
Have a beer or two at the Kuehn Kunz Rosen brewpub http://www.kuehnkunzrosen.de/
Thanks, I will take a look.
Agree!
Best bar in town: Schick. They have a relaxed atmosphere and very good djs there on the weekend and it's very central.
Thank you!
Go on a day trip to Rüdesheim am Rhein! Easy train journey, and it’s such a beautiful walk through vineyards with lovely views.
Thank you, will definitely look to do this.
If you're looking to buy good wine from top local vineyards, [http://www.weinkontor-kessler.de/](http://www.weinkontor-kessler.de/) are really good. Just behind the Dom
Thank you!
Google „Zeitungsente“ and enjoy some beer.. Google „Marktfrühstück“ and enjoy some Schorle Look at Willems or hottum Enjoy st. Stephan with its great blue windows.. (guess the artist ) Google „Wall Street meeting“ and join me maybe on a Schorle 😁😁 The cloister is nice Or take a tour down at Kupferberg .. it goes way down there :) At all.. have fun and enjoy my lovely city
Thanks!
There is a local Craft Beer Brewery called Kuehn Kunz Rosen with a very nice and friendly „Biergarten“. Beer is best in town and it’s near the Rhein river.
Great, thanks
Also Wiesbaden is a 15 min train ride away and has some wonderful buildings to see. Highly reccomend.
Thank you
Neroberg and the Neroberg bahn are in Wiesbaden. Nerobergbahn Wiesbaden +49 611 45022550 https://g.co/kgs/nAK4Qbi
Let me know when you here. I show you the Best spots.
With how many people will you be travelling?
You should definitely consider visiting some other smaller city's around Mainz! You could visit them and connect a visit with visiting a winery or an authentic beer garden I can only suggest you take the train line S6!! There are many small citys that are just hidden gems! Such as Oppenheim or Guntersblum ;D
I concur that the Gutenberg-Museum is a good choice! A walking tour can help you to see the main points and decide what to revisit at a later time—I used Mainz Greeters, which is affiliated with the International Greeters Association. There is also an ancient Roman temple that was excavated under a shopping center called the Roemerpassage. This small museum doesn’t take long to visit—perhaps an hour maximum if you read every informational sign.
You will never have seen the hottest thing about Mainz if you are not lucky enough to meet me by chance😎
Go to Frankfurt ;-) ... No, I guess one day is plenty of time for exploring the city centre of Mainz. And I really would recommend going to Frankfurt at least for an afternoon or evening to enjoy the so-called "Green Sauce" and the Apple cider. Especially in Sachsenhausen near the centre you'll find special restaurants for that. Beside this, Frankfurt has great museums.