• Understand
• Get around
• See
• Do
• Learn
• Work
• Buy
• Drink
• Contact
• Stay safe
• Cope
• Get out

Mainz [1] is the capital city of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany.

[edit] 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. The city's location at the confluence of the Rhine and the Main 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, or 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 1000's to the 1200's. 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, inventor of the moveable type printing press.

Mainz is also the home of the music publisher Schott Music.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By plane

From Frankfurt International Airport, the local train S8 towards Wiesbaden stops at Mainz Hauptbahnhof (or optionally Mainz Römisches Theater). 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 is served by a direct ICE connection and from Frankfurt-Hahn Airport there is a direct shuttle bus connection.

[edit] By train

Mainz has several train stations. The biggest and the only one in which InterCity trains do stop is Mainz Hauptbahnhof, it is located on the western edge of the city centre and works as a general hub for local traffic. Another noteworthy station is Mainz Römisches Theater, south of the centre, but it is only served by regional and commuter trains.

[edit] By car

• A60 from Lille, Charleroi, Liège (E42)
• A61 from Koblenz, Bad Kreuznach, Worms
• A63 from Kaiserslautern
• A66 from Fulda, Frankfurt am Main

[edit] By bus

A number of long range buses (including Eurolines) serve Mainz, usually halting at Hauptbahnhof. The station is also a hub for local bus traffic, serving the surrounding countryside and Wiesbaden.

[edit] By boat

There is a number of companies offering river cruises, typically leaving from Cologne or Koblenz and terminating in Mainz (and vice versa). The KD Rhine River Cruise Pass [2] offers a cruise of the Rhine river around all the way to Cologne with the possibility of stops along the way.

[edit] Get around

Some good offers to explore the surroundings include the Rheinland-Pfalz-Ticket, offering unlimited travel in local trains for up to 5 persons inside the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. The ticket costs 25 € per day (as of March 2008) and is available at all train stations. For Hessen (including Mainz, but not the rest of Rhineland-Palatinate) exists the otherwise similar Hessenticket, costing 30 € per day.

[edit] See

• Romanesque cathedral (one of Germany's oldest; others are in: Worms, Speyer)
• "Stephanskirche", world-famous Chagall windows (blue)
• River Banks with lots of restaurants and (night) clubs.

The 'Theodor-Heuss-Bridge' in the centre of Mainz.

• The Theodor Heuss Rhine Bridge between Mainz and Mainz-Kastel is one of three Rhine bridges that connect Mainz with Wiesbaden and the state of Hesse. Like almost all other German Rhine bridges, the former bridge had been destroyed in World War II. The bridge was rebuilt in the early 1950s and named after the first president of the Federal Republic of Germany, Theodor Heuss. Kastel, a former Mainz suburb and several other villages on the right side of the Rhine, has been separated from the city after the war, as the Rhine was the border between the French and American occupation sectors. Even today, Kastel, Kostheim, Amoeneburg, Ginsheim, Gustavsburg and the other former suburbs consider themselves part of Mainz, although they are administered by Wiesbaden and Hesse.

Mainz City Hall.

• The City Hall was built in the early 1970s by Danish architects, who used many tons Swedish marble for the facade. Considered modern at the time it was built, the city hall is not very popular today, many consider it too monumental, some even ugly. From the extensive city hall platform there is a beautiful view on the Rhine promenade and the river.

• Schillerplatz. Beautiful, leafy square in central Mainz with the fountain said to represent the jesters and fun of Mainz's fastnacht celebration.

• Mainz is also the home of the man identified by Time magazine as the most important individual in the last millennium, Johannes Gutenberg, inventor of the moveable type printing press. At the Gutenberg Museum (Liebfrauenpl 5, Ph: 011 49 06131 1266-4044, Website: www.gutenberg.de), there are reconstructions of print shops and Gutenberg's hand press, an exhibition of incunabula, and the first two Gutenberg bibles are on display in a strong room. They also have a section devoted to the far East with colored woodcarvings and prints from Japan, China and Korea. Only key displays have information translated into English. You can purchase a guide in several different languages with your admission.

• Unique to Mainz is the Museum für Antike Schifffahrt (Museum of Ancient Navigation), where the remains of five 5th century Roman warships have been restored. These ships were found when the local Hilton was expanding its property.

[edit] 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 Saturdays.

[edit] Learn

The University of Mainz is located in the north of the city. The student body is around 30 000.

[edit] Work

[edit] Buy

[edit] Eat

[edit] Budget

[edit] Mid-range

Haus des Weines
Gutenbergplatz 3
Mainz
Phone: +49 (06131) 221 300

Open late, they offer a great selection of wines to go with their delicious food that ranges from snacks to full meals and tends to focus on regional cuisine.

Geberts Weinstuben
Frauenlobstraße 94
55118 Mainz
Phone: +49 (06131) 611 619
Fax: +49 (06131) 611662
E-mail: info@geberts-weinstuben.de
Web: www.geberts-weinstuben.de

With an excellent wine list (heavy on German wines), Geberts offers excellent versions of traditional regional favorites, including handkäs-Suppe (cheese soup) and wildschwein (wild boar). They are closed for three weeks during the summer, on Saturdays, and at lunchtime on Sundays.

Heiliggeist
Mailandsgasse 11
Mainz
Phone: +49 (06131) 225 757

Recently renovated into an upscale bistro, they offer an abbreviated, but very creative menu that goes with an extensive wine list, including wines by the glass, that enable you to experiment wines from around Germany.

[edit] Splurge

Atrium Mainz Flugplatzstraße 44 55126 Mainz-Finthen

Telephone: +49-(0)6131 491 0 Fax: +49-(0)6131 491 128

E-mail: info@atrium-mainz.de Internet: www.atrium-mainz.de

[edit] Drink

• The Mainz Kastel Brauhaus is located on the Otto Suhr Ring Road, 2 blocks(right) off the main Hwy 455 going to Weisbaden, from Mainz across the Theodore Huess Brucke-1K. You can see the Biergarten's Umbrellas using Google Earth. It is the German equivalent of an American Microbrew Pub/Restaurant. Their German 'Helles' bier mit SpundeKase, aufgeschnitten Radischen, und Bretzellen ist sehr geschmeckt. Well worth the visit.

• EISGRUB-BRÄU, 55116 Mainz Weissliliengasse 1a, worth visiting, producing and selling house beer, and is very famous around the world. One bite of beer better than thousand words.

[edit] Sleep

[edit] Budget

[edit] Mid-range

[edit] Splurge

[edit] Contact

[edit] Stay safe

[edit] Cope

[edit] Get out

Take the S8 Back to Frankfurt.