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Capital of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Photo: Moguntiner, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Mainz is the capital and largest city of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. Notable as a major transport hub and the heart of the German wine trade, the city is also a leading media center, most famously serving as the headquarters of the national broadcaster ZDF. In 2024, it was home to about 225,000 people.
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Mainz Cathedral
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 info@dommuseum-mainz.de).
Church of St. Stephan
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.
Christ Church
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.
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" graves.
A prominent example of Rococo architecture, featuring a distinctive red sandstone façade that contrasts with the surrounding buildings. It was built in the late 18th century as part of an Augustinian monastery, and is one of the few churches in the Mainz Old Town to survive the bombings of 1945 largely intact, preserving its ornate interior and a rare original Stumm organ.
Old town
Characterized by its well-preserved half-timbered houses and narrow, winding alleyways. This area serves as the atmospheric heart of the city, blending medieval architecture with vibrant local shops, traditional wine taverns, and historic landmarks like the Augustinerkirche.
Stretching from the Zollhafen in the north to the Winterhafen in the south, the Rhine promenade is the city's primary outdoor leisure area. In the summer months, the banks transform into a vibrant social hub featuring beach clubs, beer gardens, and scenic walking paths. It is a popular destination for evening strolls, after-work drinks, and enjoying panoramic views of the river.
Rathaus Mainz
The city hall was built in the early 1970s by Danish architects, who used many tons of Swedish marble for the façade. 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.
One of the city's central squares, this location features an ensemble of historic buildings, such as the rococo-style Osteiner Hof and the Schönborner Hof. The square is dominated by the Fastnachtsbrunnen, a bronze sculptural fountain designed by Blasius Spreng in 1967 that depicts traditional carnival figures and allegorical scenes. It serves as a major social hub, particularly during the carnival season, and is a key starting point for exploring the historic streets of the Old Town.
Commandry of the Teutonic Knights
This Baroque palace was built between 1729 and 1740 as a residence for the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights. After being largely destroyed during World War II, the exterior was reconstructed, and the interior was modernised to serve as the plenary building for the Landtag (state parliament) of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is historically significant as the site of Germany's first democratically elected parliament in 1793.
Electoral Palace
The former city residence of the Archbishops of Mainz, this building is a notable example of German Renaissance architecture. Following extensive destruction during World War II, the exterior was reconstructed. While the palace is primarily an administrative and event venue and not open for general public interior tours, its historic façade and the surrounding grounds are visible from the outside.
The Rhine Bridge
This 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, have 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, Amöneburg, Ginsheim, Gustavsburg and the other former suburbs consider themselves part of Mainz, although they are administered by Wiesbaden and Hesse.
Part of the UNESCO World Heritage site "SchUM Cities of Speyer, Worms and Mainz," this cemetery has served as a final resting place since the 10th century. For safety reasons, the interior of the historic burial ground is generally closed to the public. However, the site is visually accessible from along the perimeter fence, and the lower section offers an overview of the gravestones. Guided tours providing deeper insight into its history are available and must be booked in advance via the official city website.
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. There is even an exhibition on the electronic future of books. Most displays have an English translation. You can purchase a guide in several different languages with your admission. Every hour or so, someone demonstrates how Gutenberg`s hand press works by printing a bible page on a replica of the press. Watching this demonstration is included in the entry fee.
Museum of Archaeology
The former Roman-Germanic Central Museum.
Museum of Ancient Navigation
Unique to Mainz is this museum, which contains the remains of five 5th-century Roman warship wrecks salvaged from the Rhine in the 1980s. True-to-life replicas were re-constructed based on these originals. Visitors also have the opportunity to glimpse behind the scenes in the research laboratory and in the museum’s workshops. These ships were found when the local Hilton was expanding its property.
A few years ago, when a shopping centre now named Römerpassage ("Roman Shopping Way") was built, the construction workers found the remnants of what used to be a temple in the Roman city of Mainz. So, nowadays, you can visit this site inside the shopping centre. It's surrounded by a quite interesting exhibition about the religious purpose of the Isis site.
Cathedral museum & treasury, church art.
State Museum Mainz
The Department of Antiquities traces the cultural history of the Rhineland from prehistory to the present.
Museum of Natural History
Opel Arena
Go to see a football match of the Bundesliga-club in its new stadium.
Late February - early March 5.
Farmer's market
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.
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.
German cuisine
German dishes
An Afghani restaurant
Sausage and fries
German dishes
A Syrian restaurant
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.
Traditional small wine tavern with good selection of wines and beers, servers excellent Schnitzel and Chicken dishes. English menu available. Friendly service.
Classic German Gaststätte with pictures of old scenes in Mainz. Good typical German food, menu includes English translations.
Very pleasant beer garden raised of the street providing a little quite in the centre of town. Reasonably good but not outstanding food.
Very small on the separation island of the main road. But do not let that put you off the best burgers and fries in town.
Good choice of German and Austrian dishes.
This cavernous ice cellar has brewed its own beer since 1872 and is still packed most nights. They brew two beers (pale and dark) that they sell in a variety of sizes including flights and larger 3L table taps. They have a classic, but well executed, menu of classic German foods like meats, sausages, and spätzle. They also have an English menu with vegetarian options clearly marked.
Good food. A destination for aircraft fans.
Flammkuchen Restaurant
Very good selection of Flammkuchen
Italian.
Excellent Indian restaurant
Very good Indian restaurant.
Good Thai restaurant.
Chinese, Japanese and Mongolian dishes. Lunch time all you can eat buffet.
Very good Indian and Pakistani food. Friendly efficient service.
Very good Thai food, fresh ingredient, no MSG used.
With an excellent wine list (heavy on German wines), Geberts offers excellent versions of traditional regional favourites, 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.
The restaurants in the hotel are called Adagio and GenussWerkstatt.
Very good steakhouse
Church renovated into an up-scale 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. Good outdoor seating. Beer quality not the best.
Excellent steak house with Chilean dishes. Good service. Quality but casual restaurant.
Very popular (i.e. expect a long line) with some novel tasty flavoured ice creams.
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.
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).
Watch the ships go by with a beer and a snack.
Beautifully located between the river Rhine and the People's Park with two bus stops nearby.
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.
By train
Mainz has several train stations.
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.
By bus
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.
By boat
A number of companies offer river cruises, typically leaving from Cologne or Koblenz and terminating in Mainz (and vice versa).
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.
By bike
The local transit operator offers a bike rental system with stations all around the city.20 per 30 minutes. A map of available stations can be found here.
By e-hailing
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