A Day Trip to Mainz, Germany

Mainz is the capital of Rheinland Palatinate in Germany. This lovely city along the River Rhine has plenty to offer its visitors. We recently took a day trip to Mainz and found it to be absolutely lovely and totally worth a visit.

In this article, I will share our experience in this lovely city and give tips for how to spend a day in Mainz.

Before I get to the places to visit and things to do in Mainz, let me walk you through the basics of reaching the city, travelling within the city, finding accommodation, etc.

Reaching Mainz

Mainz can be reached by car or train.

By Train:

You can book your tickets on the Deutsche Bahns website OR, Check Omio to see all the public transport options for your travel:

By Road:

We travelled from Darmstadt (the city where we live) by car and reached in about 45 minutes.

Reaching by car is faster and gives you complete flexibility. If you don’t own a car, you can rent one. We have rented vehicles from SIXT multiple times and found their cars to be of top-notch quality.

While you are here, you can reach my articles:

How to get a driving license in Germany- Step-by-Step guide

My Experience with renting a car in Germany

Travelling within the city

You can use public transport to travel in the city. Check their website for more details. However, for the places I have mentioned in this article, you don’t really need any public transport. All the places are within walking distance of each other and can be easily reached on foot.

Parking in Mainz:

In Mainz, you can park on the streets (look for the signs) or in a closed parking area (called a Parkhaus).

Information about parking in Mainz can be found here.

Accommodation in Mainz

Check out accommodation in Mainz here.

Day trip Experience in Mainz

We reached Mainz from Darmstadt (which is just 40 km away) in about 40 minutes. After parking our car near the city centre, we started exploring the old city area on foot.

We first stopped by at Mainzer Dom (i.e. Mainz Cathedral).

About Mainz Cathedral:

Mainz Cathedral, locally called Mainzer Dom, is an impressive structure and the most significant landmark in Mainz. This 1000-year-old cathedral, made of sandstone, is located in the city centre and looks lovely. Visitors can visit it free of cost. Its unique gothic and baroque design also makes it look beautiful from the inside.

You can take a walk around the cathedral to admire its beauty and spend some time inside in its peaceful and tranquil environment.

After spending about 30 minutes in the Cathedral, we walked to the Gutenberg Museum, which was just a few steps away.

About Gutenberg Museum

The Gutenberg Museum is one of the oldest printing and writing museums in the world. Its main attractions include two copies of the Gutenberg Bible, the oldest book printed with movable type, and a temporary exhibition on typography and book design. The museum was founded in 1900 by the citizens of Mainz on the occasion of Johannes Gutenberg’s 500th birthday to make his inventions and works of art known to a wider audience.

During your visit, you can also attend a demonstration (called Vorführung in German), during which the museum staff will demonstrate the workings of the printing press. The museum also houses a souvenir shop that sells unique items worth buying and taking home.

You can spend an hour or more in the museum, depending on your interest.

After the museum visit, we walked around the city. We explored St. Augustine’s Church (an 18th-century church with beautiful interiors), St. Stephen’s Church, Fastnachtsbrunnen ( a fountain on Schillerplatz), and the Sanctuary of Isis and Magna Mater.

About the Sanctuary of Isis and the Magna Mater:

The Sanctuary of Isis and the Magna Mater was a sanctuary dedicated to Isis and the Magna Mater (Egyptian and Green goddesses). The temple was founded during the 1st century and remained active until at least the 3rd century. During the construction of a shopping arcade (now called Römerpassage) in the city centre, remains of this ancient building were unearthed. This led to excavations, which led to the finding of many objects from ancient times. Today, the remains of the building, selected finds, and a multimedia framework presentation can be viewed in a small museum in the basement of the Römerpassage. Access is free, but visitors can make a small donation to support the upkeep of the site.

All the above-mentioned places are located pretty close to each other and can be easily reached on foot. If you plan to see these places, put them in the same order, as mentioned above, on Google Maps and explore them.

Then, it was lime for lunch. We had a delicious Mexican lunch in the city centre, in a restaurant named El Burro and I’ve posted my review here.

After lunch, we walked a bit more and explored the Landesmuseum Mainz and Mainz State Theater.

If you wish, you can take a Guided Tour to learn about all these places from a local. Another fun experience in Mainz is the Guided Hotrod City Starter Tour, in which you can drive the Hotrod past the ancient Mainz Citadel, cross the Theodor-Heuss Bridge, and explore the famous city district.

We ended our day at Mainz along the river. The area around the river is lovely, and there is a walking/cycling path along the river. We spent an hour relaxing after a busy day walking and exploring the city.