Mainz: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Mainz was the seat of the most powerful archbishop in the Empire, and around 1450 a goldsmith's son named Johannes Gutenberg printed his Bible here with movable type. This walk stays within a few hundred metres of the cathedral: the market under it, the museum of print and a medieval hospital by the Rhine. About two hours with the museum; Saturdays add the market and its wine stands.

A short history of Mainz

In 13 or 12 BC Drusus built a military camp called Mogontiacum opposite the mouth of the Main where it joins the Rhine. In the 8th century Boniface became archbishop of the city, and the archbishops of Mainz were imperial electors and among the most powerful men in Germany. The Jews who lived here from the 10th century formed, together with Speyer and Worms, the ShUM communities, and Rabbeinu Gershom, "Light of the Exile", was active in the city; in 1096 many of them were massacred by the Crusaders. Around 1450 Johannes Gutenberg developed printing with metal type here. In 1950 Mainz became the capital of Rhineland-Palatinate, and in 2021 the ShUM sites were inscribed on the World Heritage List.

The ten best sights in Mainz

1
Mainz Cathedral
A thousand-year-old red sandstone cathedral; free, closed to tourists during Mass
2
Gutenberg Museum
Gutenberg Bibles and early presses; the museum is in temporary rooms while its home is rebuilt
3
St Stephen's Church
Marc Chagall's blue windows; go on a sunny afternoon
4
New Synagogue Mainz
Striking ceramic building of 2010; services and visits by arrangement
5
Judensand (Old Jewish Cemetery)
Part of the ShUM UNESCO site; gravestones from the 11th century on
6
Electoral Palace
Red sandstone Renaissance palace of the archbishop-electors, on the Rhine
7
Landesmuseum Mainz
Regional art and archaeology from Roman to modern
8
Museum of Ancient Seafaring
Real Roman warships found in Mainz, and full-size replicas; free
9
Isis and Mater Magna Sanctuary
Roman temple shown under a shopping mall; small, free, surprising
10
Worms Synagogue (Rashi Shul)
40 minutes south: the Worms part of ShUM, with the medieval mikveh

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Tours in Mainz →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Mainz:

Free walking tours in Mainz

Gutenberg's city

Market Square · On Saturdays from spring to autumn, Mainz holds its Marktfrühstück, a market breakfast of local wine and sausage in a roll in front of the cathedral. Winemakers from Rheinhessen, Germany's largest wine region, pour by the glass.
Mainz Cathedral · Archbishop Willigis began it in 975, and the story goes that it burned down on the very day of its consecration in 1009. Seven German kings were crowned in it, and archbishops' tombs line its pillars.
Leichhof · This small square behind the cathedral gives the best full view of its towers, which is why painters set up here. The name recalls the cathedral's old burial ground.
Gutenberg Print Shop · The museum's hands-on print shop on Liebfrauenplatz lets you set type and pull a page on a replica press. It is the quickest way to understand what Gutenberg actually invented: not printing, but metal letters cast to be reused.
Gutenberg Museum · The museum owns copies of the 42-line Gutenberg Bible, printed around 1455, of which only about 49 survive anywhere. While its old building is replaced, the collection is shown in temporary rooms nearby.
Heilig-Geist-Spital · Built around 1236, it is one of the oldest surviving hospital buildings in Germany, a hall where the poor and sick were cared for. It now houses a restaurant under the original vaults.

Magenza and ShUM

In the Middle Ages Mainz was Magenza, one of the three great Jewish communities of the Rhine with Speyer and Worms, known together by their Hebrew initials as ShUM. Rabbenu Gershom taught here around the year 1000, and his rulings, including the ban on taking more than one wife, still bind Ashkenazi Jewry. In 2021 the ShUM sites became a UNESCO World Heritage site. This route visits Jewish Mainz and then drives 40 minutes to Worms, where Rashi studied; allow a full day.

St Stephen's Church · Between 1978 and 1985 Marc Chagall, then in his nineties, made nine blue windows for this church, his only church windows in Germany. The priest Klaus Mayer persuaded him, and Chagall saw them as a sign of Jewish-Christian reconciliation; they are full of Hebrew Bible scenes.
New Synagogue Mainz · It stands on the site of the main synagogue burned in November 1938, and opened in 2010. The architect Manuel Herz shaped it after the Hebrew word kedushah, holiness, its letters rising as the roof.
Judensand (Old Jewish Cemetery) · One of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in Europe, with stones going back to the 11th century, and a part of the ShUM UNESCO site since 2021. A memorial stone here honours Rabbenu Gershom Me'or ha-Golah, the Light of the Exile.
Worms Synagogue (Rashi Shul) · The synagogue goes back to 1034, was destroyed in 1938 and rebuilt in 1961 from the surviving stones. Beside it are the women's prayer hall and a mikveh from 1186, stepping down to groundwater.
Rashi House, Worms · Rashi came from Troyes to study in the yeshivot of Worms and Mainz in the 11th century. The Jewish Museum of Worms stands here on the site of the old community buildings, steps from the Judengasse.
Heiliger Sand, Worms · Its oldest dated stone is from 1058-59, making it the oldest Jewish cemetery in Europe still in place. Visitors leave notes and pebbles on the graves of the Maharam of Rothenburg and of Alexander ben Salomo Wimpfen, who ransomed his body from prison.

Roman Mogontiacum

Mainz began as Mogontiacum, a Roman legionary fortress founded around 13 BC to watch the Rhine and the Germanic tribes across it. It became the capital of the province of Upper Germania, and its Roman remains turn up every time someone digs. This walk links a temple under a mall, a general's monument, a theatre and real Roman warships. About two and a half hours, with one short climb to the citadel.

Isis and Mater Magna Sanctuary · Builders found it in 1999 while digging the Römerpassage shopping centre, and the temple was preserved in the basement. Offerings and curse tablets scratched with requests to the goddess are on show.
Augustinerstraße · The old town south of the cathedral came through the bombing of 1945 better than most of Mainz. This lane of baroque and half-timbered houses gives a feel for the city before the war.
Citadel and Drusus Stone · The stone core inside the 17th-century citadel is the Drususstein, a memorial raised after the general Drusus died in 9 BC on campaign in Germania. It is among the oldest Roman structures standing in Germany.
Roman Theatre · Excavations from the late 1990s uncovered the largest Roman theatre known north of the Alps, with room for about 10,000. The railway station beside it was renamed after it.
Museum of Ancient Seafaring · In 1981-82 builders digging foundations for a hotel by the Rhine hit the wrecks of Roman ships from the late 4th century. The surviving hulls are shown here next to full-size reconstructions.
Rhine Riverbank · From here you see why the Romans chose the spot: the Main flows into the Rhine just opposite. They bridged the river too, to a fort on the far bank where Mainz-Kastel stands today.

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Getting to Mainz and getting around

Frankfurt Airport · Germany's biggest airport, about 25 minutes by S-Bahn or car
Mainz Central Station · Trains along the Rhine and to Frankfurt; 15 minutes' walk to the cathedral
KD Rhine Boat Pier · Day boats down the Rhine to Rüdesheim and the castles, April to October

Cheap eats in Mainz

Mainz is a wine city first: Rheinhessen, the vineyard country around it, is the largest wine region in Germany, and the city drinks its wine in big glasses called Schoppen. The local food is simple and goes with it: Fleischwurst sausage, Spundekäs cheese dip with pretzels, and Handkäs, a tangy cheese with onions. The cheapest good meal is at the Saturday market under the cathedral.

Saturday Marktfrühstück · Wine by the glass and a sausage roll, about €3-6 each
Barbarossa Bäckerei · Bakery near the market; pretzel or roll about €1-4
Dom-Café · Coffee and cake beside the cathedral, about €5-9
Café Dinges · Café by the market, breakfast about €8-14
Altstadt Café · Old-town café, light lunch about €8-13
Eiscafé Florenz · Ice cream in the old town, about €2-3 a scoop

Museums in Mainz

Gutenberg Museum · Gutenberg Bibles in temporary rooms; check opening
New Synagogue Mainz · Modern synagogue on the old site; visits by arrangement
Museum of Ancient Seafaring · Roman warships, free entry
Landesmuseum Mainz · Roman stones and regional art
Isis and Mater Magna Sanctuary · Roman temple under a mall
Electoral Palace · Palace façade on the Rhine; carnival sessions are held here

Nature and day trips near Mainz

Rhine Riverbank · Sunset walk where the Main meets the Rhine
Volkspark · Big city park above the river; playgrounds and lawns
Citadel and Drusus Stone · Green walls and a view over the roofs
Niederwald Monument · Vineyards and the Rhine gorge from above Rüdesheim
Kurhaus Wiesbaden · Spa park across the river, 20 minutes away

Things to do in Mainz with kids

Gutenberg Print Shop · Set type and print your own page
Carnival Fountain · Spot figures from the Mainz carnival
Museum of Ancient Seafaring · Climb-around Roman ship replicas
Volkspark · Playgrounds and space to run
KD Rhine Boat Pier · A boat trip down the Rhine

Where to eat in Mainz

Weinhaus Bluhm · Classic old-town wine house; local wine and simple dishes
Weinstube Hottum · Tiny wine room; arrive early or share a table
Heilig-Geist-Spital · Dinner under 13th-century vaults
Kirschgarten · Old-town square with wine bars for a last glass

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Frequently asked questions about Mainz

What is there to see in Mainz?

The top sights in Mainz are Mainz Cathedral, Gutenberg Museum and St Stephen's Church. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Mainz?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Mainz without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Mainz?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Mainz, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Gutenberg's city.

How do you get to Mainz and get around?

The main ways are Frankfurt Airport, Mainz Central Station and KD Rhine Boat Pier. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Mainz, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Mainz that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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