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Mainz vs. Frankfurt

Mainz vs. Frankfurt

Old Mar 7, 2013, 6:37 pm
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Mainz vs. Frankfurt

Greetings. My wife and I will be flying through FRA for about 24 hours in the middle of May. We get in around 10 AM on a Monday and fly out at 11 on a Tuesday. I did a search and found several threads asking for advice about what to for in FRA for a day. One of the more common suggestions I saw was the city of Mainz. Just wanted to get some insight from the board as to which one might be better for us.

It seems as though Mainz has a lot of things to offer that we would enjoy such as museums, cathedral, ruins, etc... What about fine dining and wine? We enjoy both so that would be a bonus is we could experience a nice restaurant and/or wine bars/tastings etc... Logistically, it seems that Mainz would be easy to get to from FRA by train pretty inexpensively.

I'm not too familiar with either city so just wanted some advice as to which might be better for us. Thanks in advance. Any other places near FRA I should be looking at?
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Old Mar 7, 2013, 9:16 pm
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From what you describe, Mainz would be the better choice IMHO. There is less to do and see than in Frankfurt, but more than enough for one day.

Overall it will be a more relaxed experience, with lots of bars and restaurants to choose from. (I especially remember a very nice lunch on a sunny spring/summer day on one of the hotel terraces along the river - I think it was a Hyatt (?)...)
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Old Mar 7, 2013, 9:29 pm
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I've stayed at the Hyatt in Mainz in the winter (PHOTOS)and enjoyed watching the barge traffic go by from their lounge. I did take some city photos on an Easter visit a few years ago and they're HERE. I walked across the river on that visit and had a beer at a small outdoor beer garden. Gorgeous weather on that visit.

I was in Frankfurt again last week, arriving around 4pm before departing the next morning, and to me it's more of a shopping town. Yes, there's a church or two, and the restored town square, but Mainz just seems to have more to offer when the weather is nice and you want to be outdoors.

Can't really help on dining options.
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Old Mar 8, 2013, 1:39 am
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I think Mainz is much better for a short visit than Frankfurt. Mainz has a lot of the charm of a small German city. It's easily walkable and has a number of sightseeing possibilities. I find Frankfurt large and impersonal. Of course, there are some nice areas in Frankfurt, but Mainz simply gives me a better feeling!

It is really very convenient to the airport, as well.
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Old Mar 8, 2013, 1:45 am
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Definitely Mainz. A lovely little place. I used to go there a lot in the late 80s and throughout the 90s. Good to walk around. An interesting place to eat is the Heilig Geist. And a nice little bar we used to go to was called Dr. Flotte. But the bottom line is it is much nicer in Mainz than Frankfurt imho.
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Old Mar 8, 2013, 7:32 am
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Thanks for the feedback and thanks especially for the links to the photos tom911. Looks like and sounds like a great little city that will be perfect for us!
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Old Mar 8, 2013, 9:07 am
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The amount of time OP is planning to spend in Mainz is pretty much perfect. A few years ago I had about two nights (or was it 3, I can't recall) in FRA before meeting up with a group, and I decided to spend them in Mainz for a change of scenery. It was pleasant, but I recall it was a bit too long whereas one day and night is sufficient to get a good feel for the place.

Also, getting to/from Mainz is as fast and simple as one could imagine.
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Old Aug 20, 2013, 1:41 pm
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WOW. ..there are a lot of threads about long layovers in FRA. Takes a while to get through them all

I have a 13 hour layover in FRA coming up next weekend. 0900-2200, assuming I don't switch flights if availability opens up.

I have pretty much decided on Mainz/Weisbaden for something to do during the day...then I see this:


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23723615


Germany's Deutsche Bahn warned over Mainz rail chaos
.... because of travel chaos at Mainz, a major hub on the Rhine.

For weeks Mainz station near Frankfurt has drastically reduced services because of a shortage of signal staff.
...
Many local trains to and from Mainz have been cut from the timetable, disrupting life for thousands of commuters.

DB has promised to get Mainz rail services back to normal before the end of this month.
Any input from someone local about the actual operation of the train service...not that the media would ever exaggerate.

Obviously, I am just interested in the S Bahn service between FRA and Mainz/Weisbaden. I have plenty of time, but just wondering how chaotic the train service really is...and if maybe a trip into Frankfurt would be a better choice?

I spent a couple days in Frankfurt 2 years ago, so would prefer to go the opposite direction if not too crazy.

Opinions?
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Old Aug 20, 2013, 2:03 pm
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I enjoyed both cities when I was there last month. I guess that was before all of these issues mentioned in the article. If you've already seen Frankfurt then Mainz could certainly make sense. There are plenty of things to see in Mainz. The Dom was closed when I was there due to some fairly extensive renovation work. Not sure when it is due to open again. But there are several other beautiful churches in the city. And I loved the Gutenburg Museum. I would say just find out what the real train schedule is and be conservative. It's about 25 or 30 minutes from Mainz to FRA on the S-bahn.
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Old Aug 21, 2013, 4:53 am
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Originally Posted by goodeats21
Obviously, I am just interested in the S Bahn service between FRA and Mainz/Weisbaden. I have plenty of time, but just wondering how chaotic the train service really is...and if maybe a trip into Frankfurt would be a better choice?

I spent a couple days in Frankfurt 2 years ago, so would prefer to go the opposite direction if not too crazy.

Opinions?
The situation has been created by a combination of under-staffing due to cost-savings, vacations and illness at signalling control in Mainz.

The situation is much better now, but still not back to normal. Just expect delays and/or problems. You might want to check the webpage of the RMV which is the public transport network covering Frankfurt and Mainz.

In any case, Mainz is really worth going.
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Old Aug 21, 2013, 9:02 am
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Well, of course now that I have researched a fun day in Weisbaden and Mainz...award availability opened up. I now have a much shorter layover in FRA, so just going to hang out at the FCL.

Thanks for the input.
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Old Aug 21, 2013, 9:31 am
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Murphy's law. If you would not have investigated, then you would have ended up killing the time in Frankfurt and/or Mainz.
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Old Aug 22, 2013, 2:31 am
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I'd also recommend Mainz, definetely. It is areally beautiful city. Although there are lots of delays in the railway service at the moment - kind of a scandal in Germany right now
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Old Jun 6, 2014, 4:34 am
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Delays!

Originally Posted by tylerclark
I'd also recommend Mainz, definetely. It is areally beautiful city. Although there are lots of delays in the railway service at the moment - kind of a scandal in Germany right now
Does anyone knows if these rail problems have been addressed? Thanks
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Old Jun 6, 2014, 8:52 am
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Originally Posted by klakhav
Does anyone knows if these rail problems have been addressed? Thanks
Yes, they have. The problem was more than half of the employees in the main control room in Mainz were sick, on vacation, or away from work for other reasons, and there were not enough trained people to man the controls. Therefore, for a couple of months some trains could not stop in Mainz.

These problems have been addressed. There is currently some construction work going on on some of the lines around Mainz, but as far as I can tell, there are no problems on the line to FRA.
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