These Mainz walking tours are self-guided and great:

http://www.mainz.de/WGAPublisher/onl...uz-5u6gql.en.0

I did the Museums, Churches and Palaces one and had a good day. The starting point is not too far from the Haupt Bahnhof. I didn't need a big meal, but the tour took me past a variety of interesting-looking restaurants.

These walking tours look great. Thanks for posting the link.

If travel plans hold together, I will head to Mainz during a FRA layover this weekend and use one of these guides.

Just a note of thanks again for the walking tour link. I used them for a general guide to the area during a recent layover and they were very helpful.

I just posted about the layover on a trip report I am putting together, including some pictures from Mainz.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/23321741-post14.html

Any idea how much is the cost for UBER BLACK ride from Hyatt Regency Mainz to the LH FCT at FRA airport?

If you're gong to use Uber to/from the airport, there are some countryside castle hotels that I would suggest instead for a single night and good dinner near the airport. Mainz is a nice town to stroll around, but part of its attraction is the convenient train service to/from FRA.

Another small town alternative, in addition to Wiesbaden, is the wine village of Rudesheim, although I think the hotel choices there are more limited.

No idea about UBER who have a lot of problems with the legality or otherwise of their operations here atm.

From the HR Mainz it's about 800 m walk to the station called Mainz Römisches Theater and from there about 25 mins on the S-Bahn to FRA.

Cost per person one-way € 4,55.

A regular (cream-coloured) taxi would probably cost around € 80.

Cheapest way I have ever got there was bumming a lift on the Gulfair crewbus from the Hilton up the road from the HR. Cost nothing.

between 45 - 59 € considering uber-website.

Mainz hotels for a 21-hour FRA layover?
 

In 2 weeks, we arrive FRA from MAD 3:45 pm, depart for ORD next day at 1:00 p.m. Mainz looks like an interesting alternative to the FRA hotels (I did HGI its first week open, years back)...given the shortening days, I suspect we'd have time only to have a nice dinner the evening of our arrival, and do 1-2 hours of walking the next day before taking train back to FRA - does this sound worth it? If so, hotel recommendations in Mainz please - I have Hilton, SPG and Marriott points to spare, but would consider cold hard cash for an interesting alternative.

Why not go to Wiesbaden? The Nassauer Hof is a very nice hotel, and Wiesbaden as a city is at least as interesting as Mainz. Or you could try one of the nice hotels northwest of Frankfurt, including Schlosshotel Kronberg or Villa Rothschild. You're not going to do much more than a dinner and a stroll, as you say, so why not make it about a nice stay in the hotel? There is no great hotel in Mainz. The Hyatt is probably the best, but nothing special.

In my experience living five years in Mainz, the S-Bahn and regional trains (RE) are more reliable than the express trains. This of course is also true from Frankfurt.

Depending on the location of your hotel, Mainz is about 10 minutes longer train ride to the airport then from Frankfurt. But it's well worth it. It's lovely to take a walk along the river, or just sit in the main square under the cathedral having a beer or a glass of wine. Try the Weinhaus Schreiner for dinner, and don't miss the Gutenberg museum in the center of town-it has an original Gutenberg Bible and many incredible illustrated manuscripts. Another popular tourist attraction in Mainz and well worth seeing are the Chagall stained-glass windows in Saint Stephen's Church. Finally, Mainz has a ridiculous number of Roman ruins and there are museums devoted to the ships etc. that were found in Mainz, and the former Mainz South train station is actually a Roman amphitheater that can be viewed from the platform, so that that (RE, S) station is now called "Römisches Theater".

Enjoy your time there!

Thanks for the input - I'll report back after our trip.

I agree. In Mainz, you would go to a typical German restaurant for typical German food and wine. However, the Nassauer Hof and Schlosshotel Kronberg have excellent restaurants. (I've never stayed at Villa Rothschild so I don't know about that one.) The difference is that in Wiesbaden you would be in the center of town (but a very short taxi ride from the train station if you have luggage), where you could walk to the casino and park, plus downtown shops, while the castle is somewhat isolated (and a longer than expected ride from the airport along mostly secondary roads and through some villages).