Cologne vs Mainz for tourism
 

Meeting a friend in Germany for a few days. Both towns are equidistant from them. Original plan was to go to Cologne but there is a huge event at the same time and a lot of the hotels are selling out. I've taken a look at Mainz but don't really know much about it? Is there a big difference in what each has to offer?

Indeed there is quite a big event happening in Koln soon (Carnival!!). I lived in Bonn for a couple years recently and having been to both cities I would offer you a new recommendation, Koblenz. There are a couple really nice museums there and fort Ehrenbreitstein which sits looking out over the Rhein.

That being said if you are interested in large street parties and dressing up then Koln might be the best option for you. If Hotels are expensive their you could get something in Bonn (which is a neighbouring city, but kind of a suburb) and a simple intercity train gets you to the centre of Koln in 20mins. NB Koln/Bonn share the same airport which is between them in case you are flying in.

Carnival happens in Mainz too. I would go with Colgne, but both cities are totally crazy at carnival-time

Well Karneval is still a few days off over here and the peak time will be during the five days from Thursday 12 Feb.

If you are from NCL/LBA (or anyhwere else for that matter) you will find things very strange in both Cologne and Mainz during that period (or anywhere else along the Rhine). Karneval is a fairly idiosynchratic experience.

Possibly you are even talking about a different/earlier time and hotel price hikes can be caused by trade fairs and exhibitions.

What are you planned travel dates?

This information could help throw some light on the issue and for some of us to give you better advice.

Carnival is just as big in Mainz as it is in Cologne. Together with Düsseldorf these are the "Big 3", and there are many more. People from outside Germany seem to know about Cologne and nothing else.

Thanks for all the replys. Isn't actually karneval time. Just a business convention in Cologne most likely. Actually booked everything now.. Doing mainz when cologne is busy and cologne for 2 days after that. Will be nice to get to experience both places.

I'd compromise and go to Bonn, which is a very pleasant, interesting, and convenient small city. You can easily take the train or streetcar to Koln to see the cathedral, which is the main attraction (plus a few other old churches and parts of the old town wall and of course a downtown pedestrian shopping zone) or go in the other direction to see the castles between Koblenz and Mainz.

Assuming that you arrive in Bonn by train, be careful about which train station you use. The older main (Hbf = hauptbahnhof) station is in the very center of Bonn and is the hub for local public transportation. The new station for the fast trains is across the river and almost at the edge of the suburban area. It's an expensive taxi ride to the center and you would probably want to use a taxi to get to your hotel, even if it's in the very center (versus many hotels being easily walkable from the Bonn Hbf.) IIRC the long distance trains along the Rhein (north-south trunk lines) seem to alternate between the two stations, with hourly direct service from FRA, and you *might* need to have a ticket for the correct station. [The last time I did this, there was also an issue with the train station at Mainz which resulted in some trains being diverted to a suburban station on the other side of the river, but that seemed to be a temporary construction/track work thing, so it should be easy to go to the Mainz Hbf to be in the interesting center of that small city.]

Good to hear. I am actually sitting in Mainz atm!

When travelling between Mainz and Cologne do try to go on the train (the one stopping in Koblenz on the way, and not the more expensive high-speed Frankfurt-Cologne). This basically takes you up to Cologne all along the Rhine valley and views out of the window, sitting on the right side of the train in the direction of travel are great).