Mainz in 4 days
A ready route for 4 days in Mainz: the main sights grouped by area, so you don't walk back and forth. Each day opens on the map with all its stops.
Old Town & Cathedral
7 places · about 4,5 h of sightseeing · 1,9 km between them
Morning
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Zitadelle Mainz (Mainz Citadel)A large 17th-century star-fort complex with Roman remnants inside its grounds and good vantage points over the city.
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St. Stephan's Church (Stephanskirche)A Gothic hilltop church world-famous for its deep-blue stained-glass windows, designed in the artist's final years by Marc Chagall.
Afternoon
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Mainzer Dom (Mainz Cathedral)1000-year-old Romanesque cathedral with a Baroque tower and cloister, famous for its finely carved tomb slabs of the prince-archbishops.
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Kirschgarten (Old Town square)A picturesque historic square with beautifully preserved half-timbered houses dating to the 15th century and a small fountain — one of the prettiest corners of the Altstadt.
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Gutenberg MuseumA museum of the history of printing, home to two surviving Gutenberg Bibles — the 15th-century invention of movable-type printing that began right here in Mainz.
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Fastnachtsbrunnen (Carnival Fountain)A large bronze fountain near Schillerplatz covered in over 200 figures celebrating Mainz's famous Fastnacht (Carnival) tradition.
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Kurfürstliches Schloss (Electoral Palace)The former residential palace of the prince-electors of Mainz, with a striking Renaissance-and-Baroque red-sandstone facade.
Route of the day: Google Maps Apple Maps
Museums & Culture
4 places · about 4,5 h of sightseeing · 0,9 km between them
Morning
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Landesmuseum Mainz (State Museum)One of the oldest museums in Germany, with a broad collection spanning Roman antiquity to modern art.
Afternoon
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Isis- und Mater-Magna-Heiligtum (Sanctuary of Isis and Magna Mater)An underground archaeological site beneath a modern shopping center, showing the excavated remains of a Roman temple to Isis and Magna Mater.
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Naturhistorisches Museum Mainz (Natural History Museum)The largest natural history museum in Rhineland-Palatinate, with exhibits on regional paleontology, geology, zoology and ecology.
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Museum für Antike Schifffahrt (Museum of Ancient Seafaring)A branch of the Roman-Germanic Central Museum with full-size reconstructions of genuine Roman river warships — currently closed for modernization.
Route of the day: Google Maps Apple Maps
Green & Modern Mainz
3 places · about 4,5 h of sightseeing · 8,8 km between them
Morning
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Mainz Volkspark
A large contemporary family park in the southern part of the city, with wide lawns, playgrounds, mini-golf and a dedicated rose garden.
Afternoon
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Botanischer Garten der Johannes Gutenberg-UniversitätA large university botanical garden and arboretum with over 8,000 plant species, themed zones, ponds and glasshouses.
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Gonsenheimer Wildpark
A family-friendly open forest park with animal enclosures for deer, wild boar and native birds in the Gonsenheim district.
Route of the day: Google Maps Apple Maps
Second Round — more of the city
9 places · about 4 h of sightseeing · 8,0 km between them
Morning
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Mainzer Sand Nature Reserve
A rare, protected sandy-steppe nature reserve with drought-resistant plants and habitats found almost nowhere else in the region.
Afternoon
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Römisches Theater (Roman Theater)The largest known Roman theater north of the Alps, uncovered in the 20th century right beside the main train station.
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SchillerplatzA lively historic square dominated by the Carnival Fountain, surrounded by historic townhouses and outdoor cafe seating.
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Eisenturm (Iron Tower)A 13th-century stone gate tower near the old shopping streets, part of the medieval city fortifications.
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AugustinerstraßeThe most picturesque historic shopping street in Mainz, lined with boutiques, historic facades, and cozy wine taverns.
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Mainz City Hall (Rathaus)A striking piece of 1970s Nordic Modernist architecture by Arne Jacobsen, with a distinctive blue-granite facade right on the Rhine bank.
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Holzturm (Wood Tower)Another surviving medieval fortification tower on the Rhine bank, once used as a watchtower and temporary prison.
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Theodor-Heuss-BrückeA historic arched bridge across the Rhine linking Mainz to the Wiesbaden-Kastel district, with pedestrian paths and river views.
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Zollhafen Mainz
A modern waterfront redevelopment turning a historic industrial harbor into a stylish residential and leisure district along the Rhine.
Route of the day: Google Maps Apple Maps
Good to know
When to go
Spring and early autumn are best for the city and the vineyards around it.
Book ahead
Zitadelle Mainz (Mainz Citadel), St. Stephan's Church (Stephanskirche), Mainzer Dom (Mainz Cathedral), Kirschgarten (Old Town square), Gutenberg Museum, Fastnachtsbrunnen (Carnival Fountain), Kurfürstliches Schloss (Electoral Palace), Landesmuseum Mainz (State Museum), Isis- und Mater-Magna-Heiligtum (Sanctuary of Isis and Magna Mater), Naturhistorisches Museum Mainz (Natural History Museum), Museum für Antike Schifffahrt (Museum of Ancient Seafaring), Mainz Volkspark, Botanischer Garten der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Gonsenheimer Wildpark, Mainzer Sand Nature Reserve, Römisches Theater (Roman Theater), Schillerplatz, Eisenturm (Iron Tower), Augustinerstraße, Mainz City Hall (Rathaus), Holzturm (Wood Tower), Theodor-Heuss-Brücke, Zollhafen Mainz
Closed days
- Landesmuseum Mainz (State Museum) — closed: Monday
- Isis- und Mater-Magna-Heiligtum (Sanctuary of Isis and Magna Mater) — closed: Sunday
- Museum für Antike Schifffahrt (Museum of Ancient Seafaring) — closed: Monday
Want times, places to eat and a plan for your own dates?
In your own plan:
- exact times for each day, checked against the opening hours on your dates
- places to eat near every stop, in three budgets
- your flights, hotel, kids and pace taken into account