Trains to Mainz Hbf

Mainz train station

Mainz train station is on the south-western edge of the Neustadt district of Mainz, bordering the mighty Rhine river. From the outside, the neo-renaissance building, which dates back to 1884, looks pretty impressive. It has an imposing but classic facade at the front, and graceful columns and arches leading into the interior from the rear of the building. Inside, however, it’s a different story! A 2003 restoration has resulted in a sparkling and contemporary station building, which can now boast of being one of the most modern in Germany. The station, with four platforms and seven tracks, hosts over 100 long-distance and Inter-City Express trains, as well as 300 short-trip suburban and regional trains, every day. Trips to Mainz train station include a 25-minute ride via the S-Bahn line S8 from Frankfurt am Main Airport. Paris-Mainz takes 4h00, travelling by train from Frankfurt takes 30 minutes, and the capital, Berlin, is exactly 4h43 away. Moreover, it’s just a 9-minute walk to the pedestrianised city centre. The city’s main bus terminal is also based at the station, making it easy to hop on one of the numerous buses to the centre, and there’s a good supply of taxis too.

Main attractions near Mainz train station

For those looking to discover Mainz, there are some great sights close to the station. Just a 5-minute walk away is one of the city’s prime landmarks, the thousand-year-old Mainz Cathedral. Its six towers, made of deep red sandstone, soar over the rooftops of the Old Town, and its architecture is reckoned to represent the high point of German Romanesque architecture. Inside the crypt, visitors can pay their respects to a contemporary gold reliquary of the saints of Mainz. A few steps from the cathedral is the Gutenberg Museum, which is the city’s proud monument to the inventor of the moveable type printing press from over 600 years ago. A 15-minute walk from the station gets visitors to the Marktbrunnen, which is an ornately carved 16th-century renaissance fountain forming the centrepiece of the old market square right in the city centre.

For a taste of local delicacies, there is a thrice-weekly farmers’ market held on the plaza in front of the cathedral, and every day there are food stalls that are ideal for visitors looking for a quick bite on the move. In the same area, numerous little restaurants offer the local delicacies of creamy Spundekäs cheese, Riesling wine and the Worscht sausage that the city is famous for. Alternatively, if it’s just a case of grabbing a quick snack between trains, the retail and restaurant area inside the station has a great choice of eateries, ranging from a full sit-down meal to a Bratwurst to go, accompanied perhaps by Schöfferhofer beer, which is another of Mainz’s famous exports.