Mainz

Altstadt

Old town

Characterized by its well-preserved half-timbered houses and narrow, winding alleyways. This area serves as the atmospheric heart of the city, blending medieval architecture with vibrant local shops, traditional wine taverns, and historic landmarks like the Augustinerkirche.

Augustinerkirche

A prominent example of Rococo architecture, featuring a distinctive red sandstone façade that contrasts with the surrounding buildings. It was built in the late 18th century as part of an Augustinian monastery, and is one of the few churches in the Mainz Old Town to survive the bombings of 1945 largely intact, preserving its ornate interior and a rare original Stumm organ.

Mon-Fri 08:00-17:00, Sat 09:00-14:00

Christuskirche

Christ Church

Built between 1896 and 1903 in Renaissance Revival style, this Protestant church features a massive dome designed as a counterbalance to the Catholic cathedral. Guided tours, including the tower, are available by appointment, though tower access is closed from March to mid-August to protect nesting peregrine falcons. The church offers a special visitor program on the Open Heritage Day (Tag des offenen Denkmals), held annually on the second Sunday of September.

Sat-Thu 11:00-17:00, Fri 12:00-18:00

City Hall

Rathaus Mainz

The city hall was built in the early 1970s by Danish architects, who used many tons of Swedish marble for the façade. Considered modern at the time it was built, the city hall is not very popular today – many consider it too monumental, some even ugly. From the extensive city hall platform there is a beautiful view on the Rhine promenade and the river.

Deutschhaus

Commandry of the Teutonic Knights

This Baroque palace was built between 1729 and 1740 as a residence for the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights. After being largely destroyed during World War II, the exterior was reconstructed, and the interior was modernised to serve as the plenary building for the Landtag (state parliament) of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is historically significant as the site of Germany's first democratically elected parliament in 1793.

Dom St. Martin

Mainz Cathedral

A 1,000-year-old Romanesque cathedral featuring a double-chancel design and numerous funerary monuments of former Prince-Electors. The interior and the associated cathedral museum house religious artworks spanning a millennium of the city's history. Public tours are held on the last Saturday of each month (registration via [email protected]).

Mon-Sat 09:00-17:00, Sun 13:00-17:00

Gutenberg Museum

There are reconstructions of print shops and Gutenberg's hand press, an exhibition of incunabula, and the first two Gutenberg bibles are on display in a strong room. They also have a section devoted to the Far East with colored woodcarvings and prints from Japan, China and Korea. There is even an exhibition on the electronic future of books. Most displays have an English translation. You can purchase a guide in several different languages with your admission. Every hour or so, someone demonstrates how Gutenberg`s hand press works by printing a bible page on a replica of the press. Watching this demonstration is included in the entry fee.

Tue-Sat 09:00-17:00, Sun 11:00-15:00·Adults €5, children 8 - 18 years €2, students €3

Kurfürstliches Schloss

Electoral Palace

The former city residence of the Archbishops of Mainz, this building is a notable example of German Renaissance architecture. Following extensive destruction during World War II, the exterior was reconstructed. While the palace is primarily an administrative and event venue and not open for general public interior tours, its historic façade and the surrounding grounds are visible from the outside.

Landesmuseum

State Museum Mainz

The Department of Antiquities traces the cultural history of the Rhineland from prehistory to the present.

Museum für Antike Schifffahrt

Museum of Ancient Navigation

Unique to Mainz is this museum, which contains the remains of five 5th-century Roman warship wrecks salvaged from the Rhine in the 1980s. True-to-life replicas were re-constructed based on these originals. Visitors also have the opportunity to glimpse behind the scenes in the research laboratory and in the museum’s workshops. These ships were found when the local Hilton was expanding its property.

closed until late autumn 2026·Free

Old Jewish Cemetery

Part of the UNESCO World Heritage site "SchUM Cities of Speyer, Worms and Mainz," this cemetery has served as a final resting place since the 10th century. For safety reasons, the interior of the historic burial ground is generally closed to the public. However, the site is visually accessible from along the perimeter fence, and the lower section offers an overview of the gravestones. Guided tours providing deeper insight into its history are available and must be booked in advance via the official city website.

River Banks

Stretching from the Zollhafen in the north to the Winterhafen in the south, the Rhine promenade is the city's primary outdoor leisure area. In the summer months, the banks transform into a vibrant social hub featuring beach clubs, beer gardens, and scenic walking paths. It is a popular destination for evening strolls, after-work drinks, and enjoying panoramic views of the river.

Sankt Ignaz

Completed in 1775, this Neoclassical hall church features an impressive sandstone facade modelled after the Parisian church of Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais. It is notable for its vaulted ceilings painted by Johann Baptist Enderle and a historic crypt containing over 190 "baker's oven" graves.

Schillerplatz

One of the city's central squares, this location features an ensemble of historic buildings, such as the rococo-style Osteiner Hof and the Schönborner Hof. The square is dominated by the Fastnachtsbrunnen, a bronze sculptural fountain designed by Blasius Spreng in 1967 that depicts traditional carnival figures and allegorical scenes. It serves as a major social hub, particularly during the carnival season, and is a key starting point for exploring the historic streets of the Old Town.

Stephanskirche

Church of St. Stephan

Founded in 990 and rebuilt as a Gothic hall church between 1267 and 1340, this is the city's second most significant church and features a distinctive double-choir layout. While its Baroque interior was lost in the 19th century and the original vaults were replaced by a flat wooden ceiling after World War II, it remains notable for its large octagonal bell tower and late-Gothic cloister. Visited in part for its world-famous blue windows by Marc Chagall. St. Stephan is world-renowned for its nine blue stained-glass windows created by Marc Chagall, which depict biblical scenes and bathe the interior in a unique blue light. The church closes to visitors during weddings, which frequently take place on Saturdays between 13:45 and 15:00; as these are only announced in the local parish bulletin, they cannot be checked online in advance.

Mar-Oct: Mon-Sat 10:00-18:00, Sun 12:00-18:00; Nov-Feb: Mon-Sat 10:00-16:30, Sun 12:00-16:30

The Sacred Site of Isis- Mater Magna

A few years ago, when a shopping centre now named Römerpassage ("Roman Shopping Way") was built, the construction workers found the remnants of what used to be a temple in the Roman city of Mainz. So, nowadays, you can visit this site inside the shopping centre. It's surrounded by a quite interesting exhibition about the religious purpose of the Isis site.

Mon-Sat 10:00-18:00·Free of charge

Theodor-Heuss-Brücke

The Rhine Bridge

This is one of three Rhine bridges that connect Mainz with Wiesbaden and the state of Hesse. Like almost all other German Rhine bridges, the former bridge had been destroyed in World War II. The bridge was rebuilt in the early 1950s and named after the first president of the Federal Republic of Germany, Theodor Heuss. Kastel, a former Mainz suburb and several other villages on the right side of the Rhine, have been separated from the city after the war, as the Rhine was the border between the French and American occupation sectors. Even today, Kastel, Kostheim, Amöneburg, Ginsheim, Gustavsburg and the other former suburbs consider themselves part of Mainz, although they are administered by Wiesbaden and Hesse.

Bischöfliches Dom-und Diözesanmuseum Mainz

Cathedral museum & treasury, church art.

Museum für Archäologie

Museum of Archaeology

The former Roman-Germanic Central Museum.

To reopen in 2027·Free

Naturhistorisches Museum

Museum of Natural History

Reichklarastraße 10