We are family of 4 (including 16 & 14 years old). Will be arriving Fankfurt airport on 9 July at about 7 am. I have booked to stay for 4 nights at the Hyatt Regency Mainz. On 13 will be returning to Fankfurt airpot for flight to Berlin at about 1 pm. Please what are the choices and cost of travel from the airport to the hotel. I have tried to check the train DB, it seems there are no direct train except the ICE costing 33 Euro for the family. The S8 to change at Raunheim!! prices does not show, though i do not like to carry 4 suit cases..
Therefore, is it easy to take a taxi to the hotel or other car service available. I would prefer it if cost is reasonable say 50 to 60 euro. If so should I agree in advance the price or as per the meter? Maybe I could check with the hotel - though it probably be more costly and sometime I am not so keen on comitment on exact timing to meet...ect., The Hyat was highly recommended by this site. It looks from their web as a very relaxing hotel. Thanks in advance for any help on suggestion.....etc,.

Starting on July 9, German Rail is doing track maintenance at the Regional Bahnhof at FRA, so the station will be closed. There will be a "shuttle" S-bahn running just from the Stadion Bahnhof on the Frankfurt side via the Fernbahnhof at FRA to the Rüsselsheim Bahnhof on the Mainz/Wiesbaden side, and the S-bahn from Mainz will only run as far as Rüsselseim. Apparently you will have to change S-bahns in Raunheim or Rüsselsheim. There will also be an SEV bus to Rüsselsheim Bahnhof from the terminal, but I am not sure where you catch it.

DB does not give fares for this route, which is part of Frankfurt transit authority, Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund. The RMV website (www.rmv.de) shows the fare from FRA to Mainz as €3.55 per adult. For under 15, it is €2,10.

According to the RMV website, there are construction works in Frankfurt Airport Regionalbahnhof from July 9 to July 30 which affect the S-Bahn route to Mainz. There is nothing to be done about that, sorry, that's bad luck indeed.
The S-Bahn fare is € 3,55 per adult and € 2,15 per child (under 15). So it's either the connection via Raunheim, but changing with a lot of luggage isn't that pleasant.
Maybe you should phone the hotel, tell them about this problem and ask for advice what to do. Perhaps they have a shuttle service at hand, especially in this unusual situation.
Sorry, can't tell about taxi fares.

Cheers Larry, simultaneous postings.

Yea, but you got the child's fare right at €2,15 (not €2,10).

I hope in this process they are going to reroute the tracks in the Regionalbf. Right now the two tracks into Frankfurt are adjacent but use different platforms which are only linked via escalators and the floor above. You must decide before going down to the tracks where the next train is coming. If they put the platform between the two tracks, you can go down one escalator and then just get on the next train, regardless of which track.

I think changing the S bahn train at Russelsheim (Opel factory city) makes sense and then try to get off at the Mainz Sud station because the Hyatt is much closer to the southern station than the Hauptbahnhof where the ICE train would drop you. The concern with taking a taxi from the airport is the morning rush hour which can make the ride an hour long instead of half an hour. At least that's what the hotel always told me everytime I asked about taking a taxi. I don't think taxi price is an issue if you're staying at the Hyatt. The Hyatt is about 30 km from the airport, many business executives take the taxi to the airport, they just allow enough time. I would go according to how you all feel when you arrive in Frankfurt.

The Hyatt is absolutely the best hotel to stay in Mainz. Their rooms vary, ask for the bigger ones and hopefully facing the river. Don't expect too much from Mainz, it's not going to be amazing/super charming, but it's fine and provides easy access to the super slow KD Rhein river boat. If you do the boat, do it going down river to St Goar and take the train back otherwise your kids will be so bored. The Rhein river cruise is not the most exciting by any means.

If you get bored with Mainz you can move to Heidelberg or Cologne/Dussedorf.

"then try to get off at the Mainz Sud station because the Hyatt is much closer to the southern station than the Hauptbahnhof where the ICE train would drop you. "

Good advice if you're walking, but plan on walking several blocks. Also, The Mainz Süd station has a new name - "Mainz Roemisches Theater". An ancient Roman theater is presently being unearthed on the west side of the station - you can walk out to the last platform and have a look for yourself.

I see you have 4 days in Mainz. See the old town area along Augustinerstrasse and the Romanesque Dom (adjacent, not too far from the Hyatt.) The Stadtpark just south of the MRT train station, the Chagall windows in the Stephanskirche and the Gutenberg Museum are among Mainz' other highlights, but overall, Mainz isn't a destination city, I'd say. Suggest you take the train to at least Bingen to see the Middle Rhein valley towns - Bacharach, Boppard, St. Goar (Rheinfels Castle ruins) and Braubach (Marksburg Castle tour) are the most interesting. You CAN take the boat from Mainz, but it's not especially scenic between Mainz and Bingen - save the cruising for the Middle Rhine instead.

we ate at donati(?) magazine restaurant and it was delightful...wonderful buffett, effecient servers, happy customers. bob thought the wiener schnitzel the best ever.

Russ has a good point about the Rhein being boring till Bingen/Rudesheim, so some people opt to train directly to those wine towns for a visit and then hop on the KD boat there. However if you're a moslem you probably would just skip the wine towns completely.

The walk to Hyatt is 7-8 minutes (4 blocks with an J shape route) passing through a movie theatre complex and shopping/office complex. I tend to recommend the restaurant called the Heiligengeist which is just 2-3 blocks north of the hotel. The Hyatt restaurant is actually quite good too.

Many thanks to all for your clarification and suggestions. Regard drinking - I already had tonight a large can of Grolsch beer and one Amstel. Here in Bahrain many people do drink. Many Saudi come to Bahrain for the drink. Therefore, the roads can be very dangerous at nights. On travel I have read last night a comment from DAX on Goslar - an area I did in the past think about it. Therefore, today I have tried to bring our travel forward to 6 July, but all flights out of Bahrain are full. I was able to book on the 8 July. Therefore, my current fixed plan is to arrive on Sunday morning the 8th. Will stay 2 nights at Hayat Mainz . On Monday will visit Frankfurt which I have not seen , will try their Apple Cider. On 10 will be taking the plane to Hannover and then take the train to Goslar. Will be staying 3 nights at "Kaiserworth". Took a package of "Hiking the Harz". On 13 will take the train to Berlin for 6 nights at the Grand Hayat. then for few days at Dresden and few days in Munich. Then to.. Zurich, Wengen, ....Crans-Montana,.. Geneva and finally to Bahrain on 9 August..

Warmest regards to all for your help.

Sounds like a great trip Ahmed. Is there anything in particular that makes you want to stay in Mainz? The Rhein cruise is rather boring unless you're just a die hard Loreley pilgrim. If you are just looking to rest a day or two upon arrival and wish to see Frankfurt, I would recommend staying at the Frankfurter Hof, a flagship Steigenberger hotel from where you can walk to the Alte Roemer, the Fressgasse and the shopping mile. http://www.frankfurter-hof.steigenbe...baid/Englisch/
Mainz & Frankfurt are just OK. If you haven't bought the plane tickets, I would recommend taking the train to Goslar and rent a car there. Flying into Hannover is more of a hassle because you have to go to the airport security 1-2 hours before departure compared to boarding a train at the downtown train station. You can also drive from Frankfurt and stop at Marburg, Hannoverishe Muenden on the way to the Harz mountain area.

If you want to see an old masters painting museum in Frankfurt: www.staedelmuseum.de/. However you'll be blown away by the art museums in Berlin(Gemaeldegalerie,Neue Nationale Galerie), Dresden (Zwinger), Munich (Alte Pinakothek).

Berlin Hyatt is nice for families, they actually have a few extra large rooms facing the inner courtyard but if you book two rooms, request for the brighter south facing rooms towards the Berlin Philharmonie & the Neue Nationale Galerie. Nice to have a pool and spa at the rooftop floor otherwise this particular Hyatt is just OK.

If you're not a Hyatt loyalty member, I would recommend the Mandala Hotel Potsdamerplatz just a short block away. It has great luxury suites comparable to the price of a Hyatt room. I like it better when our kids can be in the same unit so I see them more. Some suites can be connected with an extra bedroom. The hotel restaurant Facil receives a Michelin star. They can make all kinds of arrangements prior to your arrival. They shop for your refrigerator & kitchen if you give them a list. You can rent bicycles/scooters for your teenagers if they get bored.

If you're a Hyatt loyalty member, the Zurich Park Hyatt is much better than the Grand Hyatt in Berlin. It's close to the Paradeplatz in the banking area.

Let me know if you need more info about restaurants or teenager friendly activities.

Agree with DAX that taking the train to Goslar from Frankfurt or Mainz is a simple matter - and that Hannoversch Münden makes for an excellent stop along the way.

Disagree with DAX about Mainz - it's a smaller, more relaxed sort of city that's just right for 2 days of low-level sightseeing, a good meal or two, a little shopping maybe.

I forgot to include the Mandala website:www.themandala.de/grandSuite.htm. There are two Mandala, make sure you stay at the one in Potsdamerplatz because the one on Friedrichstrasse is not that great. It looks like prices have recently gone up but it may still be worth it if you like staying in one unit as a family. The suite has a great stereo system that pipes throughout the very well equiped suite.

Russ: I like Mainz fine (been there multiple times) but if seeing Frankfurt is important to Ahmed, it may be more practical to stay in Frankfurt instead of taking the train back & forth into Frankfurt with the entire family. I also figure that Ahmed comes from an international metropolitan so he may be used to/prefer the energy of the busy city surroundings and hardscape. I personally grew up in a big metropolitan and always feel comfortable in any big city no matter how plain the city is.

Ahmed: Kaiserworth has a corner room with a connectable junior bedroom. The rooms have the charming old german atmosphere, however there is no elevator or bellman. There is a nice wide circular stairway to drag your suitcases on. Fortunately, your teenagers are old enough to drag their own suitcases up.

We used "Taxi Griesenbrock" for airport transfer service. They met us at the Frankfurt terminal with our name on a sign. Assisted with luggage, then drove us to the place we were staying on the Rhine. I forget the rate, but I'm sure it would be much less to Mainz.
Excellent service, and so convenient and relaxing after an all night flight.
One of our favorite day trips was to Mainz. It was Market Day, with colorful flower and vegetable stands in the main square. If the link works, this is for the taxi service:


http://www.wi-taxi.de

Thanks to all. I liked the Hayatt Mainz next to the river. It looks relaxing place with the pssibility of bicycles for hire for the children. I was able to get good price for 2 rooms at both Hyatt by using advance purchase. Regarding transport to the hotel i will see how we feel at arrivals. When possible i like to use the trains because the only time we use public transport is when we visit Europe. The airline tickets already bought since tomorrow I must go to German Embassy for the visa. The same price to any place in Germany or within Europe with a stopover at Frankfurt so one wishs. Regarding Kaiserworth, have reserved 2 bedrooms, one of their highest categorie (4) with extra 30 Euro per night. Though the Package is quite good as it shows per their web, with full meals. Personally I like mountains, rivers ... for the good summer climate and to walk which I do enjoy when I travel. Though the children tends to get board at this age and also it is a good education for them to see and visit different cities and countries. Regarding, wi-taxi, the link works fine.

Many thanks to all and maybe we meet during travel without knowing. Best regards to all. Ahmed