Great information. We plan to stay in Mainz, as well, at the end of our trip.

We were looking at the Mainz Ibis. Any thoughts about the Ibis?

Also, we will still have our rental car. We were planning to return it to the airport, rather than returning it in Mainz and taking the train to the airport. Is this a good plan?

Thanks!

withkids: I've only seen Ibis from the street, but I hope you're familiar with the chain. It is a basic hotel with no charm or service but clean and functional. It is just a couple of blocks from the Sud-bahnhof where you can train to the airport for 9 or 17 euro(50 to 75 minute ride). I've never returned a car at the Frankfurt airport, but by taxi it takes about 45 minute to an hour (morning traffic).

katzen: I would recommend taking a taxi from the Hauptbahnhof to the Hyatt since you probably have a big suitcase. I travel with asmall carry on but when my wife comes along we took taxis. If you're looking for toys, don't overlook dept stores like: KARSTADT (on Ludwigsstrasse, 2 blocks west of Markt, just follow Gutenbergplatz). Kaufhof on Schusterstr, 4 short blocks north of Markt.

BTW I can no longer find a direct S bahn to the airport on Bahn.de, I know they began working on the tracks around the airport last January but I could still go directly then, but now you have to go thru the Frankfurt Bahnhof and change train there to get to the airport which increases the time to around an hour or more. Since your priority seems to be shopping, you may consider staying in Cologne which is only an hour by ICE train to Frankfurt airport and it is closer from Paris by the Thalys fast train so you'll get there earlier. Don't mean to confuse you, but Cologne is a much bigger and better city to shop in. The magnificent Cologne cathedral is right in front of the Hauptbahnhof and the sprawling shopping area is just beyond the cathedral. It's probably ten times bigger than Mainz shopping, my wife swears that you can shop all day and still not see all the good stores. I can help you with Cologne as well if you are interested.

Thanks for the heads up Dax!! That would have been a big 'oh my' if I had been looking for a direct shot from the S bahn I will look into Cologne. What your wife said about the shopping sparked my interest

I will first have to check and see if I can get by train from Paris to Cologne. It was such a headache (I exaggerate a bit) for me to figure out (check out my old posts) what trains and schedules I could take to get me into Mainz at an early enough time so that I could enjoy the rest of the day shopping before my trip home. I know .. all of this for shopping.

Thank you so much for your help!

ok, it just hit me that Koln (my connecting from Paris to Mainz) is Cologne.

I also went to cologne.de and it looks huge ... I tend to like the smaller stores that aren't chains. I will have been in Munich, Rothenburg, Fuessen, Luzern, Paris and a few other towns for some good shopping. Dax, with this being said would you still recommend Cologne? I'm open to staying anywhere near Frankfurt ... Thanks!

I did check and I could get in around 10:55 from Paris (to Cologne). What is the train station at Frankfurt Airport called (Frankfurt Main Hbf or is that the main train station in Frankfurt?

I am now thinking Cologne may be a good choice. Any hotel recommendations near the cathedral/Dom? I'm assuming that is the same area as the Pedestrian shopping?

Thanks!

1.Dom Hotel(Le Meridien Hotel) is the grand dame hotel with the best location right in front of the Cathedral and next to all the shopping(140 euro).
2. Cologne Hilton (140 euro)is just 300 ft away from the train station. I've never stayed there but it looks good on the internet.
3.Sofitel Mondial am Dom (Don't get it mixed up with the Sofitel Dorint am Dom which is too far from the station/shopping). This Sofitel Mondial (90 euro) is a nice hotel just behind the cathedral & modern art museum. Very nice public rooms and great service. Nice avant-garde modern bedrooms/bathrooms although very small, but it's a bargain for the quality and location. Close to shopping and cathedral, but probably the furthest (7 minute walk ? )from the Hauptbahnhof among the 3 hotels.

I just checked Bahn.de, all ICE trains to the FRANKFURT FLUGHAFEN Fernbahnhof leave at 54 minute after the hour (7:54, 8:54 etc) and it takes 47 or 57 minutes (depending on which departure hour) to get to the airport (arriving 8:51, 9:41, 10:51 etc). You need 15 minutes to walk fast to the airline check in counters, that is if you know your way. There was a time when the ICE train came 20 minutes late giving me a bit of panic, so give yourself an extra 45 minute to the schedule just in case. Have a perfect stay in Cologne! There's just a lot more energy in Cologne compared to Mainz. I can give you restaurant recommendations if that's important to you.

You will be sorry that you missed Düsseldorf. In Köln and in Düsseldorf stations there is an Ibis Hotel, practical and convenient and reasonable.

hopscotch is right, Dusseldorf has 3 great museums, a riverfront media center area,a unique Japantown, and a great nightlive in the oldtown jammed with bars and food concessions of all kinds. However, of most interest to you is probably, the most upscale shopping boulevard in the Rhine Valley called the Ko (short for Koenigstrasse). Dusseldorf is only half an hour north from Cologne by train/S-bahn. Honestly, I don't think you have time.

I'm not a big fan of Ibis, I'd rather pay an extra 13 euro to stay at the Sofitel Mondial to get the much better room and service even if I'm on a tight budget. The Ibis does, however,have a nice location being right in front of the train station. Still the hotel to stay is Le Meridien Dom hotel for your purposes.

Dax, thank you so much for being so helpful. You answered all my questions before I even had to ask them. I've done some research on Cologne and I'm debating between the following two hotels:

Dom hotel (Le Meridian) and Excelsior Ernst. Dom Hotel looks better situated. Prices are roughly the same.

I think I've narrowed down the major shopping areas to include:
Hohestrasse (beginning at Wallrafplatz)
Schilderstrasse
Neumarkt

A couple of questions I have (of course):
1. Are the streets I mentioned above pedestrian only?
2. Does anyone know if any of the streets I mentioned above have the smaller, quaint stores (toy stores, home stores, etc)... I'm not necessarily looking for the high-end fashion shops. Could the Neumarkt have these type of smaller stores???

Hopscotch, yes, I would love to see Dusseldorf (thank you for the recommendation) but I think for this trip Cologne is the furthest North I want to go .. it's also (I think) easier with me coming from Paris.

It costs 81 Euros for the train ride from Paris Nord to Koln HBF. Is there a chance I can get a PREM ticket or something a bit cheaper in the 90 days and under time frame? Thanks!

I've stayed at the Excelsior which has nice decent public rooms but not so great bedrooms. The Dom has a better location & more inviting appearance. The deluxe rooms are way better than the standard rooms, so it's worth the upgrade.

Unfortunately, I don't know the shopping particulars as much since my wife went on her own to shop. I do know that Schilderstr has the big dept stores, while Hohestr have plain regular shops except for the Media Markt, a multistory electronic supermarket that I tend to get stuck until closing time. My wife told me that some dept stores have two or even three branches within the entire shopping maze. I'd say 80 to 90 percent of the shopping streets are pedestrian only with endless crowd. There are also upscale indoor shopping passages somewhere.

In the past, our kids prefer going to dept stores for toys since their toy departments tend to be extensive and very good. There was one nice large toystore on Mittelstrasse which is not a pedestrian only street, hopefully it's still there. There have been more stores going under in Germany since the economy has slowed down; on the other hand I also notice that there are more sale and clearance signs everywhere than ever before.

I just realize that you are also going to Luzern where I go quite often to visit a few relatives plus I have spent considerable amount of time as a teenager there so I may know a few things in case you have any questions.

Dax,

Thanks for the information. We checked the Mainz Hilton on their website and the price was 93 euros/night. How did you get 72 euros?

Also, we have only stayed at one Ibis, in Casablanca, Morocco and we felt it was "okay." We need to get a good night rest, as I am hoping we stay away most of the flight home.

So, how do we get the 72 euro rate and is the Ibis okay?

Thanks!

I guess you've decided on staying in Cologne, rather than Mainz, so here's my input:

Both the Dom Hotel and Excelsior Hotel Ernst are fabulous hotels. The Dom underwent renovations a few years ago. It has lots of old-world charm and commands a great location, right on the Domplatz.

Our room, at the Dom Hotel was just an average room, albeit very comfortable. The bathroom was the highlight of the room. Service was wonderful and the restaurant was very nice...al fresco dining, if you choose.

Because we were there, during renovations in July, their air-conditioning was not working. Because of this, we walked over to the Ernst and secured a room there, after one night at the Dom. From the moment we walked into the hotel, until the time we left, we were treated like royalty. The staff...from the doorman to the manager...were all superb and the most friendly we've ever encountered during our travels.

Our room was a jr. suite and it was sensational...especially the A/C. Large room with sitting area, unbelievable bathroom, tons of closet space, etc.

The Ernst has a lovely piano bar and one of the best restaurants in town, the Hanse Stube. It's one of our favorite hotels.

While both hotels are close to the train station, the Ernst is closer. You just walk out the front door of the Hauptbahnhof...walk up the stairs...and it's just a few feet down on the right.

The Dom entails walking a wee bit further up, on the right side of the Dom, if you're facing the front of the cathedral. Both hotels are a terrific choice, but, for my money...it's the Ernst.

Val

withkids, there are two Hiltons in Mainz, the Mainz City Hilton is closer to the Hauptbahnhof is thelesser one and costs 72 euro. I'm not sure about Ibis because I've never seen the inside. I've only stayed at one Ibis some 15 years ago in Nurnberg and it was clean and funcional.

Val, I'm glad you posted your experience. I had the opposite experience because the Excelsior put me in the standard room which was very plain and I felt that the staff was all talk whereas

whereas the Dom gave me the deluxe room. If you book the Excelsior through www.hrs.com,you get a free minibar, all you can drink which was nice. The staff told me that they extend that courtesy only to hrs customers as their special customers, I'd rather get an upgrade to the Junior suite like you did.

Dax - Sorry to hear you didn't find the Ernst to your liking. You, obviously, travel quite a bit and, therefore, know that not all hotel rooms...even in 5 stars...are created equal.

Don't get me wrong! The Dom Hotel was superb. The staff could not have been nicer when I complained about the A/C being unavailable and were completely understandable when I told them we would only be staying 1 night, out of the 3 nights we had booked. Temps reached almost 100 degrees F by 10:00 a.m. each day and it was stifling. Also, our room, at the Dom, was very noisy as we had to keep the windows open to try to get air circulation. Were it not for the renovations going on, I would have been quite pleased with the Dom.

We just walked into the Ernst and lucked out. They gave us a jr. suite for 180 euro and it was really grand.
Beautiful upholstery and all the amenities. I did not feel the staff was being gratuitous at all. We had some lovely conversations with every staff member we encountered. Same with the staff at the Dom Hotel.

Both hotels lived up to their reputations. I think the working A/C improved my "attitude" at the Ernst. It was such a relief to get out of the heat and into the comfort of our room, at the end of the day.

Regarding Mainz - We had a 1 night stay in Mainz last fall. I also chose the city because of it's close proximity to Frankfurt Airport and the ease of taking the train straight to FRA. I considered all the "high end" hotels, along the Rhine, but decided to try an inexpensive hotel that provided easy access to the Hauptbahnhof. I chose the Hotel Schottenhof for 56 euro.

Upon leaving the train station, we literally walked across the street, walked about 30 paces and hit the hotel's front door. I almost didn't go in, as I wasn't impressed with the exterior of the hotel. I'm soooooo glad I ventured in!

The receptionist was lovely...the hotel had an elevator...our room was one of the most comfortable we've ever stayed in (great mattresses)...and we had a very enjoyable stay.

The walk to the market square and cathedral was about 5-10 minutes and we felt completely safe, even walking late at night.

We took an early morning train to the airport and the ease of walking, almost right across the street, to catch the train was a real plus. For the money, the Schottenhof can't be beat. We didn't get to try breakfast (included in room price), so I can't comment on that, but it's a great choice, in Mainz, if your major concern is getting to the train station.

Somebody recommended staying at the Castle Hotel Schoenburg in Oberwesel. This would be a fantastic idea. It is exquisite! The original poster might have to change trains in Mainz, but this castle hotel would be well worth that small inconvenience.

While I'm at it...how to you post links into these replies? I can't seem to do it.

Val