We will be travelling to Germany mid October to get on a river cruise in Mainz. We will have 3 extra days to stay in this area. Should we stay in Frankfurt, or go directly to Mainz, as our flight lands in Frankfurt? Any reasonable hotel suggestions, under $150 would be appreciated in either city. Your suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Rob

I'd head to a nicer town than either one for most tourists like Heidelberg, one of few cities not blitzed in WW2 - nice hikes - university town so nice for your ages. About an hour by train from airport. Use as a nice base- day trip to Frankfurt as a day there is enough for many - not that the city doesn't have some nice museums, etc but is basically blah architecture-wise as blitzed in WW2.

I think you were spot on with Mainz - it's a very easy ride from the airport (about 40 mins) and it has a good old town. Trains leave directly from the airport. We stayed there for five days last summer as I was doing work in the university library there but I have been to Mainz many times before. It's a great location to take a river cruise as boats leave directly from there. There are a lot of attractions there like the 1000 year old cathedral, the Chagall windows in the Stefansdom, the ancient ship museum and a Roman temple (Sanctuary of Isis) (Mainz has a Roman history), the Gutenberg Museum, access to the wine region, the Citadel, and across the river from Mainz, at Wiesbaden-Biebrich, Schloss Biebrich. The gardens there have parrots which are not native to Germany but have colonised the castle gardens.

We stayed in a hotel a little out of the way (Römerwall) because it was close to the uni so I wouldn't necessarily recommend it - too much of a hike - plus it might not be in your price range. It was a nice hotel though. However the Hilton might be in your range and is in a really good location. I wouldn't stay near the station - the area is safe and clean, so that is not a worry, but it is not picturesque like the old town, as Mainz was bombed in WWII and like many German towns, several parts of the city took a hit.

Nearby is Wiesbaden, which didn't get bombed in WWII. I could equally recommend it for proximity to the airport, and it has gorgeous 19th century architecture. I heard some time back they were going to apply for UNESCO status for the 19th century apartments, but I don't know if they were successful. If you want tips for Wiesbaden let me know, it's definitely worth a visit.

Lavandula

Well I now join the Mainz crowd. Was thinking day trips on river would duplicate their cruise but Weisbaden and easy day trips to Frankfurt and such gems like Marburg or Heidelberg.

I agree about Marburg or Heidelberg, both are good trips from Frankfurt or Mainz. However, for either choice you would have to change trains at Frankfurt/Main Hbf.

Lavandula