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Hi, We would like to stay in Mainz next May 2003 and would like the name of a reasonable hotel 2 or 3 star not too far from the train station... thanks

blemke, Tourist information about Mainz (including accomodtaions), as well as any city in Germany, may be reached by doing a google search with the city name followed by .de. For example, mainz.de. There is a language choice, including English, on the home page. Dick

The area around the main train station is not that great - it's quite a few blocks to the interesting old-town area of Mainz that surrounds the Dom and a long way from the river. I would suggest instead that you stay closer to the old town and the Rhine. The best place in your star range is probably the Ibis Hotel on Holzhofstrasse. We stayed there last April. They have 144 modern, comfortable rooms. You'll be just a block from Augustinerstrasse, which takes you into the old town, where you'll have a pick of nice places to eat and shop in the maze of pedestrians-only streets there. Best of all, you'll also be just a block from the suburban Mainz Sud train station, which takes you to/from Frankfurt airport in 23 minutes (Buy tickets from the ticket machines in the hall or on the platforms.) It's also an easy walk into the Stadtpark, or city park, a couple blocks south of the Ibis; should be really pretty that time of year. Go to www.ibishotel.com/ibis and search for Mainz for the contact info.

HI, thank you for such great information ..exactly what I am looking for...could I ask one more question...the Mainz Sud train station can I get to Heidelberg and Koblenz from this station thanks again

blemke: Yes. The Sud station is a suburban commuter stop immediately south of Mainz's main station. Trains from there head to both Heidelberg, but will likely require a change of train for Heidelberg. and Frankfurt. It's usually just the slower regional trains and S-bahn that stop there, however, rather than the IC, ICE speed monsters. If you're planning on using the fast equipment, It might be more convenient to take the 3-minute train ride north to Mainz Hbf first, then head south from there on the IC or whatever. Go to http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en for schedules. Type in "Mainz Sued" to get schedules from that station. The regional (RB, RE) trains usually take 1:40-:50 to get to Heidelberg. You can shave 20-30 minutes off this time by going to Mainz HBf first (these options will be shown on the above site.) However, there are some advantages to the RB and RE trains. They stop more frequently and you can get a better look at some of the Rheingau towns south of Mainz. Also, you can use daypasses to get to Heidelberg on these trains, but not on the fast equipment. The weekday daypasses run 21 Euros, good for up to 5 people for unlimited travel within the region (which includes Heidelberg as long as your train routes through Mannheim) after 9 am. Ask for the Rheinland-Pfalz Ticket. On Sat or Sun, get the Schoenes Wochenende ticket (daypass) for 28 Euros - no hours or geographic limitations on this pass. To get schedules for the regional trains only, select this option at the bottom of the page, and the fast trains that aren't available on the daypasses will be omitted.

Russ. great advice ...I think we would rather take the slower train and enjoy the towns..... thanks