Hotel Am Römerwall in Mainz - solid thumbs up

I have stayed there before - I was visiting the library at Uni Mainz and wanted somewhere in town but easy access to the university. This hotel provides accommodation to people who are patients at the university clinic. If I could add a little bit more to your review: it's not too bad getting to the station from there (and easy access to the tramline to the university) but a long walk from pretty much everywhere else. If you are a casual tourist, the city is a long walk downhill, and a long walk uphill at the end of the day. Yes, it's extremely quiet and tranquil (it does have that slightly clinical feel) but eating options nearby are few and far between. I think there is one Greek restaurant nearby. Also a long walk off was the Ethiopian restaurant that we went to one night (although that was a lot of fun, we would go back there). Breakfasts were excellent; the staff started reserving our table for us every morning and provided us with a jug of coffee and one of hot water for my tea, without us asking. I think for longer-term stayers who need the hospital, there might be an in-house restaurant or half-pension thing but not for casual stayers like us (we were there for 5 days, some of those with jetlag from Frankfurt). If I had to do it again: I liked it well enough there, but if I expected to go into the city at all, I wouldn't stay there. Also good to know is that there are self-catering options - some rooms have a kitchenette, but I don't believe there are any supermarkets close by. You would need a car, but fortunately there is plenty of parking at the hotel if you have a car. There are amenities and shops at the station also in case you are looking for a bakery or a Rossmann (comprehensive drugstore in the German style).

My verdict: nice enough hotel but think of the fact that it is on a hill.

Lavandula

Thanks for your contributions, lavandula. Maybe I should have done breakfast there!

Mainz is a city of some size and sprawls a bit. Also, the main station lies somewhat outside the core of the city. Still, most of the hotels and rooms are there at the station, and that's where most people choose to stay, I think, so walking to and from most tourist destinations in Mainz over a few days can definitely put some miles on your tennies. And the Römerwall would only add to the walking.

"If I had to do it again: I liked it (The Römerwall) enough there, but if I expected to go into the city at all, I wouldn't stay there."

I get that, especially if you're there for 5 days with a group of people and plan to get around on foot. I've always considered the old-town core locations - which don't offer all that many rooms in total - preferable to the others for most visitors... the Ibis and the Hof Ehrenfels were good choices there IME. The Hilton, further out down by the river is a possibility there too. If you do visit Mainz again, this location would minimize the necessary walking. AND, there's a second train station in Mainz - the "Roman Theater" station, which is how you would approach this location in the first place; get off there, and you won't be schlepping bags far at all.

Personally, I've found most locations very doable in combination with public transport when needed. Over the years I've stayed in several different places in Mainz...

• Two different places right by the Mainz Hbf station, where the main concentration of hotels - including several chain hotels - can be found (and where most visitor choose to stay, it seems.) I don't find the area cozy myself. But there are lots of restaurants in the area, and if you do stay here, the local buses will take you to the old town in 6-7 minutes. Alternatively, board the train to the Roman Theater station (maybe 4 minutes) and you'll save a lot of steps.

• The two different places in the old town zone (near Augustinerstrasse) mentioned above.

• The DJH hostel (way out by the Volkspark) which is probably to be avoided except for group travel.

• The Römerwall (on this most recent trip) which involves a walk to the Hbf station (around 8 minutes IME) and the bus or train (4-8 minutes) from there into the old town. At 73, I did not find the uphill walk from town/station to hotel intimidating, but I "cheat" - I pack light in the extreme, and I did not do any self-catering or haul any grocery supplies around during my 2-day stay.

• The Alte Post Garni in Mainz-Gustavsburg (a suburb just across the Rhine, also on this most recent trip.) I rode the S-Bahn straight to the Roman Theater station in Mainz (4 minutes) to reach the old-town zone.

• The Moguntia (also on this most recent trip) is about 10 minutes on foot from the Hbf station, a couple blocks further out from the station than the Holiday Inn and the Best Western. Same public transport options from the Hbf station as above.

But let's say you are staying at Mainz Hbf, the Römerwall, or the Moguntia, but you don't want to bother with buses/trains etc... Mainz has a large network of mostly-quiet pedestrianized streets that stretches from the old town center almost all the way to the Hbf area - stick to these streets (in pink on the map below) where things are quieter and city traffic stress fades to conserve your walking energy. From the station's entrance, walk straight out a couple of blocks to Neubrunnenstrasse and enter the pink zone... click to expand the map; note that the two in-town train stations are shown as well (DB):

https://www.orangesmile.com/common/img_city_maps/mainz-map-2.jpg

Thanks for your comments and for summarising the accommodation that you have been reviewing here. That is quite a handy post if you want somewhere to stay near the airport that has a bit more soul than an airport hotel. Yes, we would visit Mainz again. We usually stay in Wiesbaden after arriving from or departing through Frankfurt as we lived there for a while and have friends there but my work took me to the library on this occasion. We would do the Am Römerwall again if we had a car, but on this occasion we didn't, and my husband and daughter were making the pilgrimage downhill to the city regularly (they were tourists). It was easy enough to get from the station to the hotel and vice versa as you are halfway up the hill through the back of the station. And it probably is a bus, not a tram (I don't think Mainz has trams????) that I caught to the uni. I might mention that the hotel name is because there is a small section of Roman wall near the hotel. There are traces of the Romans in Mainz, Wiesbaden and surrounds, mostly not extraordinary, but the Roman ship museum in Mainz is really very good.

For jetlag reasons, last trip my daughter and I took through Frankfurt, we stayed in the Hilton Garden Inn at Frankfurt Airport. It was very expensive and I think with more time I would probably prefer to stay in Mainz or Wiesbaden, but we were arriving late in the day and I didn't want to travel in the dark. However, it suited our purposes at that time and was super convenient for the trains the next morning which are just a couple of floors below the hotel in the same building. There is a Hilton with a restaurant right next door, and food shops including a bakery and a Rossmann on another floor in the same building.

Lavandula

Mainz DOES have a small tram (Strassenbahn) system that serves certain locations (including the university) - step out the front exit of the Mainz Hbf station, and you're there:

https://simulatoren-news.com/media/2429-mainzer-zob-richtung-worms-s%C3%BCd-stra%C3%9Fenbahn-203-neue-bauart-11-6-2009-jpg/?thumbnail=large

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Liniennetz_Stra%C3%9Fenbahn_Mainz.svg/500px-Liniennetz_Stra%C3%9Fenbahn_Mainz.svg.png

Yes, it's often the case that Mainz and Wiesbaden have better hotel prices than Frankfurt.

SIDE NOTE FOR RICK'S GAS TOUR PARTICIPANTS:
These tours begin in Koblenz, a 90-minute train ride from FRA airport by regional train. I've seen lots of questions from tour members looking to get to Koblenz from FRA...

After a long flight to FRA, I usually try to avoid another long journey by staying closer to FRA. MAINZ is on the most direct train line to Koblenz - and it's just 20-25 minutes for FRA > Mainz. Figure 1 hour from Mainz to Koblenz the next morning.

FRANKFURT is somewhat less desirable for this purpose - it's closer to FRA airport than Mainz, but it is not on the way to Koblenz; Frankfurt lies to the east of FRA, so the next morning, you would need to backtrack from Frankfurt via the airport, then make a stop in Mainz on the way to Koblenz, all of which just adds time overall to your train ride.

Since you're talking about Mainz, where I stayed for four nights last summer, I'd like to add my 2 cents as well. Maybe someone finds it helpful. I can recommend the Mercure Hotel Mainz City Center:

Location ideal for me, less than 2 minutes from the main station, walking distance to the city center / old town. Many restaurants within a short distance (Gartenfeldplatz!). Single room to the courtyard very quiet, quite small, but equipped with everything necessary - just a little bit of storage space for clothes. Bathroom tiny, however obviously recent and very nicely renovated. Dispenser for soap, shower gel and shampoo separately, shower with seating. Tea/coffee making facilities very welcome, wifi works very well. Bed very good. Breakfast room appealing and sufficiently large. The buffet with a wide selection - good selection of teas, croissants, delicious Belgian chocolate cream and jams/honey. Muesli very good, lots of grains and dried fruit. I've seen cheese and sausage better. Service attentive and friendly. Sparkling wine on the weekend!! Check in/out without any problems, only my electronic room card was initially incorrectly programmed for only one night (instead of four), so that I had problems accessing - but was corrected without any problems.