Koblenz to Mainz to Geislingen an der Steige -- Train, Rental Car & Mainz logistics/sights

It would be my choice NOT to burden myself with the long afternoon drive between Mainz and Geislingen. Geislingen has no rental outlet, correct? But Stuttgart will surely have Sixt or Enterprise. I just test-ran a sample date using a 4-hr stopover in Mainz and and got this schedule:

Lv Koblenz Hbf 9:48 (EC)
Ar Mainz Hbf 10:39

Lv Mainz 14:42 (IC)
Ar Stuttgart Hbf 16:22

Saver fare price was €17.99 each for the entire trip. (Check price for your date.) Done deal IMHO. Drop bags at a Mainz station locker. The Stephanskirche is probably closest.

The drive from Stuttgart to Geislingen shouldn't take more than an hour. I don't drive in Europe these days, know nothing about stickers/fees, emission zones or rental outlet habits.

an ICE is the German Inter City Express - the long sleek white trains with a red stripe. Long distance, between the biggest cities, with some additional stops. May cross country borders, for example Amsterdam via Germany to Interlaken, Switzerland. Fastest, in some cases very fast, fewest stops, fanciest interiors. Generally priciest.

An IC is Inter Ciry, long distance German trains used between, not surprisingly, between cities - a concept used throughout Europe. Equipment varies.

An EC is an IC which runs internationally. Perhaps Austria, Switzerland, Germany. Or Germany, Switzerland, Italy. Equipment varies and may be from any of the countries the train runs through.

Here endeth the primer.

a car rented in Germany will have the appropriate permissions for driving everywhere in Germany.

Each driver needs an IDP.

Do you need bike racks on the car?

How far are St. Stephen's Church and the Gutenberg Museum from one another?

The entire walking distance from the main station to St. Stephan and then to the Gutenberg Museum is about 3 km. I would take at least the first section by bus or tram; there are many different connections. Download the app of the local transportation authority (“Mainzer Mobilität”) and select the next connection to the closest stop to St. Stephan, “Am Gautor”. From there it's about a 250meter walk. Re the cathedral: I would at least take a quick look at it; after all, it is one of the three most important Romanesque church buildings in Germany alongside Speyer and Worms.

Thanks for these responses so far. You’ve given good info, as you often do.

Nigel. Thanks for the train primer and the comments about car rentals. We will not be traveling with bikes. Our three self-guided bike tours (Mosel/Koblenz, Alsace and Burgundy) will each, separately, provide the bikes. Yes, we know about the International Diver’s license issue … and I remember what to check into for the unasked insurance/CDW questions.

Russ, I am unsure what advantage we get from taking the train on a second leg to Stuttgart, just to schlep from the train station to a rental agency to rent a car there to get to Geislingen (and from there on through Tubingen and Schwarzwald to Freiburg.)

With the drive time of just over 3 hours from Mainz to Geislingen vs the combined train and drive time that you suggest of about 2-1/2 hours, plus waiting for the train at the the Hbf in Mainz a second time and dealing with the station in Stuttgart, I am not seeing the advantage. I don’t believe we have time on this travel day to do anything in Stuttgart, though we may stop there on our way from Geislingen to Tubingen, a day and a half later.

Sla thanks for your thoughts about getting around in Mainz and visiting the Cathedral. It’s quite near the Gutenberg Museum, I believe.

Well, like I said, I don't drive in Germany these days at all because generally speaking, it's been one large PITA for me in the past. I look at it as unpaid labor that I get a big bill for. You will spend time in Mainz picking up a car (somewhere) just like you would in Stuttgart (where Sixt is right at the station) and schlepping your bag from your locker to wherever the pick-up location is, right? Then you will have 3 hours ( maybe... barring traffic interruptions, potty stops, etc.) of roadway-focused concentration after that. For the €5 additional each that the direct Mainz > Stuttgart train ride costs on top of the €12.99 fare each you will pay for Koblenz > Mainz (using my sample date anyway) I would happily find a window seat, relax, and be chauffered to Stuttgart over that territory... maybe chat with DW, read a book, stretch my legs a bit on a walk through the train cars, or just look out the window. If I had had a fat lunch and a tall beer in Mainz that day, I might even have a quick snooze. The savings in €s that the train provides (gas will probably be €15+ for the car) would be modest but enough for an afternoon Kaffee at Stuttgart Hbf on my way to picking up the car.

I understand the point of driving such distances with the intention of making stops in specific places along the way. You can't do that by train. But as I understand it, you don't expect to have extra sightseeing time beyond the time in Mainz.

Anyway, I hope I've communicated the advantages I was seeing for the train option in this situation.

Food for thought. TY.

The drive to Stuttgart is not very good; often with delays and construction, and Stuttgart itself is one of the worst cities I know to drive around in due to the large number of speed cameras, construction, and lousy parking. Which is too bad, because there's a lot to see in the city. I wouldn't worry about the low emissions issue; any car you get will have the tag. None of the cities you mention are places with unusual exceptions for emissions.

Geislingen has one of those rather strange fountains that are uniquely German. You can't miss it.

So, KGC,

Are you with Russ? Train to Stuttgart, rent car there and drive to Geislingen? Or rent car in Mainz and somehow drive around Stuttgart?

We have to get from Koblenz to Geislingen. And I’d like to have a car by the time we get there. And Mainz sounds like a great stop along the way.

I know many folks say travel days don’t count as vacation days, but taking the train down the middle Rhine and spending a few hours in Mainz seems like a good way to enjoy a good part of this travel day. See, https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/how-to-count-travel-days

"...spending a few hours in Mainz seems like a good way to enjoy a good part of this travel day."

My suggestions were made with Mainz as a stop you had etched in stone for the Koblenz > Geislingen travel day. I once spent a year in Mainz; it's a place I like, an especially good place to stay for getting to/from FRA airport. However, if you are open to them, other good options besides those already under discussion do exist.

• You could get a morning tour of Marksburg Castle, the most impressive medieval castle on the Rhine, just south of Koblenz in Braubach (about 15 train minutes from Koblenz.) The same IC train to Stuttgart I suggested, which leaves Mainz at 14:42, leaves Koblenz at 13:48.

• You could stop over in Heidelberg instead. There's a DIRECT 7:48 IC train out of Koblenz for Stuttgart that stops in Heidelberg at 10:24. 3-5 hours in Heidelberg might be equally interesting for you, and you could pick up a car there to continue your trip to Geislingen - and not have to drive so far that day.

BTW, what is the mystery travel date? Stuttgart has its own version of Oktoberfest beginning September 26. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing for you just depends.

But Stuttgart will surely have Sixt or Enterprise.

Another option would be to rent the car in Esslingen, which is only an 11-minute train ride from Stuttgart (frequent connections) and you don't have to struggle through the city traffic. Not far from the Esslingen station there are Sixt and Budget, and Europcar is right at Oberesslingen station. From there it's a good half hour's drive to Geislingen.

visiting the Cathedral. It’s quite near the Gutenberg Museum, I believe.

Correct. Approx. five minutes, if I recall it correctly.

Russ,

We plan to visit Marksburg the day before we leave Koblenz. I think you were the one (or at least one of two) who suggested that in response to earlier posts, months ago. We'll cycle from Koblenz to Boppard in the morning, ferry across the river, and aim for the 1 pm tour of the castle at Marksburg; then return to Koblenz for our second night there. Not enough time for the chairlift at Boppard, but we can enjoy the town for a while.

I had wondered about Heidelburg. That was my choice some months back, before I learned more about Mainz. A good friend of ours who has spent quite a bit of time in Germany has urged us to go to Mainz. Just can't do it all.

We will be in Germany in early September; France in late September. Wine yes; beer is for others to enjoy.

Sla,

I can look at Esslingen vs. Stuttgart. Despite Russ' experience and recommendation, I am still not convinced about taking a second train trip on this combined visit & travel day. One advantage about renting the car in Mainz is that we will feel less stress about enjoying Mainz with no deadline to catch the right train to Stuttgart (or Esslingen) if we pick up the car in Mainz.

Then again, there is the anxiety about driving more on Germany's Autobahns. Generally driving does not bother me, but getting stuck behind someone driving 85 kmh, and worrying about passing that driver while other passing traffic is moving at 180 - 200 kmh is pretty daunting. (BTW, back in 1999, we picked up a car in Munich and drove through Switzerland, southern France and Spain, so we've had some limited experience in driving in Germany. However, I think driving in Italy (2003 and 2024) might have been more nerve-wracking.)