20 Hours in Mainz

I've stayed twice at Hotel Schottenhof, once at Königshof. Both are a short walk to the Bahnhof, but I would definitely prefer Königshof. Take it if it's not full. Try www.hotel-koenigshof-mainz.de as soon as you can. You could also try Hotel Hammer. It's equally accessible, but I think a little more expensive. There are also other hotels (chains) near another stop. Some people here might suggest them.

It all depends on what you're looking for. The Königshof is nicely located near the main station but a healthy hike from the old town and Marktplatz, the most interesting part of Mainz; you might look at the Hof Ehrenfels, an older place right in the heart of Mainz that I haven't visited in quite some time but which gets mostly favorable comments on Tripadvisor. www.hof-ehrenfels.de/eng/index.htm Another option is the Ibis, several blocks south of the old town but an easy walk in, and just across the street from the Mainz Römisches Theater train station (one stop closer to FRA than Mainz' main station.) My most recent stay there was inexpensive and worked out just fine; rooms can be had for 49 Euros and the place gets good marks. Trains leave the MRT station every 10-20 minutes beginning in the wee hours of the morning; you could reach the station from Hof Ehrenfels on foot in 15 minutes no sweat. Eating: There are dozens and dozens of places in the pedestrian zones around the Marktplatz and in the old town as well as in the more modern pedestrian/shopping zone just to the northwest of the Marktplatz. I have returned many times to - and don't laugh - the top-floor restaurant of the Kaufhof department store, where the food is fresh and tasty and a good value, and the view is terrific; there, you can look out the tall windows over the rooftops at the Cathedral and the old town area.

We too had a long overnight layover last year when returning from Ukraine and chose to stay in Mainz. We stayed at the Hyatt which is a short (5 min) walk from the Mainz Römisches Theater station. The town was close by too. The Hyatt is well situated on the river though may be pricey - I used points when staying there. Lots of places in town to eat at. When we were there, there was a free music concert in the Church/Cathedral. One point to make a note of since you are returning to the airport on the weekend - some of the trains have a reduced schedule. The one we intended to take didn't run on the Sunday and so we had to wait for the next one which was 30 mins later. It didn't affect us since we had enough time to make the flight - however, be aware and plan accordingly.

During the week (M-Sa), the S-Bahn to the airport runs every 30 min. One Sunday and holidays (e.g. Christmas), however, it only runs once per hour. Regional trains schedules can vary more. It is always advisable to confirm the schedule for any train for the day you want to use it. You can find schedules on the Bahn website or from Frankfurt metro, www.rmv.de. It would be advisable to learn to read the schedule boards at the station. The schedules on mustard colored paper, labeled "Abfahrt", are departures. The box for each train will contain schedule information, like where it's going, departure time, and track number. Also what days it runs or doesn't run. "Mo-Fr or Mo-Sa" should be pretty self-explanatory. Sunday ( Sonntag) will probably be indicated by a cross. Workdays are indicated by crossed hammers.

Thanks for all the help everybody!

Lee's right about the S-Bahn every hour on Sundays - I overlooked your day of travel. On weekdays you've got the S-Bahn every half hour plus RE trains in between, but Sunday's skimpy.