Dusserldorf, Frankfurt Cologne

[NeilMcD]

Anybody been in any of these places and which would they recommend.


Neil

[superfrank]

I've been to Frankfurt a few times. It's ok.

Can't really remember there being that much to do though. There's a few museums, the Rhein and that's about it.

Wiesbaden (an hour by train south) is a really nice place. The fussgangerszone (sp?) is great and there's a funicular that goes up the hill just outside the city. There's also a great forest area for walking around. There's also a hot water spring and the world's biggest cuckoo clock.

[bennocelt]

I

Wiesbaden (an hour by train south) is a really nice place. The fussgangerszone (sp?) is great and there's a funicular that goes up the hill just outside the city. There's also a great forest area for walking around. There's also a hot water spring and the world's biggest cuckoo clock.

yeah i was there too, but to be honest i didnt find it that exciting
You have to check out Cologne, thats an amazing city

[stiofain]

I've been to Frankfurt a few times. It's ok.

Can't really remember there being that much to do though. There's a few museums, the Rhein and that's about it.

Wiesbaden (an hour by train south) is a really nice place. The fussgangerszone (sp?) is great and there's a funicular that goes up the hill just outside the city. There's also a great forest area for walking around. There's also a hot water spring and the world's biggest cuckoo clock.

So you'd recommend Wiesbaden then Frank? I'm going over to Mainz for the game next week and i've just received an email saying the hotel i booked last night is overbooked and my reservation cancelled. I'm thinking about staying in Wiesbaden now, as apparently it isnt too far from Mainz and there seems to be plenty of accomodation available there.

[superfrank]

So you'd recommend Wiesbaden then Frank? I'm going over to Mainz for the game next week and i've just received an email saying the hotel i booked last night is overbooked and my reservation cancelled. I'm thinking about staying in Wiesbaden now, as apparently it isnt too far from Mainz and there seems to be plenty of accomodation available there.

Yeah, I'd recommend it over Frankfurt. It's only about twenty minutes by train from Mainz.

[upthecats]

Wiesbaden is definitely a much better option than Frankfurt. Try the Achat hotel or Ibis hotel or Oranien hotel - they are cheap options. Wiesbaden is very close to Mainz and is also a good town to stay in - has, like Mainz over 200,000 people liviny there. Great bars & restaurants there - there is a great Irish Pub on Michelsberg 15. Train journey to Mainz is less than 10 minutes. Weather is forecast for mid-twenties this coming week.

[upthecats]

A friend assures me that a taxi from Wiesbaden to the grounds in Bruchweg is Euro 35.

The grounds are 10 minutes walk from train station in Mainz but there will be free buses going from the station in Mainz to grounds every couple of minutes.

[stiofain]

Cheers for the info upthecats.
Just seen there that Wiesbaden and Mainz are only a couple of stops apart on the S-Bahn. Would you know how much a journey between the two places would cost? Can day travelcards be brought?

Thanks

[upthecats]

S-Bahn tickets from Wiesbaden to Mainz cost just €3.60! Trip takes just 9 minutes! Info on German rail can be got at www.db.de or www.bahn.de.

The train stop for the football ground is Mainz-Hauptbahnhof. The train stop on S-Bahn from Wiesbaden for the pedestrian zone (Füssgängerzone)& the Irish Pub on Weissliliengasse 5 is Mainz-Süd.

If someone is in Mainz or Wiesbaden for a few days it might be worthwhile doing a boat trip on the Rhine. Especially if it's a nice warm day, it can be very relaxing. (Beer sold on board!)

[stiofain]

S-Bahn tickets from Wiesbaden to Mainz cost just €3.60! Trip takes just 9 minutes! Info on German rail can be got at www.db.de or www.bahn.de.

The train stop for the football ground is Mainz-Hauptbahnhof. The train stop on S-Bahn from Wiesbaden for the pedestrian zone (Füssgängerzone)& the Irish Pub on Weissliliengasse 5 is Mainz-Süd.

If someone is in Mainz or Wiesbaden for a few days it might be worthwhile doing a boat trip on the Rhine. Especially if it's a nice warm day, it can be very relaxing. (Beer sold on board!)

Good man.
The boat trip sounds great, i definitely intend to fit it in.

[Newryrep]

S-Bahn tickets from Wiesbaden to Mainz cost just €3.60! Trip takes just 9 minutes! Info on German rail can be got at www.db.de or www.bahn.de.

The train stop for the football ground is Mainz-Hauptbahnhof. The train stop on S-Bahn from Wiesbaden for the pedestrian zone (Füssgängerzone)& the Irish Pub on Weissliliengasse 5 is Mainz-Süd.

If someone is in Mainz or Wiesbaden for a few days it might be worthwhile doing a boat trip on the Rhine. Especially if it's a nice warm day, it can be very relaxing. (Beer sold on board!)

UTC

On Tripadvisor they advise between Bingam and Koblenz as the most pictureseque get the train to Koblenz and the boat to Bingam - would you agree ?

[Lionel Ritchie]

Wiesbaden is definitely a much better option than Frankfurt. Try the Achat hotel or Ibis hotel or Oranien hotel - they are cheap options. Wiesbaden is very close to Mainz and is also a good town to stay in - has, like Mainz over 200,000 people liviny there. Great bars & restaurants there - there is a great Irish Pub on Michelsberg 15. Train journey to Mainz is less than 10 minutes. Weather is forecast for mid-twenties this coming week.

I got a double room in Wiesbadens Hotel Almina for 67 bucks for next saturday night. matchhotels.com says it's 1.6 miles from the ground.

...that doesn't seem to tally with 35 euro taxi fares someone else mentioned though?

[HarpoJoyce]

I got a double room in Wiesbadens Hotel Almina for 67 bucks for next saturday night. matchhotels.com says it's 1.6 miles from the ground.

...that doesn't seem to tally with 35 euro taxi fares someone else mentioned though?

Upthecats was told the €35 was from Wiesbaden to the grounds in Bruchweg.

[upthecats]

Hi again, I got the info from a friend who lives in Wiesbaden and who has a season ticket for "Mainz 05" - the local Mainz team. However he just double-checked for me - he normally travels by train there to get the atmosphere - & he has found out that from Wiesbaden centre a taxi to the grounds would cost just €25. So better still!

Not sure where Hotel Almina is. I googled it to help you with the location but I just get Hotel Alminas in Istanbul!! It is probably that the hotel, while having a Wiesbaden address, is very very close to the Rhine and therefore very close to Mainz itself. The cities are basically divided by the river. The hotel is probably not near Wiesbaden centre but not far from Mainz centre, if that makes sense. If u let me know the street I can check for u.

[stiofain]

I got a double room in Wiesbadens Hotel Almina for 67 bucks for next saturday night. matchhotels.com says it's 1.6 miles from the ground.

...that doesn't seem to tally with 35 euro taxi fares someone else mentioned though?

Thats a fantastic resource, many thanks!

[upthecats]

Hi Newryrep, what we often did when we had visitors over was we took the boat from Mainz or Wiesbaden-Biebrich (the area where boats start out). You can choose which trip you want - they go up the river to various places and then return back to Mainz or Wiesbaden-Biebrich. So you could for example say you want to travel up as far as St.Goar. This would take about 2 hours. Then a further 2 hours back again - a 4 hour trip.

Of course you could do the trip all the way to Koblenz but then it is best to go from Bingen (on the Mainz side) or Rüdesheim (if you are staying in Wiesbaden) up to Koblenz and not from Koblenz down to Bingen/Wiesbaden as it takes much longer due to the currents. See timetable link: www.kd-rhein-main.de or http://www.kd-rhein-main.de/pdf/KD_F...son_Preise.pdf . The train journey from Koblenz to Mainz - takes about an hour. Trains info www.db.de.

[upthecats]

just checked Hotel Alina on matchhotels.com. it is not too far from Mainz city centre by car, but is quite a distance from Wiesbaden city centre.

So a taxi from your hotel to the match won't be expensive at all. If someone is in Wiesbaden city centre a taxi to the grounds will cost about €25.

[Newryrep]

Hi Newryrep, what we often did when we had visitors over was we took the boat from Mainz or Wiesbaden-Biebrich (the area where boats start out). You can choose which trip you want - they go up the river to various places and then return back to Mainz or Wiesbaden-Biebrich. So you could for example say you want to travel up as far as St.Goar. This would take about 2 hours. Then a further 2 hours back again - a 4 hour trip.

Of course you could do the trip all the way to Koblenz but then it is best to go from Bingen (on the Mainz side) or Rüdesheim (if you are staying in Wiesbaden) up to Koblenz and not from Koblenz down to Bingen/Wiesbaden as it takes much longer due to the currents. See timetable link: www.kd-rhein-main.de or http://www.kd-rhein-main.de/pdf/KD_F...son_Preise.pdf . The train journey from Koblenz to Mainz - takes about an hour. Trains info www.db.de.

cheers for the info, i was thinking of a shorter train journey at the end of the cruise, hence finishing at Bingen

[Lionel Ritchie]

Not sure where Hotel Almina is. I googled it to help you with the location but I just get Hotel Alminas in Istanbul!! It is probably that the hotel, while having a Wiesbaden address, is very very close to the Rhine and therefore very close to Mainz itself. The cities are basically divided by the river. The hotel is probably not near Wiesbaden centre but not far from Mainz centre, if that makes sense. If u let me know the street I can check for u.

Apologies -typo in my original post -it's Hotel Alina

Hotel Alina
Wiesbadener Str. 124
55252 Mainz-Kastel
Germany

Yes indeed it is close to the river on the southern end of Wiesbaden if I recall right from the map. There's a decent map on that matchhotels link -and Stiofan, I can't take credit for it, a GAA adherent mate of mine who's coming along came up with that out of nowhere. Anyway ...other than match tickets we're sorted ...well -except for the fact that following a request for a twin rather than a double -they've given us a kingsize double instead. Let the good times roll.

[Newryrep]

UTC

Any German bars in Mainz you would recommend ?????, I can go to an Irish bar the other 51 weeks of the year