Mainz Travel Forum

Hello from Southern California! :) We are looking forward to our visit!

We will be traveling from Amsterdam to Frankfurt and, instead of going all the way to our hotel there, then coming back to Mainz; I was thinking it would make more sense to get off here, store our bags at the terminal then head off to the River for a cruise. That is if the ICE train stops here on the way to Frankfurt.

If so, is there a place where they can be stored safely? Or would it make more sense to get off before Mainz, at Koblenz for example, and take them on the boat with us? Is there storage for the luggage on the boats?

Thank you very much!

Mike

You'll find automatic baggage storages at nearly every train station in Germany. Just look for the sign with a suitcase in a box or ask an employee.

There are trains that stop at Mainz. For schedules and prices have a look at this website www.bahn.de

Most trains should stop at Mainz since it is a big city in the area. However, was your intention to go by boat from Mainz to Frankfurt? In that case I would get off at Koblenz instead since it is from there that the Rhine is most dramatic and you pass the Loreley cliff and all the bends and castles.

There are automated luggage storage holds in Mainz station, just like pretty much every station in Germany, and they cost 3 euros (I think) for a big bag for 24 hours. If you have a lot of luggage you may need 2 or 3 compartments. You might be pushing it, but you could stop in Mainz, sail up the Rhein to St Goar and get the train back before continuing on to Frankfurt. It might be better then to get a train to Mainz, and then another to Frankfurt. I don't think the trains from Amsterdam stop in Koblenz or Mainz en route to Frankfurt.

Personally I'd go all the way to Frankfurt, drop off your luggage, and then get a train back to Mainz and sail up the Rhein. You could, if you wanted, get a train from Amsterdam to Koblenz, sail down the Rhein until Mainz, then transfer to a train to Frankfurt. It might take a bit of organising, and the boat is slower in that direction as it is fighting against the current. I don't remember anyone taking luggage on board the boat (they are cruisers not transports) but I doubt anyone would mind. You would probably have to carry the luggage around with you on board, though, as I don't think they have any holds.

Most of the ICE trains stop at the ICE train station at the airport if they are going to Frankfurt. You can double check your scheduled train under www.bahn.de and then under the heading "international guests" for English. At the airport you can deposit your luggage in the baggage check and it's supervised and insured. Coin lockers at the train stations are not well-supervised and you can't be sure if the lockers have duplicate keys from criminals. It's o.k. for an hour or so for just clothes but not for electro-toys. Besides this, the airport will take your luggage for more than 24 hours (3 months). Enter "Frankfurt Flughafen" in your search engine and switch the language at the top. Then on the lower left hand side they have a scroll window with search topics "cloak room".

Thank you to all of you! After reading all the suggestions, it seems as though the right thing to do might be to travel to the Frankfurt Airport, secure the bags (where they are most secure) and then take the train to Mainz.

Thank you again!