HI - Mainz - Rhein-Main-Jugendherberge Hostel

I've stayed here several times over the years -- it's one of the best hostels around. It was remodeled recently into a super-snappy facility. My January '07 visit was great again -- nice four-bunk room with private bath, lockers, table and chairs, and a view of the Rhine, everything spotless. The breakfast buffet is very good -- lots of rolls, cheeses, jams, cold cuts, muesli, fruit, and all the coffee you like, and the dining room looks out over the Rhine and Main rivers There's a nice cafe with bar off the lobby, open in the evenings. There's an internet station too. It's a very long walk to the hostel from Mainz' main station but only about twenty minutes from the Mainz Roemisches Theatre train station on the south end of town. walk south along the rear train platform, up the steps, down the city street, and then through the pretty Stadtpark and Volkspark. (The station has this name due to the Roman theater that was recently unearthed on the rear platform -- check it out as you walk to the hostel.) If you are at the main station, you can take bus 62 (bus stop is located out the rear of the station and down a long walk to a busy city street, not out front) to the Viktorstift stop. Cross the street and walk down a long drive toward the hostel. To get to Mainz' center from the hostel, walk back north through the parks to the Mainz R-T train station, then head up the Augustinerstrasse -- Mainz' old town artery, where there's an extensive pedestrian-only shopping area, lots of wine bars and cafes, the town's DOM or cathedral, and cheap groceries at the "Penny Markt." Mainz is actually a real tangle of streets and a map is very helpful. This is a great hostel to stay at upon arrival or departure from FRA -- only twenty minutes to the airport from the Mainz-R-T station.

I stayed here because there was a trade-fair in Frankfurt and everything was booked solid. This hostel is very far from the town and hard to find when you get off the bus. The signs are not easy to locate and are very vague. When I finally found the place there were six older men (workers?) standing outside the front door. They laughed at me and made lewd comments in German when they saw that I was a female travelling alone. The staff is not incredibly friendly or professional, and not everyone speaks English. On the plus side, there is a nice view of the river, the breakfast is good, the hostel has a bar that serves snacks, it is clean, and there is a large city park adjacent to the place. The bad points are it is hard to find, there is no internet, far from the city, staff is not professional, and the coffee machine eats your money.