Mainz Cathedral

Mainz Cathedral (Mainzer Dom, officially the Hoher Dom St. Martin) is the landmark of Mainz, the Rhineland-Palatinate capital on the Rhine River. Together with the cathedrals of Speyer and Worms, it is one of the three great Romanesque "imperial cathedrals" of the Rhineland. Built in red sandstone and crowned by six towers, it has grown for more than a thousand years, and admission to the church is free – an easy, rewarding stop on any Rhine itinerary.

A thousand years of history

Archbishop Willigis, who took office in 975, launched the project to build a monumental new cathedral. Its first chapter ended in disaster: in 1009 the church burned down on the very day of its consecration, probably because of the festive torch lighting. Archbishop Bardo finished the rebuild, consecrated on November 10, 1036, in the presence of Emperor Conrad II.

Emperor Henry IV had the east choir rebuilt from around 1100, and the late Romanesque west end was completed and consecrated on July 4, 1239 – still celebrated as the cathedral's dedication day. Gothic chapels and a cloister followed, and after a lightning strike in 1767 the west tower received the stone spire you see today. Several German kings were crowned here, including Frederick II in 1212.

What to see inside

The cathedral has two choirs facing each other, a design typical of major German Romanesque churches. The building is about 116 meters (380 feet) long on the outside, and the west tower rises 83.5 meters including its weathervane.

• Willigis doors: the bronze doors of the market portal are among the earliest cast-metal doors north of the Alps.
• Tomb monuments: one of the largest collections of archbishops' and prelates' memorials in the former Holy Roman Empire, the tallest over eight meters high.
• West choir stalls: carved Baroque woodwork from 1760 to 1765.
• Cloister and museum: the Gothic cloister (early 1400s) leads to the Cathedral and Diocesan Museum, home to the cathedral treasury.
• St. Gotthard Chapel: a Romanesque double chapel from before 1137, entered only from the market square.

Opening hours, tickets and tours

As of October 2026, the Diocese of Mainz lists sightseeing hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays and holidays; visits are not possible during services. Entry to the cathedral is free.

The Dominformation desk on the market square (Markt 10) sells multilingual guide booklets and offers an audio guide. Public cathedral tours currently run on the last Saturday of the month and are booked through the Cathedral Museum, which also lists English-language museum tours in its program. The museum itself is open Tuesday to Friday 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and weekends 11 a.m.–6 p.m. (closed Mondays); admission is €5, reduced €3.

How to get there

Mainz is a classic day trip from Frankfurt: S-Bahn trains run directly from Frankfurt Airport to Mainz Hauptbahnhof, and regional trains connect the two cities' main stations. Local and regional trains are covered by the Deutschlandticket. From Mainz main station it is roughly 1.5 kilometers (about a mile) on foot through the city center to the cathedral; the closest bus stop is Höfchen/Listmann.

If you drive, use the parking garages Am Brand, Rathaus or Malakoff-Park near the old town.

Is it worth visiting?

Yes – especially if you are exploring the Rhine. Allow 45 to 60 minutes for the cathedral and up to three hours if you add the cloister and museum. Come on a Saturday morning to see the farmers' market spread across the squares around the cathedral, or in Advent, when the Christmas market fills the same space. The main entrance and the Domstraße entrance are step-free, though the transept and lower chapels are not wheelchair accessible.

Nearby

• Gutenberg Museum: two original Gutenberg Bibles, now shown in the temporary "Gutenberg-Museum MOVED" exhibition a short walk away.
• Augustinerstraße and Kirschgarten: half-timbered houses and wine taverns just south of the cathedral.
• St. Stephan's Church: famous for its blue Marc Chagall windows.
• Rhine promenade: a few minutes' walk for river views.

Christmas market 2026

Mainz Christmas market on the squares around the cathedral runs from 26 November to 23 December 2026. The city lists opening hours of 11 am to 8:30 pm from Sunday to Thursday and 11 am to 9 pm on Fridays and Saturdays; on 23 December the market closes at 7 pm. The city plans to publish programme details in the autumn. More in our guide Mainz Christmas market 2026.