Mainz Cathedral and Old Town

Mainz cathedral was begun in 975 and, like Worms and Speyer, is one of the Imperial Cathedrals, with choirs at both ends and a thousand years of tombs of archbishops along its nave. Nearby, St Stephan's has nine windows in deep blue made by Marc Chagall between 1978 and 1985, work he undertook in his nineties as a gesture toward reconciliation with Germany; they are the only Chagall windows in a German church. The old town around Kirschgarten keeps timber-framed houses. Mainz has an unusually large carnival, and Johannes Gutenberg worked here in the 1440s and 1450s.

What you actually see

• The double-choir cathedral - a Romanesque building begun in 975.
• The Chagall windows - nine blue windows in St Stephan's, the only ones in Germany.
• The Kirschgarten - a small square of timber-framed houses.
• The market - a large produce market beside the cathedral several days a week.

When to go

April to October; the market runs on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday mornings. Carnival in February fills the city. St Stephan's windows are best in morning light.

Honest expectations

Much of the city is postwar rebuilding. The cathedral closes for services. St Stephan's has limited hours and asks for quiet.

Nearby

Wiesbaden lies across the Rhine; Worms is south.