Set where the Rhine and the Main rivers meet, Mainz, Germany, is an interesting city and a good spot to try local wines. Other attractions there include the Gutenberg Museum, which tells the story of how its native son, Johannes Gutenberg, invented a form of printing with movable type. It also has an original Gutenberg Bible.
Take time to see the Romanesque cathedral and stroll through the surrounding old town. Be sure to visit the Gothic church St. Stephan, which has beautiful stained-glass windows created by Marc Chagall showing Biblical scenes in magical, bluish colors. The modern synagogue with its glazed, rippled ceramic facade, is also well worth a visit.
Mainz is a nice day trip from Frankfurt (26 mi/42 km to the east), or you can see it before or after touring the Rhine Valley.
Neighboring Wiesbaden also sits near the confluence of the Rhine and the Main rivers. Hot springs were the attraction for Roman soldiers, but the city's reputation as a spa and casino town pushed it to its height in the 1800s.
Up the Rhine a little, the small town of Rudesheim, famous for its wine and nightlife, can become completely overwhelmed by its many visitors. Nevertheless, it's a charming stop. Spend an afternoon walking the small, ancient streets of the older part of town, eating in its restaurants and pausing to look at the beautiful medieval houses.
Also see nearby Presberg, a spa resort, and the 125-ft/38-m Niederwalddenkmal monument, which commemorates the 1871 unification of Germany.
South of Mainz, and close enough for a day trip, is Worms (pronounced vorms, rhymes with forms). Along with Wittenberg, this Rhine River town can be said to be the birthplace of Protestantism.
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