Gutenberg Museum
Gutenberg Museum
4.5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Located in the hometown of Johannes Gutenberg, the founder of the printing press, this museum displays a recreation of his original printing press and a collection of other exhibits.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Top ways to experience Gutenberg Museum and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
588 within 5 kms
Attractions
309 within 10 kms
See what travellers are saying
- Adrian C24 contributionsGreat insights into the first days of printingThe museum offer some great insights into the first days of printing. It provides information about Guthemberg, you can see so.e of his works, but also what was before and what came after. There are also sections on asian and islamic printing, as well as a room dedicated to bookbinding. Make sure to rent an audioguide.Visited April 2024Travelled soloWritten April 5, 2024
- SyrinxSoundsVictoria, Canada1,418 contributionsMore than BiblesWe hadn't planned to be in Mainz until we were actually there and looking for something to do. Had I been paying attention, this museum would have been way up on my radar. For those of us with a penchant for books, libraries, book binding, this is a treasure trove. For those of us who geek out on maps, illustrations, old music, this is a treasure trove. For those of us who edge antiquarian, this is a treasure trove. It's a smallish museum, with only one of four floors directly dedicated to Gutenberg. But the museum does a superb job building the connection from Gutenberg to the present. Descriptions are in English as well as German, but they are small and not in a contrasting colour. Take your best dim-lighting glasses. The lighting is dark, even more than dim. I spent a lot of time squinting, but the content was worth it. Take a water bottle, if you can. The humidity is as low as the lighting. Extraordinary items require extraordinary archival techniques. I was pretty parched on leaving. The cost is low at 5-euro. We spent a scant hour. I might have stayed longer, but the content was demanding. Still, try not to be put off by the idea of Gutenberg, the printer of Bibles. Go for Gutenberg, the printer who changed everything.Visited June 2024Travelled with friendsWritten June 17, 2024
- Ian SLeicester, United Kingdom34 contributionsThe beginning of BooksThis is a great museum- go there and see some original Gutenberg bibles. This museum is dedicated to the memory of the man who invented printing and it makes a good job of displaying life and times. And it is very comfortable and full of careful and sensible staff; and the entry fee is modest; and the shop is excellent. Im looking at a pencil I bought, with my initials on. You wouldn't think that a pencil was all that impressive but it is so well made and presented.. its a pleasure to use . I brought back some ephemera for a book loving friend- he was delighted.Visited June 2024Travelled with familyWritten August 22, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
998 reviews
Excellent
489
Very good
345
Average
117
Poor
29
Terrible
18
These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
This service may contain translations provided by Google. Google disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to translations, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from forgery.
Stanley S
Plymouth, NH402 contributions
Feb 2020
Obviously Gutenberg is a major historic turning point, and seeing manuscripts is incredible, but the personnel who work there want you to not take photos of anything. I guess they either want to profit from your additional purchases in the gift shop, but those of us traveling by air don't want to carry home a heavy coffee-table book, and we can get them less expensively online or in a bookshop back home than in their overpriced gift store. So you can go and see it, but actually this is a museum the subject matter of which is just as easily seen online or in books back home.
Written April 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SeliMal
Kemnath, Germany15 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
We visited with 3 children today - ages 8, 4.5 and 1.5. The older two were actually fairly excited about the visit and enjoyed seeing the different presses, how paper is made, etc. After the gift shop we expected to go to the print shop so they could hopefully make their own prints. There were three children inside making print after print. We were barely acknowledged and told an appointment was necessary and that it is open on Saturdays to the public. This is not stated anywhere and the hours printed in the door did not indicate any restrictions. The attitude of the staff there really soured the visit for us and my children were very disappointed that they would not be able to make their selected prints.
Written January 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
valentinafalco86
Corato, Italy105 contributions
Apr 2024 • Friends
Indecent and rude staff. I'm in the museum for this moment but I can't help myself from writing how rude, racist and unwilling the staff are to have contact with the public... they shouted at us in German just because we asked for information on the cost of the group of 15 people and the cost of the audio guides, among other things not present in Italian, which is shameful. Furthermore, the cashier can only sell tickets, because if you ask her for information the lady on the side attacks you, and knowing that you don't know German, she shouts at you in German.
The museum is beautiful, but there are no English translations anywhere, but only on some major sections.
I love museums and, studying the Bible, we were very interested in such a historical piece. But those who work here apparently have no skills, no tact and don't know that they have a heritage to share, a heritage they don't deserve!
The museum is beautiful, but there are no English translations anywhere, but only on some major sections.
I love museums and, studying the Bible, we were very interested in such a historical piece. But those who work here apparently have no skills, no tact and don't know that they have a heritage to share, a heritage they don't deserve!
Written April 28, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
9000Gent
Ghent, Belgium298 contributions
Oct 2021
If you are interested in printing , (very) old books etc.... please do visit this museum.
In the cellar we go a presentation how Gutenberg invented printing. They really show you how Gutenberg made his printing material and even print a page in the way Gutenberg did.
Furthermore the museum has 5 floors with a lot of machinery and of course very old books.
The world famous (and priceless) Gutenberg bibles of which the museum has two original books are shown in a saferoom.
Museum is really worth the visit.
In the cellar we go a presentation how Gutenberg invented printing. They really show you how Gutenberg made his printing material and even print a page in the way Gutenberg did.
Furthermore the museum has 5 floors with a lot of machinery and of course very old books.
The world famous (and priceless) Gutenberg bibles of which the museum has two original books are shown in a saferoom.
Museum is really worth the visit.
Written October 18, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
suntan47
Chelmsford, UK1,018 contributions
Jul 2023
We visited as a group from our Scenic River Cruise.
We had a local guide & did a walking tour in Mainz before coming to the Gutenberg Museum.
Apparently it is in the process of being moved to another area in the City . This will be better as the interior is quite dark in some areas , the exhibition although interesting will be able to be displayed much better .
Fascinating to see the printing process shown by our guide . Very painstaking, it must have taken ages .
Amazing to see the Bible , the work that must of gone into printing that is incredible. Good to have seen a piece of history.
We had a local guide & did a walking tour in Mainz before coming to the Gutenberg Museum.
Apparently it is in the process of being moved to another area in the City . This will be better as the interior is quite dark in some areas , the exhibition although interesting will be able to be displayed much better .
Fascinating to see the printing process shown by our guide . Very painstaking, it must have taken ages .
Amazing to see the Bible , the work that must of gone into printing that is incredible. Good to have seen a piece of history.
Written July 26, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Seaview5
982 contributions
Aug 2022
We arrived just in time to see a demonstration of the printing press in the basement. The demonstration, which was excellent, was given by a most knowledgeable man who demonstrated in a friendly, interesting way. We were fascinated to discover that the early printing presses were based on the wine presses of the region. We then saw the original Gutenberg bibles on the second floor. There were many other exhibits in the museum but we didn’t have time to see them all.
Written August 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sue M
Williamsburg, VA1,535 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
As part of our walking tour of Mainz, we visited the Gutenberg museum and our tour guide gave us a demonstration of how Gutenberg and his workers printed on a sheet of parchment. It was very impressive. I had seen a copy of the Gutenberg bible many years ago at the no longer existing Newseum in Rosslyn, VA. It was very impressive to see the copies that the Gutenberg museum had and to hear about the story of the museum acquiring a complete version at auction in 1978 for 1.8 million. Today an estimate for a complete Gutenberg bible is 25 - 35 million.
Written May 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ciahasher
Houston, TX1,060 contributions
Aug 2023 • Solo
I was left underwhelmed after visiting this place.
Yes, there are a few Gutenberg bibles in the museum that date back to the 1400s , but other than that, not much to see unless you know German.
Most of the display descriptions are solely in German although a few are dual language. (German/English)
You can get an audio tour in English (headphones) which I’m sure would help ..
There is also some sort of lecture they do a few times a day but I was told the one getting ready to happen was only in German.
I would not recommend unless you understand German.
Yes, there are a few Gutenberg bibles in the museum that date back to the 1400s , but other than that, not much to see unless you know German.
Most of the display descriptions are solely in German although a few are dual language. (German/English)
You can get an audio tour in English (headphones) which I’m sure would help ..
There is also some sort of lecture they do a few times a day but I was told the one getting ready to happen was only in German.
I would not recommend unless you understand German.
Written August 8, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gaetano S
7 contributions
Oct 2024 • Couples
This was amazing and very elucidating. Gutenberg‘s goal was to create the perfect book! I would recommend a guide to explain the details of the difference between handmade and what he did. Perseverance! More importantly, it enabled regular people to learn. The most important was the lie that the church was telling about purgatory! Make sure you go and see what Martin Luther did with his little pamphlets and the “letters of indulgence “. This is very important. I highly recommend this museum.
I also got to “print” a page with my guide.
I also got to “print” a page with my guide.
Written October 2, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Adrian C
24 contributions
Apr 2024 • Solo
The museum offer some great insights into the first days of printing. It provides information about Guthemberg, you can see so.e of his works, but also what was before and what came after. There are also sections on asian and islamic printing, as well as a room dedicated to bookbinding. Make sure to rent an audioguide.
Written April 5, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Are there any eating places nearby? We hope to meet family, who we rarely see, after visiting the museum but there will be limited time and they have a 2 year old so we need a place to relax and talk - 6 adults and a child.
Written April 30, 2019
Lots! Great restaurants and cafes at different price points.
Written May 21, 2019
Guten Tag,
der Bahnhof ist zu Fuß ca. 15 Minuten, mit dem Bus (Richtung Höfchen/Listmann) 5 Minuten entfernt. Sonntags haben wir von 11 bis 17 Uhr geöffnet.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Martina Illner
Written June 18, 2018
Not Mondays.....and especially take note of public holidays, which include a number of church holy days that may not be marked in other countries.
Written September 11, 2017
Is there parking nearby the museum?
Written July 6, 2017
Yes there are several places close by and here are websites which can help you. It tells you about all parking possibilities and shows all parking sites as well as a possibility of reserving a parking spot. The Gutenberg museum has it's own website which also shows the general parking around town. It's a great museum and worth a visit.
Written July 7, 2017
Yes, from 9-5 on Saturday.
They are open everyday except Monday
Written May 9, 2017
this museum sounds like our cup of tea IF we can get info in English. Is the guided tour in English? Thank you. Susan
Written November 7, 2016
Hi Susan, thanks for you question and your interest in visiting our museum. The audio guide in English is available at a price of Euro 3.50 at the cash desk of the Gutenberg-Museum. You are asked to leave an identification card as a desposit. I hope you enjoy your stay.
Best regards
Martina
Written November 8, 2016
Showing results 1-10 of 11
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing