The Mainz riverfront runs for several kilometres along the Rhine, from the old town centre south to the newer residential districts. The promenade is a pleasant place to walk at any time of year — in summer it fills with joggers, cyclists, and people drinking beer on the grass watching the river traffic. The view across the Rhine to the Mainz skyline, with the cathedral towers rising above everything, is the classic picture of the city.
Several Rhine cruise companies operate from the waterfront, offering day trips and longer excursions north to Rüdesheim and the Loreley rock, or south to Worms and Speyer. The journey through the Rhine Gorge — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — passes medieval castles on successive bends of the river and is worth doing at least once.