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GETTING HERE & GETTING AROUND

The Cities’ modern transportation systems can easily take you from point A to point B by plane, train or automobile.

Image by Mac H/Flickr

By Plane

With 13 airlines and most major U.S. cities no more than a three-hour flight away, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is the perfect place to begin your trip. MSP tied for No. 1 airport in the United States in 2015, and it ranked third best U.S. airport for on-time performance and fifth most reliable airport. Right on the METRO Light Rail route, MSP is easy to get to and from, both location-wise and flight-wise.

By Rail and Train

Our METRO Light Rail system spans the main parts of the Twin Cities, from the Blue Line’s easternmost stop at downtown Minneapolis’ Target Field all the way west to Mall of America® in Bloomington. The Green Line will take you to the St. Paul Union Depot in the capitol city’s downtown. Between these miles of tracks are 41 different stops, making for an easy connect-the-dots across the metro.

We’ve rounded up the best attractions along the MetroTransit light rails here.

Beyond the Twin Cities, the Northstar Line smoothly traverses the landscape to get you to the northern suburbs of Fridley, Anoka, Elk River and more. Our “Empire Builder” Amtrak trains are prepped for a bigger journey toward the borders with stops in places like Winona, Red Wing, St. Cloud, Detroit Lakes and Fargo-Moorhead. If you come from farther out of state and want a stress-free ride back home, this route can get you to Chicago and Seattle or Portland, no problem.

By City Bus

Winding through the grids of Minneapolis and St. Paul are 58 urban routes ready to get you within a few blocks of wherever you need to go. Hundreds of other bus routes also connect with surrounding suburbs, so you’re never out of reach from things to see and do.

By Car

Our many highways and thoroughfares make getting anywhere possible, but our four freeway mainstays keep things from getting too complicated. I-694 and 494 work together to make a large circle around the Twin Cities, while I-35W cuts north to south on the Minneapolis side and I-35E gets you through St. Paul’s neighborhoods.

As for renting, more than 15 car rental services are available at MSP Airport alone, and other places are accessible after a quick internet search and survey of the metro. You can also consider services such as ZipCar and Car2Go.

By Cab

From Mall of America to downtown Minneapolis, it costs about $30, and depending on which taxi service you use, it will be about the same price to get to downtown St. Paul. Uber or Lyft can give you a little more flexibility and are often cheaper than taxis.

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