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The Twin Cities sit in southeastern Minnesota, near the Wisconsin border and form a sprawling metropolis on opposite sides of the Mississippi River. Downtown Minneapolis, on the river's west bank, is a modern grid of high-rise buildings, many linked by enclosed overhead walkways known as Skyways. These heated footpaths are wonderful in winter but leave the surface streets somewhat deserted in summer and fall.
The Warehouse District, northwest of downtown, is home to top-flight restaurants, art galleries and shops housed in old brick warehouses. The Riverfront district, particularly the area just north of downtown, is a scenic waterfront stretch lined with old warehouses and walking trails. Bookstores and bars, sorority and fraternity houses all crowd student-filled Dinkytown, a riverfront district that abuts the University of Minneapolis.
From Minneapolis it's a 10-minute drive to downtown St Paul via highway I-94. The Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport is 25km (15mi) southeast of Minneapolis and about the same distance southwest of St Paul. Greyhound has stations in both cities that are reasonably convenient to sights and lodgings. The less convenient Amtrak station is halfway between Minneapolis and St Paul.
Getting There
Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport is a major regional hub and home of Northwest Airlines, handling around 22 million passengers a year. Unless the traffic is especially thick, it's an easy 20-minute drive from the airport to downtown Minneapolis and St Paul. There's a slew of buses, taxis, shuttles and car rentals to get you there and back.
The Greyhound bus company was 'born' in Minnesota in the 1920s and nowadays offers service throughout the state and beyond. There are Greyhound depots in downtown Minneapolis, downtown St Paul and at the airport. The first two are fairly convenient to hotels and the main sights. By bus, it's about six hours to Milwaukee and eight hours to Chicago.
The Amtrak station is located somewhat inconveniently between the Twin Cities. Daily trains go southeast to Milwaukee and Chicago, and west to Seattle.
The Twin Cities are at the crossroads of two major interstate highways, I-35 and I-94. The former runs north-south from Duluth, Minnesota, to Des Moines, Iowa; the latter east-west from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Billings, Montana.
Getting Around
Metropolitan Council Transit Operations (MCTO) runs local buses in the Twin Cities metro area. Both downtown areas have limited trolley systems that are augmented by extensive Skyway networks (elevated glass-enclosed walkways that connect dozens of downtown malls and buildings). You can spend a full day shopping and carousing without stepping foot outside - a blessing on harsh winter days.
To explore farther afield, the Padelford Packet Company runs paddlewheel tours up the Mississippi River. From May to October, the paddleboats run from St Paul to Fort Snelling and St Anthony Falls.
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