Saint Paul

Understand

Geography

Saint Paul is in the Upper Midwest along the Mississippi River, just east and downstream of its sister city Minneapolis. Its location near the head of navigation on the Mississippi River led to its historical development as a transportation hub for freight from the west and to the east and south. The geologically recent Mississippi River is a prominent feature of the landscape, traversing the city from the upscale riverside homes in Highland Park to the undevelopable floodlands near the junction with the Minnesota River, through the historic downtown riverboat landings and railroad infrastructure, the Mississippi River is the defining feature of Saint Paul.

Climate

Winters in Saint Paul can be very cold, summer is often warm to hot and frequently humid, snowfall is common in the winter and thunderstorms with heavy rainfall occur during the spring, summer and autumn. If you are not fond of the cold, May-October would be the best time to visit Saint Paul. Downtown Saint Paul has a skyway system to allow you to escape the elements in bad weather, although it isn't nearly as extensive as the one in downtown Minneapolis.

Visitor information

Get in

By plane

• Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) is just outside the southwest corner of the city. It is a major hub for Delta Air Lines and also a hub for local discount carrier Sun Country Airlines. Metro Transit provides bus service between the airport (at Terminal 1) and downtown Saint Paul on Route 54, which runs along West 7th Street. The bus comes by every 15 minutes on weekdays and Saturdays, every 20 minutes on Sundays, and the trip time from the airport to downtown is roughly 20 minutes. If your flight arrives at Terminal 2, take the light rail (free fare between terminals) one stop north to Terminal 1 and transfer to the bus. Taxi fare from the airport to downtown is around $31-38.

By train

• Route stopping at Saint Paul:

• The Empire Builder, operating daily between Seattle/Portland and Chicago including stops at Spokane, Glacier National Park, Fargo, Saint Paul, and Milwaukee. The trains split into separate branches between Seattle and Spokane, and between Portland and Spokane, while operating as trains consisting of train cars from both branches between Spokane and Chicago. This train covers a route similar to the historic Empire Builder of the James J. Hill Great Northern Railway.
• The Borealis, which operates daily between Chicago and Saint Paul on the same route as the Empire Builder, but on a different schedule.

By bus

Bus services operate out of Union Depot (see "By train" above)

By car

Interstate 35E and Interstate 94 travel through Saint Paul. US 52 also is a freeway connecting Saint Paul to the southern suburbs.

Get around

By public transit

• METRO Light Rail. The Green Line runs from downtown Saint Paul to downtown Minneapolis. The line starts at Union Depot and runs down 4th Street and Cedar Street, goes past the State Capitol, and then runs west down University Avenue through the Frogtown and Midway areas before reaching the city of Minneapolis. Trains run every 10 minutes during much of the day, with service being reduced to every 15 minutes later in the evening, and then just hourly during the overnight hours.
• Bus. Bus service in Saint Paul has improved, even if it doesn't quite match up to services in Minneapolis. The 54 runs fairly often between downtown Saint Paul and the airport via West 7th Street. The A Line runs frequently along Snelling Avenue and Ford Parkway. The A Line is also different from the other bus lines in town in that fares are paid before boarding the bus; each stop has a ticket machine (cash and credit cards accepted, no change given) and a Go-To card validator.

Pass options

Unlimited ride passes are available in 1-day, 7-day, and 31-day formats. Stored value passes (pay-per-ride) are also available. Day passes are $6 and can be purchased online, at a Metro Transit Store, from a bus driver, or a ticket machine at any light rail station or A Line bus stop. 7-day ($24) and 31-day ($65-120) passes must be loaded on a Go-To card, which can be purchased online, at a Metro Transit Store, or participating Metro Transit sales outlets. Stored value passes can be loaded on a Go-To card in increments of $10 (up to $400). Once in possession of a Go-To card, reloading it with new unlimited ride passes or stored value is easy and can be done online, at Metro Transit stores and outlets, or at light rail ticket machines.

Learn

Private

Public