Getting Around Saint Paul
Saint Paul is the eastern half of the Twin Cities, and its public transit network is run by Metro Transit, which operates the region's buses and light rail. For a visitor, the practical picture is simple: a light rail line ties downtown Saint Paul to downtown Minneapolis, a handful of frequent bus routes cover the most useful local corridors, and the airport is reachable by bus or rail. Fares are modest and transfers are built in, so you can move around without a car for most sightseeing trips.
Public Transit: Buses and Light Rail
Metro Transit is the operator of the public transit system in the Twin Cities. Single-ride fares include unlimited transfers for 2.5 hours, which makes a single ticket useful for a multi-leg journey. Fares are higher during peak service hours (weekday mornings and late afternoons, excluding certain holidays) and lower at all other times. Express services cost a bit more than local and limited-stop services, which include the METRO Light Rail.
The METRO Green Line is the backbone of rail travel for visitors. It runs from downtown Saint Paul to downtown Minneapolis, starting at Union Depot and running down 4th Street and Cedar Street, past the State Capitol, then west along University Avenue through the Frogtown and Midway areas before reaching Minneapolis. Trains run frequently during much of the day, with less frequent service later in the evening and only hourly overnight.
Bus service in Saint Paul has improved, even if it doesn't quite match up to services in Minneapolis. Two routes are especially handy for visitors:
- The Route 54 bus 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. It works differently from other bus lines: fares are paid before boarding. Each stop has a ticket machine (cash and credit cards accepted, no change given) and a Go-To card validator.
Tickets and Passes
Unlimited ride passes are available in 1-day, 7-day, and 31-day formats, and stored value passes (pay-per-ride) are also available. Day passes can be purchased online, at a Metro Transit Store, from a bus driver, or from a ticket machine at any light rail station or A Line bus stop. The 7-day and 31-day passes must be loaded on a Go-To card, which can be purchased online, at a Metro Transit Store, or at participating Metro Transit sales outlets. Stored value can be loaded onto a Go-To card in increments up to a maximum balance. Once you have 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.
Arriving by Air
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport sits just outside the southwest corner of Saint Paul. It is a major hub for Delta Air Lines and also a hub for the local discount carrier Sun Country Airlines. Getting into downtown Saint Paul from the airport is straightforward:
- 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 and every 20 minutes on Sundays, and the trip to downtown takes roughly 20 minutes.
- If your flight arrives at Terminal 2, take the light rail one stop north to Terminal 1 (free fare between terminals) and transfer to the bus.
- Taxi fare from the airport to downtown is around $31–38.
Arriving by Train or Intercity Bus
Union Depot, at 240 E Kellogg Blvd, is the hub for inter-city train and bus services in Saint Paul. Station hours are 6AM–11:45PM daily, with ticketing hours 6:30AM–11:30PM daily. Amtrak operates train service around the United States, and two routes stop at Saint Paul:
- The Empire Builder, operating daily between Seattle/Portland and Chicago, with stops including Spokane, Glacier National Park, Fargo, Saint Paul, and Milwaukee. The trains split into separate branches between Seattle and Spokane and between Portland and Spokane, operating as a combined train between Spokane and Chicago.
- The Borealis, which operates daily between Chicago and Saint Paul on the same route as the Empire Builder but on a different schedule.
Intercity buses also operate out of Union Depot. Greyhound offers limited services from Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, and some points in between. Jefferson Lines offers limited services from Duluth, Des Moines, Kansas City, Green Bay, and points in between. Megabus serves Chicago, Milwaukee, and Madison.
By Car
If you are driving, Interstate 35E and Interstate 94 travel through Saint Paul, and US 52 is a freeway connecting Saint Paul to the southern suburbs.
Walkability and Local Tips
Downtown Saint Paul is compact and the Green Line connects several visitor-relevant points along 4th Street, Cedar Street, and past the State Capitol, so walking combined with short rail or bus hops covers a lot of ground. For longer cross-town trips, the frequent A Line along Snelling Avenue and the Route 54 along West 7th Street are the most useful bus corridors. Because single-ride fares include unlimited transfers for 2.5 hours, you can chain a bus and light rail trip on one ticket. If you plan several trips in a day, a day pass is the simplest option, and for a longer stay a 7-day or 31-day pass loaded on a Go-To card saves you from buying a ticket each time.