A long weekend in Minneapolis and Saint Paul without a car

I%26#39;m interested in spending a long weekend in Minneapolis/Saint Paul and the area. For a variety of reasons I%26#39;d like to do it without renting a car. From reading this forum, it seems like there%26#39;s a lot to see in and near Downtown Minneapolis--museums, theatres, restaurants. I%26#39;d want to get out into the neighborhoods some too. I%26#39;m not really much of a cyclist, so I%26#39;d be using transit, walking, maybe taking the occasional cab. Does this sound viable? I was also interested by the person who said see Minneapolis by transit, but not Saint Paul--is the level of bus service that different in the two cities?

A long weekend in Minneapolis and Saint Paul without a car

I think it can be done. Perhaps the statement about not seeing St. Paul by transit (bus only there) was more a statement of how much easier it is to see by car. But Metro Transit serves both cities and the routes are inter-connected.

The one thing Minneapolis has that St. Paul (for now, at least) does not is the light rail train that runs from downtown Mpls through the airport and ends at the Mall of America in the south suburbs. But it%26#39;s only one line and to see much off of that route you need to use buses -- although Metro Transit does a nice job with its Web site and on the vehicles themselves telling you which bus connections can be picked up at which train stops.

See the metrotransit.org web site for more. There is a trip planner tool and a bunch of maps with attached schedules. I%26#39;m very familiar with the light rail and somewhat familiar with the south Minneapolis bus routes.

If you%26#39;re willing to put in the time and brainpower to familiarize yourself with the routes you need, I%26#39;d say it%26#39;s do-able.

Stay downtown, yes. And I%26#39;d imagine for starters you%26#39;ll want to use the bus system to take you into Uptown (down Hennepin Avenue) to the Lakes (Harriet and Calhoun) and then on foot traipse around Uptown to take in the atmosphere -- small shops, restos, co-ops, urban living -- all that.

And the train to Minnehaha Park, perhaps a bus from the park over to Highland Park area of St. Paul, then over to Grand and Summit Avenues.

I personally don%26#39;t think downtown St. Paul has a ton to see. (My friends who llive there disagree). What I love about St. Paul are the neighborhood bars and parks and avenues. Summit Avenue is gorgeous. So is Grand Ave -- same vicinity.

Just a start of the possibilities. You could look into passes instead of individual tickets per ride of course -- so you could jump off when you see something that piques your interest and then hop the next bus. Details on the web site

A long weekend in Minneapolis and Saint Paul without a car

That%26#39;s very helpful, that%26#39;s the kind of guidance I%26#39;m looking for. It%26#39;s definitely good to remember that a light rail line is only one line among many.

just in case I mislead, you ... to be clear. there is only one rail line here for the time being -- not many. The long-term goal is to add lines to the existing solo line (Hiawatha Line). But as of now, only the Hiawatha Line exists. So the transit system in the area is buses and that one line. I think if you use that system, your feet and taxis, you can get a good view of this area.

here%26#39;s a few useful sites -

http://www.metrotransit.org/

minneapolis.org/page/area-maps-minneapolis.j鈥?/a>

http://www.saint-paul.com/index.php

you could see the area without a car

as you fly in, you can take the light rail from the airport, to downtown Minneapolis, if you are staying there.

There are express busses between the two downtowns.