Minneapolis
Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat.
With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 census, it is the state's most populous city. Located in the state's center near the eastern border, it occupies both banks of the Upper Mississippi River and adjoins Saint Paul, the state capital of Minnesota. Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and the surrounding area are collectively known as the Twin Cities, a metropolitan area with 3.69 million residents. Minneapolis is built on an artesian aquifer on relatively flat terrain and is known for cold, snowy winters and hot, humid summers. Nicknamed the "City of Lakes", Minneapolis is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks, and waterfalls. The city's public park system is connected by the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway.
Getting to Minneapolis
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP IATA) is located 10 miles southeast of downtown Minneapolis. The airport contains two terminals: Terminal 1-Lindbergh and Terminal 2-Humphrey, with most flights arriving at Terminal 1. There is no airside connection between the terminals, transferring between the two requires use of the metro, which is free between the two stations.
Worth seeing
The museums, natural parks and waterfronts, malls, shopping districts, and dining zones should give you several options no matter what your age. The major fine art museum in town is the Minneapolis Institute of Arts in Whittier, which covers 5,000 years of art and has a particularly strong collection of Asian art.
Things to do
Minneapolis on the surface seems like a pretty but rather quiet tourist destination. If you properly do your research though, there is plenty to do. Minneapolis has beautiful lakes and riverfronts that the local residents work hard to keep clean. It is also easy with a car, the proper permits, and necessary equipment to go camping as close as twenty miles east on the St.
Where to eat
See the Districts articles for more listings. Don't miss Nicollet Avenue's Eat Street for a variety of ethnic fare; it is particularly heavy on Southeast Asian options. Options include Quang and Jasmine Deli for Vietnamese and the Black Forest Inn for German cuisine. The Vietnamese restaurants are incredibly cheap ($5-10 per person) and have received consistently exuberant reviews since their openings.
Getting around Minneapolis the local way
- Get aroundTour operators from as far away as Japan organize charter flights and hotel bookings for the single purpose of experiencing "The Mall".
- Get aroundIt's a day trip in itself, but not for the thrifty.
- Get aroundIf you're here between Memorial Day and Labor Day, rent a canoe at Bde Maka Ska (stop at the nearby Lunds grocery on Lake Street for picnic materials) and see four lakes, three enchanting sheltered canals, two islands, and one classic creosote-tastic railroad trestle from a duck's eye view.
- Get aroundThe larger Twin Cities area also offers a good mix of off-road bike trails; for example one can bike from Chaska to St.
- Get aroundA variety of maps show the web of on and off-road routes that span the greater metropolitan area.
- Go nextAt 5 hours from Minneapolis, this is not exactly a day trip but worth the drive if you are a gravity addict!
From Wikivoyage: Minneapolis, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.