You have just landed at Minneapolis–St. Paul International, your bag is finally off the carousel, and somewhere across the river there is a Georgian mansion in Loring Park with your name on a room key. The good news: MSP is one of the easiest major airports in America to leave. The airport sits about twelve miles from downtown Minneapolis, and you have three genuinely reasonable ways to cover that distance.
Here is how each one actually works, what it costs you in time, and which one we would pick — plus one piece of 2026 track work you should know about before you plan on the train.
The short answer
If you want the fastest door-to-door trip with luggage, take a rideshare or taxi: roughly 20 to 25 minutes to Loring Park outside rush hour. If you want the cheapest and most scenic, take the METRO Blue Line light rail into downtown and cover the last stretch on foot or with a short ride. If you are planning day trips to orchards, lakes or the St. Croix Valley, rent a car — guest parking at the mansion is available and the details come with your pre-arrival information.
Option 1: the METRO Blue Line light rail
The Blue Line is the reason MSP has a reputation for being easy. Both terminals have their own station right in the building — Terminal 1 (Lindbergh) at 4300 Glumack Drive and Terminal 2 (Humphrey) at 7150 Humphrey Drive — and the ride between the two terminals is free. From there the line runs north through Minneapolis and ends at Target Field, on the far side of downtown.
From downtown, Loring Park is a short walk, a quick bus hop, or a five-minute rideshare. The whole trip is inexpensive, runs frequently, and drops you into the city rather than onto a freeway. Plan your exact connection with the Metro Transit trip planner, which will route you around whatever is happening on the day you arrive.
One important note for 2026 travellers
Metro Transit has been running replacement buses instead of Blue Line trains this summer while it rebuilds track and upgrades the signal system that guides light rail movements. According to Metro Transit’s own project page, buses have replaced trains at all Blue Line stations between Target Field and Mall of America from June 29 until August 20, 2026, with replacement buses serving every station and trips taking longer than usual.
We are publishing this on the last scheduled day of that work, so rather than tell you what is running when you read this, we will tell you the honest thing: check before you travel. The Track and Signals project page and the rider alerts page are the two sources we trust, and they are updated far faster than any blog post.
Option 2: rideshare, taxi and car service
Uber, Lyft and taxis all pick up at designated areas at both terminals, and the airport publishes exactly where to stand on its ground transportation page. Expect roughly 20 to 25 minutes to Loring Park when traffic is behaving, longer at weekday rush hour or when there is an event downtown.
This is the option we quietly recommend for anyone arriving late, travelling with a lot of luggage, or landing in a Minnesota January. There is no 24-hour front desk at the mansion — we are a privately operated historic house, not a hotel chain — so you will have your check-in details and a phone number before you arrive, and you can let yourself in whenever your flight actually lands.
Option 3: renting a car
You do not need a car to enjoy Minneapolis, and for a downtown-only weekend we would skip it. But if your trip includes apple orchards in the fall, the lakes, or a drive out to the river valleys, a car earns its keep. Rental counters are at both terminals, and the drive from MSP to Loring Park is a straight shot up Highway 55 or I-35W.
Once you arrive: what is actually within walking distance
This is the part that makes the airport question worth answering properly. 300 Clifton sits at 300 Clifton Avenue, in the historic Loring Park neighborhood — which means that once you have dropped your bag, you can leave the car and the transit app alone for the rest of the weekend.
Loring Park itself is around the corner. The Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden are a short walk across the pedestrian bridge. Eat Street’s restaurants run south down Nicollet, and downtown proper — the theatres, the arenas, the stadium — is minutes away. We keep a running list of places to eat nearby if you would rather not decide on an empty stomach.
Check-in, and what to do if your flight is late
Check-in is from 3:00 PM and check-out is by 10:00 AM. Early check-in or a late check-out can be added for $25 each, subject to availability — worth knowing if you have a red-eye or an evening departure and would rather not spend the afternoon in an airport lounge. Every room has air conditioning and there is complimentary WiFi throughout the mansion.
Breakfast is not served on site, but complimentary coffee is in the common area, and Eat Street and downtown are both close enough that finding breakfast has never been anybody’s problem here.
Make the arrival part of the trip
Most people arrive in a city and then go looking for it. Staying in a National Register mansion in Loring Park inverts that: you land, you travel twenty minutes, and the thing you came to see is the building you are sleeping in — hand-painted murals, carved fireplaces, English gardens, and a garden hot tub open in all four seasons that is a very good answer to a long flight.
Have a look at the rooms and tell us your arrival time — we will have the lights on.
Keep reading: 48 Hours in Minneapolis: A Weekend Itinerary From a Historic Mansion in Loring Park