Winters can be cold and dry with temperatures ranging from around -13°C to -3°C. Summer is usually warm with temperatures in the high teens to high 20s C, although at times it can be hot and humid. Like most midwestern cities, Minneapolis is subject to a range of weather conditions including heavy thunderstorms, tornadoes, snow and ice.
If you’re only staying in the city centre, you can get around by foot just fine. To see the rest of the city’s attractions, renting a car is your best bet.
Getting from the Airport to the City
The main airport for travellers taking flights to Minneapolis is Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP). Shuttle, van, taxi and limousine services are on hand to transport visitors between the airport and the city centre. Car rental is also available.
What is good to know if travelling to Minneapolis?- Don’t miss the Minnesota Fringe Festival, an annual 11-day festival of live stage performance and visual arts, including theatre, dance and performance art, puppetry, storytelling and more.
- Spring or autumn are the best times to visit the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, an 11-acre park operated and run by nearby Walker Art Centre, and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.
- Shop ‘til you drop at the Mall of America, in nearby Bloomington, MN, the largest mall in the country, with more than 520 stores, restaurants and bars, an amusement park and a 1.2-million gallon walk-through aquarium. As an added bonus, helping to ease the burden on your wallet, there’s no sales tax on clothing and shoes in Minnesota. It is located five minutes from the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport and 15 minutes from the central areas of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
- No trip to the American Midwest is complete without time spent at a State Fair. With food, animal exhibits, competitions, midway rides, concerts, and crafts the Great Minnesota Get Together comes alive every year for 12 days in August and September.
Minneapolis airport overview
Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport is the biggest and busiest airport in the Midwest, serving the greater Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St Paul. So close together that there is no visible distinction, the cities make up a sprawling metro area of more than 3.5 million people.
Most airlines fly in and out of Terminal 1, also known as the Lindbergh Terminal (named after Minnesota native Charles Lindbergh). Terminal 2, the Humphrey Terminal, is named for popular local politician Hubert H. Humphrey, whose name also adorns the nearby football stadium for the Minnesota Vikings.
Flights to Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport come from all over the world, but its most popular routes are to domestic cities such as Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, Phoenix, Seattle, Las Vegas and Milwaukee.
The airport is clean and attractive, with helpful staff and sparkling facilities that make flying through the airport a pleasure. Its convenient location near two downtown areas and many attractions makes it a great place to start a holiday in Minnesota.