Getting to and from MSP: taxi, rideshare, transit & the cell-phone lot

The quickest way to Minneapolis–St. Paul airport is usually a taxi or a rideshare: a taxi runs about $39–$49 to Downtown Minneapolis, and Uber & Lyft pick up in a marked pickup zone. Picking someone up instead? Wait free at the Cell Phone Waiting Lots (East and West). Below: every way to and from the airport, what it costs, whether to park or grab a ride, and how to fold the drive into your Leave-By Time so you reach security with room to get through the line. Check MSP TSA wait times today before you decide when to leave.

Picking someone up? Wait free at Cell Phone Waiting Lots (East and West). Two free lots on the south side of Post Road, about halfway between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 and 0.2 mi apart: East at 4921 Post Road (~100 spaces) and West at 4211 Post Road (~40 spaces). Wait there until your traveler texts that they're at the curb, then loop in once. Follow Post Road between the terminals; the East lot (4921 Post Rd.) and West lot (4211 Post Rd.) are signed on the south side and feed quickly back to either terminal once your traveler calls.

Leaving a car for the trip instead of getting dropped off? It's worth checking the lots: compare MSPparking by price & distance.

Terminal 1: Uber/Lyft pick up in the Ground Transportation Center on Level 1 of the Green/Gold parking ramps, in zones A, B or C. Terminal 2: pickup is on the second level of the Purple parking ramp. Terminal 1 rideshare pickup is no longer on Departures Drive - it moved one level down into the larger Ground Transportation Center, so follow signs down to the Green/Gold ramp Level 1 and your assigned zone letter.

Dropping off? Departures drop-off is the upper-level curb; Terminal 1 also offers the FLEX Lane (doors 5-8, upper Departures loop) and Terminal 2 the climate-controlled Express Lane (Level 2 of the Purple Ramp). Unattended curbside waiting is prohibited. MSP has 2 terminals (1, 2), so confirm your airline's before your driver commits to a curb — find your terminal at MSP.

MSP sits about 12 miles from Downtown Minneapolis, a drive of roughly 15–30 minutes via Hwy 5 (Lindbergh Blvd.) to I-35W north into downtown Minneapolis; I-494 to MN-77/I-35W is the alternate — closer to the high end at rush hour. That drive time is the first input into your Leave-By Time, so the calculator counts it backward from your flight along with today's security wait and the walk to your gate.

By rail, your option is METRO Blue Line — figure about 25 minutes to Downtown Minneapolis. The METRO Blue Line stops at both terminals (Terminal 1 station below the Red/Blue/Silver ramps via the Tram Level; Terminal 2 station at the Orange Ramp) and reaches the Warehouse District in downtown Minneapolis in about 25 minutes for a flat $2.00; trains run ~5 a.m.-midnight and are free between the two terminals (24 hours between terminals).

Fare: $2.00 flat fare at all times - Metro Transit eliminated rush-hour pricing on Jan 1, 2025; riding the Blue Line is free between the two terminals.

Hotel shuttles serve both terminals; Metro Transit city bus Route 54 picks up at the Terminal 1 Transit Center (Silver Ramp, Level 1) - there is no bus stop at Terminal 2, so take the Blue Line to Terminal 1 first. If a shuttle is part of your plan, add its ride time to your Leave-By Time — it's easy to forget the 15–20 minutes between the curb and the terminal.

Here's the math. Parking starts around $7/day, while a round-trip taxi or rideshare to Downtown Minneapolis runs about $88. So a round trip by car comes out ahead once you're away more than about 13 days — for a quick trip, parking usually costs less; for a long one, getting a ride does.

Want the exact trade-off for your dates? compare MSPparking by price & distance — the closest lot isn't always the one that costs the least.

Stations and terminals are fully accessible; wheelchair-accessible taxis are available on request at the starter booths, accessible rideshare uses the same ramp pickup zones, and a complimentary inter-terminal shuttle serves riders with mobility needs.

Late or overnight arrival? The Blue Line runs roughly 5 a.m.-midnight (24 hours between terminals); after midnight rely on self-service taxis (staffed until 1 a.m.) or 24/7 rideshare.

Returning a rental on the way out? Terminal 1: return cars on the ground level of the Silver Parking Ramp (reached by the underground tram). Terminal 2: return at the Ground Transportation Center on the ground level of the Purple Ramp. (We cover where to return a car, not where to book one.)

If a fare or a schedule points you elsewhere, the closest airport we cover is FSD (Sioux Falls), about 196 miles from MSP in a straight line. The same math on this page — drive time, ride cost, security wait — decides whether the extra distance is worth it.