Getting from Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport to the city

The free bit

• The Blue Line runs between the Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 stations 24 hours a day, and no fare is required for that trip. Board at ground level.
• That matters more than it sounds. MSP splits its airlines across two terminals a couple of miles apart, and this is a train rather than a shuttle bus, running all night.
• It also means a very long layover has somewhere to go, since the train continues into the city once you pay.

Into Minneapolis

• $2 at all times, on the light rail and on local buses, valid for two and a half hours with transfers included.
• Under 30 minutes to Target Field in downtown Minneapolis, with trains every 15 minutes for most of the day.
• From Terminal 1 the station is one level below the tram. Take the escalator down, then with a paid ticket continue down to the Blue Line platform.
• Coming back, board any Blue Line train marked "Mall of America".

Into Saint Paul

• There is no train. Route 54 is the bus, running roughly every 15 to 30 minutes, about 20 minutes end to end.
• Same $2 fare, same two and a half hour validity, so a bus-to-train transfer costs nothing extra.

Mall of America

• 12 minutes from the airport, which makes it a genuinely practical layover destination.
• Trains serve the Transit Station on the east side of the mall, in the lower level.

Fares and passes

• All-day pass $4, valid from purchase until 2am the next day, from a ticket machine on the platform or through the Metro Transit app.
• $1 reduced fare for youth aged 6 to 12, seniors 65 and over and Medicare card holders, and $1 all times for riders with disabilities.
• Rush hour express buses cost more, $3.25, but nothing you need from the airport is an express route.