TWIN CITIES: MINNEAPOLIS
AND ST PAUL

Best Time Visit Minnesota

 

St Paul - the capital of Minnesota - and Minneapolis - the largest city in Minnesota - are just twenty minutes drive from each other. Both are top travel destinations in Midwest, with exceptional cultural and recreational opportunities. The Mall of America, just 20 miles south of these cities, in Bloomington, is a major attraction in the region.

See:
Best time to travel to Minneapolis and St Paul
When not to go to Minneapolis and St Paul
What to visit in the Twin Cities
Hotels and flights to the Twin Cities

See also: 
Best time to visit Minnesota
Best time to visit Northern Minnesota
Best time to visit Southern Minnesota
Best time to visit Bloomington and the Mall of America
Central and southern Minnesota Map
Northern Minnesota Map


WHAT TO VISIT IN THE TWIN CITIES 

The Twin Cities are a recognized cultural center, with strong traditions in music, theatre, dance or visual arts...

St Paul and Minneapolis downtowns offer a wide range of attractions. In St Paul downtown you will encounter the Science Museum of Minnesota, with the world biggest Triceratops and outdoor mini-golf. But there is many other top attractions: the Minnesota History Center, the Minnesota Children's Museum, the Ordway Music Theatre, the Park Square Theatre, the Xcel Energy Center, etc.

Outside St Paul downtown, the Minnesota Zoo is a major travel attraction, with more than 2,000 wild animals and a lush tropical and a boreal forest, a marine center, or a family farm. 

Minneapolis downtown is less historic than St Paul, but it's livelier, with dozens of lakes and parks (and entertainment in them), and yet more cultural sites: the Walker Art Center, the Sculpture Garden, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the American Swedish Institute, the Frederick R. Weisman Museum, etc.
 


BEST TIME TO VISIT THE TWIN CITIES

If you want to privilege animation, outdoor activities, festivals and non-winter sports, then Summer is the best season to visit the Twin Cities. July is time for the Minneapolis Aquatennial, a celebration of lakes lifestyle; end of August and Early Fall is time for the St Paul's State Fare, and from late June to July 4 is time for the annual Taste of Minnesota (a food festival), also in St Paul.

There are, anyway, non-summer festivals and events, as the Hockey Season, or the Winter Carnival (late January and early February) or the Minneapolis' Holidazzle (Christmas). 

Minneapolis' winters (and many Springs and mid-late Falls) are extremely harsh, with snowstorms and intense rainfalls and chill.Snowstorms are current in December, January and February and you may want to avoid the winter time, unless you intend to bet on indoor activities or snow sports.


WHEN NOT TO GO TO SAINT PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS

You may want to avoid the winter months, when temperatures attain very low levels, and snowstorms strike Minnesota.

For low accommodation rates, avoid also July and August.

See the Twin Cities Weather Data Map below, for details on the weather.


Twin Cities (St Paul and Minneapolis) Weather Data

HOTELS AND FLIGHTS TO ST PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS

St Paul and Minneapolis downtowns offer a wide range of hotels, but you may look for cheaper accommodation in their surroundings. There are dozens of cheap hotels near the airport (Bloomington) or in Stillwater (a riverside village 25 miles from St Paul). 

Minneapolis and St Paul are served by the Twin Cities International Airport, in Bloomington, just ten miles south of both cities.


Back to the top
Best Time to Travel - Home