Twin Cities

Twin Cities Borealis Train Weekend: Rail First, Market Food After

By Kevin and Chad · Here We Go

The Twin Cities are a better weekend when the first decision is not another airport sprint. Use Amtrak Borealis or local transit where it fits, make St. Paul Union Depot the calm arrival anchor, then let Minneapolis market food or a neighborhood dinner carry the useful chaos.

Quick take

Use this as a practical starting point, not a polished brochure. The goal is simple: where to go, what to try, what to skip, and what kind of traveler will actually care.

Why the Twin Cities work as a rail weekend

The Twin Cities are a useful reset for a Denver-based travel site precisely because this is not another Colorado mountain drive or airport lounge story. It is a practical U.S. city weekend with a real train option, two food personalities, and enough river-neighborhood wandering for Kevin and Chad to turn one snack stop into a debate without wrecking the schedule.

Minnesota DOT describes Borealis as a daily passenger train between St. Paul, Milwaukee, and Chicago. The round-trip service began on May 21, 2024, uses part of the 411-mile corridor also used by Amtrak's Empire Builder, and is designed around late-morning departures and early-evening arrivals in St. Paul and Chicago. Translation: this can be a sane no-car, no-TSA backbone for travelers already near the corridor.

Start at St. Paul Union Depot, then keep the first move small

Union Depot lists Amtrak train service through the station and puts the building at 214 4th Street East in St. Paul. That matters because the arrival point is not a random edge-of-town platform. It is a real downtown anchor with transit, walking, rideshare, and hotel decisions close enough to plan before the group starts negotiating with bags.

If the trip starts in Chicago, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Dells, La Crosse, or another Borealis stop, compare the train against flying before defaulting to the airport habit.
If the hotel is in St. Paul, use Union Depot as the calm arrival point and keep the first food or river walk nearby.
If the hotel is in Minneapolis, plan the Metro Transit connection or a simple rideshare before arrival. Do not make the first Twin Cities activity a curbside argument.

Use Metro Transit for the short hops that make sense

Metro Transit's fare page currently lists a local bus or METRO adult fare at $2 for 2 1/2 hours. That is the useful visitor math. If the day includes downtown St. Paul, light-rail-connected Minneapolis stops, a sports/event move, or one cross-town food run, transit can be the calm option. If the plan is late-night, bag-heavy, or neighborhood-to-neighborhood with awkward transfers, pay for the direct move and save the stubbornness for choosing dinner.

Make food the reward, not the spreadsheet

Midtown Global Market describes itself around visit, merchant, catering, event, group-experience, and online-ordering options, and its public site highlights ordering directly from multiple market vendors. That makes it a good Minneapolis food anchor because one person can chase tacos, another can chase something spicy, and nobody has to pretend the entire weekend depends on one perfect reservation.

First afternoon: keep it St. Paul-simple after Union Depot: hotel, riverfront, Lowertown, coffee, brewery, or one easy dinner.
Food block: use Midtown Global Market or another market-style stop when the group wants options without a formal meal negotiation.
Second day: pick one bigger lane: Minneapolis neighborhoods, Mississippi River walks, museums, a sports/event night, or a St. Paul food crawl. One lane is a trip. Four lanes is homework.

The Here We Go version

The best Twin Cities weekend is not about proving trains beat planes every time. It is about choosing the boring first move on purpose. If Borealis fits the route, use it. If local transit fits the hop, tap it. If the group is hungry, pick one market or neighborhood and let the snack chaos happen after the logistics are quiet.

Source checks: MnDOT Borealis service guidance; Union Depot train and station information; Metro Transit fare guidance; Midtown Global Market visitor/merchant information.

Good to know before you go

Check current hours before building a day around one stop.
Use the videos for the vibe, then verify prices and logistics before you go.
If you only have one meal or one afternoon, start with the places that match your neighborhood and energy level.