Music & Culture
MI · Metro pop. 4.3M
Detroit
Rust and renaissance: the city where American industry met music, and is meeting art.
A postcard from the city
The QLINE gliding up Woodward, a Motown stage waiting for the downbeat, the Ambassador Bridge over the river, an Amtrak Wolverine pulling in — Detroit quietly putting the pieces back together.
Rails Midwest · City Guide
Detroit is in conversation with itself — grappling honestly with industrial decline while celebrating genuine creative resurrection. The Guardian Building's Art Deco interior remains one of America's most spectacular, the music legacy (Motown, techno) is unmatched, and the artistic ferment in neighborhoods like Corktown feels genuinely generative rather than manufactured. Amtrak's Wolverine pulls into the small New Center station on Woodward; the restored Michigan Central Station a mile south — Ford reopened it in 2024 as a tech-and-mobility hub after decades of abandonment — is a visit rather than the arrival hall, but the visit is extraordinary. This is a city of authentic transformation.
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Orient yourself
Detroit at a glance
The station, airport, and places worth walking to — tap a pin.
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Our picks
Our Recommendations
Where to stay · near Detroit (New Center) Station
Hotels
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What to do · book ahead, skip the line
Experiences
Music & Culture
Food & Drink
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Getting here & around
Getting to & around Detroit
Flying in from abroad, connecting from elsewhere in the US, arriving by Amtrak — and then getting around once you’re here, without renting anything.
By Air
Detroit Metro (DTW) is the direct entry — 8 European direct routes plus major US domestic service. No need to route through Chicago.
Fly direct to Detroit from Europe
DTW · MIDelta's eastern European hub. Year-round nonstops to London, Paris, Amsterdam and Rome — plus seasonal service to Frankfurt, Munich, Dublin and Reykjavík in summer.
London → DTW
LHRDelta · Virgin Atlantic
Daily
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Paris → DTW
CDGDelta · Air France
Daily
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Amsterdam → DTW
AMSDelta · KLM
Daily
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Rome → DTW
FCODelta
Daily (year-round)
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Frankfurt → DTW
FRADelta · Lufthansa
Seasonal (summer)
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Munich → DTW
MUCDelta
Seasonal (summer)
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Dublin → DTW
DUBDelta · Aer Lingus
Seasonal (summer) — Delta adding capacity in 2026
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Reykjavík → DTW
KEFIcelandair
Seasonal (May–Oct)
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Airport to train station
No rail link from DTW. SMART FAST bus (Route 261) runs to downtown Detroit in ~45 minutes; the Amtrak New Center station is just north of downtown, ~10 min by rideshare.
By Train — Amtrak
The Amtrak Wolverine connects Detroit and Chicago in about 5h 30m, three times daily. Trains arrive at the modest New Center station on Woodward Avenue in Midtown, a short cab or QLINE streetcar ride from downtown and Corktown. The restored Michigan Central Station — Detroit's 1913 architectural jewel, reopened by Ford in 2024 — is a mile south of New Center and is a destination to visit, not where your train pulls in.
Connecting on Amtrak: The Wolverine is the only Amtrak service into New Center, with three daily trains from Chicago via Kalamazoo and Ann Arbor. The Blue Water and Pere Marquette pass through Michigan on different routes but do not serve Detroit directly.
Wolverine
From Chicago
5h 30m · 3 daily departures
Public Transportation
Detroit rewards a little planning. The QLINE streetcar runs free along Woodward Avenue and its northern end is in New Center, minutes from the Amtrak platform — it carries you down through Midtown to downtown. The People Mover loops the downtown core, also fare-free. DDOT buses handle everything beyond those two corridors, and SMART runs the suburbs. The car-free version of Detroit works, but it lives on the Woodward spine.
QLINE streetcar (free)People Mover (free)DDOT busesSMART
Who runs it
Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT)
Good to know
Questions travelers ask
How do I get to Detroit by train?
Fly direct into Detroit Metro (DTW) — 8 nonstop European routes, plus extensive non-stop US domestic service — or connect through Chicago O'Hare (ORD) if your preferred carrier isn't available on the direct service. See the "Fly direct to Detroit" block for the current carriers and schedules.
How many days do I need in Detroit?
Two to three days suits most travelers — enough to explore music, culture, architecture, and to hit the main neighborhoods without feeling rushed. Add a day if you want to take a day trip out (Chicago are close by rail).
Can I visit Detroit without a car?
Yes — every destination we cover is walkable from its Amtrak station or well-served by local transit. Detroit's downtown is large and transit-connected, and ride-share fills the gaps.