Downtown / WoodwardEditor's pick
Shinola Hotel
4.7(2,310)$$$
Detroit's flagship design hotel from the city's most iconic modern brand. Penny Red's, San Morello, and the Living Room bar are all worth the stay.
from $279 / nightCheck rates
MI · Metro pop. 4.3M
Detroit
Rust and renaissance: the city where American industry met music, and is meeting art.
A postcard from the city
The QLINE gliding up Woodward, a Motown stage waiting for the downbeat, the Ambassador Bridge over the river, an Amtrak Wolverine pulling in — Detroit quietly putting the pieces back together.
Rails Midwest · City Guide
Detroit is in conversation with itself — grappling honestly with industrial decline while celebrating genuine creative resurrection. The Guardian Building's Art Deco interior remains one of America's most spectacular, the music legacy (Motown, techno) is unmatched, and the artistic ferment in neighborhoods like Corktown feels genuinely generative rather than manufactured. Amtrak's Wolverine pulls into the small New Center station on Woodward; the restored Michigan Central Station a mile south — Ford reopened it in 2024 as a tech-and-mobility hub after decades of abandonment — is a visit rather than the arrival hall, but the visit is extraordinary. This is a city of authentic transformation.
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Orient yourself
Detroit at a glance
The station, airport, and places worth walking to — tap a pin.
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Our picks
Our Recommendations
Where to stay · 4 hand-picked hotels
Hotels
Downtown
The Siren Hotel
4.5(1,670)$$
Restoration of the 1926 Wurlitzer Building. Candy Bar is a classic room-key martini stop, and the hotel is walking distance to Broadway and the waterfront.
from $199 / nightCheck rates
Downtown
Detroit Foundation Hotel
4.6(1,120)$$$
Former Detroit Fire Department HQ turned boutique. The Apparatus Room takes its name from the original fire-truck bay.
from $259 / nightCheck rates
Downtown / BroadwayBest value
Element Detroit at the Metropolitan
4.3(940)$$
Extended-stay rooms in a restored 1925 neo-Gothic skyscraper. Good pick if you want a kitchenette for a longer trip.
from $169 / nightCheck rates
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What to do · book ahead, skip the line
Experiences
Music & Culture
Food & Drink
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Getting here
Getting to Detroit
Flying in from abroad, connecting from elsewhere in the US, arriving by Amtrak, or driving in — here’s how each works.
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
By Car
Detroit's Amtrak stop is the small New Center station off Woodward Avenue — there's a small free lot and street parking nearby, but most travelers park at downtown hotels and rideshare to the platform on travel days. I-94 connects from Chicago in about 4h 30m.
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.