Detroit: Travel Guide

Detroit is a city of approximately 620,000 residents in the city proper — down from a peak of 1.8 million in 1950 — with a metropolitan area of roughly 4.4 million. It sits on the Detroit River separating Michigan from Ontario, Canada, with Windsor directly across the water. Detroit invented the modern automobile industry: Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis (formerly Chrysler) all trace their roots here, and that legacy shapes the city’s physical layout, cultural identity, and ongoing economic story.

For visitors, the appeal is specific. The Detroit Institute of Arts holds one of the finest municipal art collections in the United States, anchored by Diego Rivera’s Detroit Industry Murals. Motown Records was founded here in 1959, and the Motown Museum on West Grand Boulevard is one of the country’s most affecting musical heritage sites. The food scene has improved dramatically since 2010, with a cluster of nationally recognised chefs working in a city where real estate costs a fraction of what they do in New York or Chicago. Eastern Market — a wholesale and retail market operating since 1891 — remains one of the largest historic public markets in the US.

Detroit is not a tourist city in the conventional sense. Parts of the city remain heavily disinvested. But for visitors who come prepared, it rewards engagement.

Getting to Detroit

By air: Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) is the primary airport, located approximately 20 miles southwest of downtown in Romulus. It is a Delta Air Lines hub. Taxi to downtown costs approximately $45–$55; rideshare approximately $30–$45 (as of 2026). The SMART bus Route 261 serves the airport but is slow — 60–90 minutes to downtown. Most visitors rent a car or use rideshare.

By train: Amtrak’s Wolverine service connects Chicago to Detroit in approximately 4.5–5.5 hours (3 trains daily). The Detroit station is the historic Michigan Central Station, reopened in 2024 after decades of vacancy and renovation by Ford. Fares from approximately $22 with advance booking.

By car: Detroit sits on I-75, I-94, and I-96. From Chicago it is approximately 280 miles (4.5 hours). From Cleveland approximately 170 miles (2.5 hours). Canada connects via the Ambassador Bridge or Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.

Getting Around Detroit

Detroit is a car-oriented city. The QLine streetcar runs 3.3 miles along Woodward Avenue from Congress Street to New Center, with service every 10–15 minutes; fare approximately $1.50 (as of 2026). The People Mover is a 2.9-mile elevated loop serving downtown with 13 stops; fare approximately $0.75 (as of 2026). Neither covers enough ground to replace a car for most itineraries.

Rideshare is reliable downtown and Midtown. Outside these areas, response times lengthen considerably. Parking downtown costs approximately $5–$15 per day in surface lots, much less than comparable US cities.

Neighbourhoods

Downtown is the commercial and sports core: Little Caesars Arena, Ford Field, and Comerica Park are all within walking distance of each other, creating an unusually dense sports district. The waterfront Riverwalk runs 5.5 miles along the Detroit River.

Midtown surrounds Wayne State University and contains the DIA, the Detroit Historical Museum, the Michigan Science Center, and the highest concentration of the city’s best restaurants. Cass Corridor — a subset of Midtown — was Detroit’s skid row a generation ago and is now its most active dining and nightlife district.

Eastern Market is a neighbourhood and a market: six sheds covering 43 acres, open for retail on Saturdays year-round. The surrounding blocks have an active restaurant and bar scene.

Corktown is Detroit’s oldest surviving neighbourhood, west of downtown, now home to the renovated Michigan Central Station and a cluster of design-forward restaurants and bars.

What to See

Detroit Institute of Arts — 5200 Woodward Ave. One of the top six art museums in the United States by collection size. Diego Rivera’s Detroit Industry Murals (1933) occupy an entire courtyard and are among the finest examples of Mexican muralism outside Mexico. General admission approximately $14 for adults, $9 for children as of 2026. Open Tuesday–Sunday 9am–4pm (until 10pm Fridays). Free to Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb county residents.

Motown Museum (Hitsville U.S.A.) — 2648 West Grand Blvd. The original recording studio where Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, and the Jackson 5 recorded. Studio A, where the hits were made, is preserved as it was in the 1960s. Admission approximately $15–$20 for adults as of 2026. Tours run Tuesday–Sunday, first tour 9:30am, last tour 3:30pm. Book in advance on weekends.

Eastern Market — 2934 Russell St. Saturday market 6am–4pm year-round. Six sheds selling produce, meat, flowers, and specialty food. Surrounding restaurant blocks active Thursday–Saturday evenings.

Michigan Central Station — 2001 15th St, Corktown. Reopened 2024 after Ford’s $950 million restoration of the Beaux-Arts station (built 1913). Now a Ford innovation campus with public-facing spaces, events, and a food hall. Free to enter public areas.

Belle Isle Park — An island in the Detroit River, accessible by bridge. Michigan’s largest urban state park: aquarium (free), nature centre, conservatory, beach, and a 1-mile perimeter road popular with runners and cyclists. Vehicle entry approximately $17 per vehicle per day (Michigan Recreation Passport) as of 2026.

Hotels

The Shinola Hotel — 1400 Woodward Ave, Downtown. Detroit’s most design-forward hotel, opened 2019 in two 19th-century buildings. 129 rooms; from approximately $200–$350 per night as of 2026. Connected to the Shinola brand store. Well-located for walkability to Little Caesars Arena and the DIA.

The Siren Hotel — 1509 Broadway St, Downtown. A 1926 building converted to a 106-room boutique hotel with a notably eclectic aesthetic. From approximately $140–$220 per night. Houses several bars and the Apparatus Room restaurant.

Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center — 400 Renaissance Center, Downtown. The largest hotel in Michigan: 1,298 rooms in the central tower of the Renaissance Center complex on the riverfront. From approximately $150–$250 per night. The best views of the river and Windsor, Canada.

Trumbull & Porter Hotel — 1331 Trumbull Ave, Corktown. 143-room boutique hotel in a former warehouse building, close to Michigan Central Station. From approximately $130–$200 per night. Popular with visitors to the Corktown restaurant scene.

Hostel Detroit — 2700 Michigan Ave, Corktown. The city’s best-known independent hostel, a short walk from Michigan Central Station. Dormitory beds from approximately $35–$55 per night; private rooms approximately $75–$95 as of 2026. Common kitchen and community spaces; popular with younger travellers and artists.

Restaurants

Selden Standard — 3921 Second Ave, Midtown. James Beard nominee Andy Hollyday’s produce-driven American restaurant, one of the city’s most consistent. Shared plates approximately $12–$28. Open for dinner Tuesday–Sunday, lunch Thursday–Friday. Book in advance.

Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails — 15 E Kirby St, Midtown, inside the Park Shelton building. Vegetable-focused creative American with a serious cocktail program. Mains approximately $22–$38. Open Tuesday–Sunday for dinner.

Gold Cash Gold — 2100 Michigan Ave, Corktown. American comfort food in a former pawnshop; the sign is still on the building. Known for pork belly and biscuits. Brunch and dinner; mains approximately $16–$28.

Apparatus Room — 1509 Broadway St, inside The Siren Hotel, Downtown. Farm-to-table in a converted 1920s fire station with original apparatus bays. Dinner mains approximately $28–$48. Open daily for breakfast and dinner.

Supino Pizzeria — 2457 Russell St, Eastern Market. Detroit-style square pizza with a thin, crispy underside and sauce on top of the cheese — the defining local style. Pies approximately $14–$22 as of 2026. Cash-friendly; the Eastern Market location means Saturday lunch lines form early.

Eastern Market after dark — The area around Russell and Riopelle streets — Supino Pizzeria (2457 Russell St), El Guapo (3000 Michigan Ave in Corktown), and the Eastern Market Brewing Company (2515 Riopelle St) — forms an informal circuit on Thursday and Saturday evenings.

Practical Notes

The Detroit–Windsor border crossing at the Ambassador Bridge and the tunnel is the busiest US–Canada commercial land crossing. Foot traffic is limited; most people cross by car. A passport or passport card is required. Customs processing can take 30–60 minutes.

Weather: summers are warm (average highs 83°F/28°C in July) and humid; winters are cold and snowy (average January high 31°F/-1°C). The city’s entertainment calendar is busiest from May through October. The Detroit Grand Prix (June, Belle Isle) and the Detroit Jazz Festival (Labor Day weekend, Hart Plaza — free admission) are the two largest annual events.