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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Detroit
Give Detroit 2 nights: 1 full day Downtown and Midtown, 1 day for Belle Isle or Dearborn. Skip it as a base without a car.
Detroit is a car city with a compact, walkable core. Downtown and Midtown hold the museums, theatres and stadiums; the riverfront and Belle Isle sit east; Dearborn is 20 minutes west. Two nights covers the core. Three or more lets you add Dearborn, Ann Arbor or a Windsor crossing. Distances between sights are long, so plan on driving, rideshare or the QLine plus buses.
- Country
- United States
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (cold, snow), late Jul–Aug (hot and humid)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $70–110 excl. bed · Mid $130–220 excl. bed · High $250+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $3–6 |
| Coney dog or a diner breakfast | $5–14 |
| Craft beer in a bar | $6–9 |
| Museum entry (Detroit Institute of Arts, Motown Museum) | $10–30 |
| Rideshare, 5 km downtownRideshare, 3.1 mi downtown | $12–20 |
| Parking garage, per day downtown | $15–35 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- DTW · Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
- In Romulus, about 20 min west of downtown; Delta hub. Detroit Air Xpress bus to downtown, 30–60 min.
- YQG · Windsor International Airport
- Across the river in Canada; useful only if you are coming from a Canadian city. Check rental-car cross-border rules.
Typical fares
- DTW → downtown, Detroit Air Xpress
- $6 by reservation, $8 at the door, 30–60 min (check)
- DTW → downtown, taxi
- $45–50 plus airport fee (check)
- QLine streetcar
- check current fare
- People Mover
- check current fare
Get around
Downtown is walkable and the QLine streetcar runs Woodward Ave between downtown and New Center; the People Mover loops the downtown core. For anything else you need a car, rideshare or a bus — DDOT runs city routes, SMART covers the suburbs. Allow 20–30 min by car between downtown and Midtown in traffic.
See and do
Known for
- Detroit Institute of Arts
- Motown Museum
- Belle Isle Park
- Eastern Market
- Automotive history (Ford, GM)
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Dearborn | I-94 west by car or rideshare, about 20 min | About 30–40 min |
| Ann Arbor | I-94 west by car, about 45 min; or Amtrak Wolverine from Detroit station, about 1 h | About 1 h |
| Windsor, Ontario | Linq Tunnel Bus or car through the Detroit–Windsor Tunnel | About 30–45 min plus border time |
| Grosse Pointe | Car or rideshare east along the lake | About 20–30 min |
| Canton, Michigan | I-275 west by car | About 30–40 min |
Sleep
- Downtown
- Walkable to the riverfront, stadiums, theatres and Greektown; best for a first trip with no car.
- Midtown–New Center
- Museums, Wayne State and the Amtrak station; QLine links it to downtown.
- Corktown
- Old Irish neighbourhood near Michigan Central Station; food and bars, short rideshare to downtown.
- Suburbs (Dearborn, Troy, Novi)
- Cheaper chain hotels and parking; only makes sense with a car.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Where is the station? | Where is the station? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| To this address, please | To this address, please |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- A car or rideshare is effectively required outside the downtown–Midtown corridor; buses are slow and infrequent.
- Winter brings snow, ice and wind-chill; summer can be hot and humid with thunderstorms.
- Some neighbourhoods outside the core have high crime rates; stay in lit, busy areas at night and use rideshare after dark.
- The US–Canada border crossing at Windsor is the busiest between the two countries: carry a passport and allow for queues.
- Prices are shown before Michigan sales tax (6%).
Downtown and Midtown are busy and generally fine by day and evening. The real risks are unlit blocks outside the core at night, winter driving, and leaving anything visible in a parked car: use rideshare after dark and park in garages.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Detroit yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Detroit Institute of Arts
- Motown Museum
- Belle Isle Park
- Eastern Market
- Automotive history (Ford, GM)
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit Detroit: visitdetroit.com/
- City of Detroit: detroitmi.gov
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport: www.metroairport.com/
- Detroit Air Xpress: www.dax-bus.com/
- SMART bus: www.smartbus.org/
- Amtrak — Detroit station: www.amtrak.com/stations/det
- Wikivoyage: Detroit, revision 5324106 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5324106
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Detroit
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
Most countries have consulates in Chicago or Detroit; check your own embassy's list before you travel.
Tipping is expected: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% for taxis.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/detroit). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.