Transportation & Maps

How fast can you get from the airport to Downtown Grand Rapids? Listen and find out.

Our 16-Minute Playlists showcase how fast your ride from the airport to downtown truly is. Hit play and enjoy the perfect Grand Rapids soundtracks from landing to check-in.

Amtrak provides daily rail service between Grand Rapids and Chicago’s Union Station, which connects to points all across the country. The Grand Rapids Amtrak station is located on the southern edge of downtown.

Driving to Grand Rapids from any point in Michigan is easy and direct. The city is located at the intersections of I-96, I-196 and US-131, so drivers can access the city from the north, east, south and west. Once you reach the metro area, every sector of the region – from downtown GR to outlying suburbs – is within a 10-20 minute drive. At most, Grand Rapids is only a two and a half hour trip from Michigan’s major population areas:

• Lansing: 68 miles
• Ann Arbor: 132 miles
• Traverse City: 142 miles
• Detroit: 154 miles

To get to downtown:

From the north or south

• US 131 to exit 85B (Pearl Street)

From the east

• I-96 to I-196/Downtown (slight left) to exit 77C (Ottawa Ave.)

From the west

• 1-96 to US 131 south to exit 85B (Pearl Street)

Driving to Grand Rapids from other states is easy and direct via interstate highways. The city is located at the intersections of I-96, I-196 and US-131, so drivers can access the city from the north, east, south and west. Once you reach the metro area, every sector of the region – from downtown GR to outlying suburbs – is within a 10-20 minute drive. Grand Rapids is within a day’s drive of half the U.S. populations and a few hours from the Midwest’s major population areas:

• Chicago: 175 miles
• Indianapolis: 290 miles
• Cleveland: 300 miles
• Milwaukee: 264 miles
• St. Louis: 442 miles

If you don’t arrive by car, or you’d prefer to keep your vehicle parked in one spot while you explore the city, there are plenty of other ways to get around town – including our award-winning Rapid bus system (which includes the free DASH downtown bus), Uber, Lyft and taxi services. Scroll down to see all your options.

The city’s Bike and Scooter Share Program lets you rent two-wheeled vehicles to get around a 12-mile area of the city, including downtown. Just download the Lime app to set up your session and then access a seated e-assist bike or standing e-scooter from designated parking zones located across the service area.

The vast majority of Grand Rapids/Kent County hotels, restaurants, shops and other attractions offer plenty of free parking. Downtown Grand Rapids is the exception – in cost, not abundance. With thousands of available public spaces on streets and in garages, downtown parking is convenient but generally fee-based. Each downtown hotel offers its own parking, and DeVos Place has 700 spaces for people attending its conventions, trade shows, concerts and stage shows. Several parking structures offer electric car charging.

Consult these maps to assist you in driving, parking, biking, hiking and locating specific attractions in and around Grand Rapids/Kent County.

• Beer City Ale Trail Map. PDF File(Printable) (7MB)
• DASH - FREE Downtown Shuttle
• Downtown Grand Rapids Map. PDF File (Printable)
• Downtown Electric Charging Stations. PDF File | Instructions for Electric Charging Stations. PDF File
• 28th Street Map. PDF File
• Kent County/Greater Grand Rapids Map. PDF File Print Version - Map (3MB). PDF File
• Kent County Trails & Parks
• Michigan's West Coast . PDF File
• Michigan's West Coast Beach Map