Transportation & Maps

Traveling to Grand Rapids is easy and convenient, whether by plane, train or automobile. Getting around Grand Rapids is just as pleasant, with multiple options for traversing well laid-out streets and quick travel times to every attraction in Kent County.

Air Service
Train Service
Driving From In State
Driving From Out of State
Public Transit
Parking
Maps

Air Service

Back to Top of List

When you fly into Grand Rapids, you’ll land at Gerald R. Ford International Airport (airport code: GRR), one of the nation’s easiest and friendliest transportation hubs. Airports Council International named it the #1 Airport in North America (by size) in its 2015 Airport Service Quality Awards – and the Ford experience has only gotten better since then, thanks to a half billion dollars’ worth of expansions and amenity improvements.

GRR is served by six national airlines offering more than 100 daily nonstop routes to 30+ destinations. It sits adjacent to two major expressways, and is just a 20-25 minute drive from the wide range of hotels and meeting facilities located in downtown Grand Rapids and across the city. You can rent a car at the airport or take a taxi, rideshare, bus, hotel/motel shuttle or limousine to your destination.

If you need help with directions, restaurant recommendations, things to do and just about anything else, head to the Visitor Information Desk in the airport front lobby or look for the Airport Ambassadors in green coats roaming the facility – they’re eager to offer assistance!

Airlines that fly into Grand Rapids:

Allegiant
American Airlines
Delta
Frontier
Southwest
United

Nonstop routes to/from Grand Rapids:

Atlanta
Austin (seasonal)
Baltimore - Washington
Boston
Charlotte
Chicago - Midway
Chicago - O'Hare
Dallas/Fort Worth
Denver
Destin-Fort Walton Beach
Detroit
Fort Lauderdale (seasonal)
Fort Myers (seasonal)
Houston
Las Vegas
Los Angeles (seasonal)
Miami (seasonal)
Minneapolis/St. Paul
Nashville
New York - LaGuardia
New York - Newark
Orlando International (seasonal)
Orlando - Sanford
Philadelphia
Phoenix - Sky Harbor (seasonal)
Phoenix/Mesa
Portland, OR (seasonal)
Punta Gorda (seasonal)
Sarasota/Bradenton
Savannah/Hilton Head (seasonal)
St. Petersburg/Clearwater
Tampa International (seasonal)
Washington, DC - Reagan

Train Service

Back to Top of List

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 From In State

Back to Top of List

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 From Out of State

Back to Top of List

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

Public Transit

Back to Top of List

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.

Experience Grand Rapids

Transportation a month ago

Exploring Grand Rapids on the DASH

photo by Experience Grand Rapids
7 min

The Downtown Area Shuttle, or DASH, is a system of bright pink buses connecting key downtown Grand Rapids locations and parking lots. DASH provides visitors and residents a convenient way to travel to…

Parking

Back to Top of List

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.