Saint Paul is in Ramsey County, and our history dataset lists 9 historic sites a visitor can go to there; Visit Saint Paul describes the capital city as one where more than 100 languages are spoken, with food, festivals and art, sports teams, and more Mississippi River shoreline than any other city on the river.
By road, Saint Paul is 17 min and 10.1 miles from downtown Minneapolis (measured, no traffic).
- 9Historic Sites in Our Dataset
- RamseyCounty
- 6Places on the Official Site
- 2Itineraries Through Here
Historic Sites in Saint Paul
From our historic sites dataset, with hours and admission as each operator states them on the date we read them. Hours change by season: use the operator link.
| Site | Type | Hours | Admission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Historic Fort Snelling | Fort | Thu-Sat 10-4 (Sept 7-Dec 31, 2026); fort by guided walking tour only, weather dependent | $12 adults; $10 seniors 65+/college students/active military; $8 ages 5-17; 4 & under free; Native Americans and veterans free (on-site); parking $6 |
| James J. Hill House | House museum | Thu-Sun 10-5 (Sept 10-Nov 22, 2026; same hours for A Gilded Age Christmas Nov 28, 2026-Jan 3, 2027) | $15 adults; $12 seniors 65+/veterans/active military/college students; $8 ages 5-17; 4 & under and members free |
| Alexander Ramsey House | House museum | Closed | $15 adults; $12 seniors 65+/veterans/active military/college students; $8 ages 5-17; 4 & under and MNHS members free |
| Minnesota History Center | Museum | Wed and Fri-Sun 10-4; Thu 10-8; Mon-Tue closed | $15 adults; $12 seniors 65+/veterans/active military/college students; $8 ages 5-17; 4 & under and MNHS members free |
| Minnesota State Capitol | Other | Mon-Fri 8-4:30; Sat 10-3; Sun closed (Feb 17-Dec 31, 2026) | Free; suggested $5 donation for guided tours |
| Mississippi National River and Recreation Area | NPS unit | Park open 24 hours, year-round (partner sites set own hours) | Free (partner sites may charge) |
| Jackson Street Roundhouse Museum | Museum | Wed and Sat 10-4 | See official site |
| Landmark Center | Other | Building Mon-Fri 8-5; Sat 10-5; visitor center Mon-Fri 10-2, Sat 10-4, Sun 12-3 | See official site |
| Wic̣aḣapi (Indian Mounds Regional Park) | Archaeological site | See official site | See official site |
What the Official Site Lists
The official visitor site lists these places and districts. We repeat only what the page says; we have not visited or rated them.
- Como Regional Park: A four-season park.
- Wakan Tipi Cave: A sacred site; the visitor bureau asks visitors to be respectful.
- Grand Avenue and Selby West: Shopping districts.
- Downtown and Lowertown: Shopping and dining districts.
- West 7th Street: A shopping district.
- The Mississippi riverfront: Shoreline along the river.
Getting Around
- Transit: Saint Paul uses the same Metro Transit fares as Minneapolis: $2 local adult fare, $4 all-day pass, as read on the Metro Transit fares page.
- Parking: The city site offers parking quick links and snow-emergency alerts by text or email; we did not read the rules.
- Visitor information: Saint Paul Visitor Information Center, Landmark Center, 75 West Fifth Street, Saint Paul, MN 55102: Mon-Fri 10-2, Sat 10-4, Sun noon-3; 651-292-3225. The bureau’s home page lists a different address, so confirm before you go.
- Seasons: The bureau’s pages we read list fall events such as Oktoberfest and Halloween. Our guide to the Saint Paul Winter Carnival covers the big winter festival.
Plan It
- Events in the area: Twin Cities Metro events, and all Minnesota events.
- Event guide: Saint Paul Winter Carnival.
- Itinerary: Twin Cities Weekend: Capitol, Mills and Fort Snelling.
- Itinerary: The St. Croix Valley: Stillwater, Marine and Taylors Falls.
- More: Plan a Visit, Drive Times, Minnesota History.
What We Could Not Verify
- Population: the Census Bureau page would not load for us, so we give none.
- Prices and hours in the table are the operators’; we did not recheck them on the day of any visit.
- Parking rules, transit service and visitor-center hours are as stated above; where we say we did not read them, we did not.
- Our reading of each site is the town’s own description. We have not rated or ranked anything here.
Questions People Ask
What is Saint Paul known for?
Visit Saint Paul describes the capital city as one where more than 100 languages are spoken, with food, festivals and art, sports teams, and more Mississippi River shoreline than any other city on the river. (Source: the official visitor site, read November 1, 2026.)
What historic sites can you visit in Saint Paul?
Our dataset lists 9: Historic Fort Snelling, James J. Hill House, Alexander Ramsey House, Minnesota History Center, Minnesota State Capitol, Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, Jackson Street Roundhouse Museum, Landmark Center, Wic̣aḣapi (Indian Mounds Regional Park). See the table above for hours.
How far is Saint Paul from Minneapolis?
10.1 road miles and 17 min, measured without traffic on November 1, 2026.
Sources
- Visit Saint Paul, read November 1, 2026
- Visit Saint Paul: Things To Do, read November 1, 2026
- Visit Saint Paul: Visitor Information Center, read November 1, 2026
- City of Saint Paul, read November 1, 2026
- Metro Transit fares, read November 1, 2026
- Historic Sites in Minnesota (our dataset)
- Road times and miles are measured with OSRM on OpenStreetMap data between city-center points, run on November 1, 2026, with no live traffic, closures or weather. Real trips take longer at busy hours and in winter.
Checked November 1, 2026 by It’s Minnesota. Cite this page: It’s Minnesota, “Saint Paul, Minnesota: Destination Guide” (itsminnesota.com/destinations/saint-paul/), checked November 1, 2026. Free to quote with a link.