Layover end of April

My family have an eight hour layover in Detroit at the end of April. Is there a bus tour of the city that we could do - and how would we best join such a tour from the Airport? Is it a long way from downtown?

Thanks

Layover end of April

Detroit isn%26#39;t a major tourist destination and, for individual travelers, I have never seen or heard of bus tours of Detroit as there are in other cities. Charter bus companies offer tours for organized groups, but that won%26#39;t help you unless your family is extraordinarily large! It might be possible to hire a limo with a knowledgeable driver who could do the tour. Perhaps another poster might know of such a person or company.

There are occasional guided walking tours of Detroit that might be of interest, though the timing of your visit may not mesh with their infrequent schedule. For details, see www.detroittourconnections.com. I have not used them, so cannot comment further.

Detroit Metro Airport is about 20-25 minutes from downtown Detroit, provided that there are no traffic problems.

There almost is no public transportation (other than taxi and limo) from the airport to downtown. There are no express buses, no train and no free hotel shuttles. There is a meandering city bus that will eventually get you downtown. It would be a tour in itself as its schedule and the time required to get to and from downtown would leave little time for much of anything else if your layover is 8 hours and you have to be back at the airport at least an hour before flight time.

One alternative to consider is to take a taxi to Dearborn (15 min) and to spend your layover at the Henry Ford, which is an interesting museum and adjacent village of historical homes that have been disassembled from their original locations around the country and rebuilt here. You easily could spend the time there in both the indoor and outdoor sections. For info, check: www.hfmgv.org.

Please note: The Museum and Greenfield Village have separate admission prices, or you could buy a combined ticket. It might be more economical to buy an annual, family membership ($125) which gives unlimited entry to both venues for 2 adults and 2 children under 18 years of age. If the weather is nice, the Greenfield Village would be an excellent place to unwind before sitting in a cramped airplane again. The indoor Henry Ford Museum has fascinating car collections, as well as trains and early aircraft. It is more a museum of industry and technology from the first half of the 20th century, though some of the collections date from earlier periods.

Taxis to downtown Detroit are $41 each way, plus tip. Taxis to Dearborn are $31 each way, plus tip. Rental car might be a cheaper, more convenient and flexible alternative (both downtown Detroit and Dearborn are easy to find). If you look at rental cars, be sure to ask about total costs, as taxes and fees on top of the daily rental charge can be high.

Hope this helps. I have been in similar situations in other cities and it always is a dilemma how to spend the layover time. Other TA posters may have additional suggestions for you to consider.

Layover end of April

The rental car will probably be your best bet for around $60 for the day - which seems high to me, but could just be because of spring break (not sure who vacations in Detroit for spring break though).

Henry Ford is a good option as mentioned. There is also the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Science Center downtown. We also have three casinos downtown, but that is probably not an option if you have kids under 21.

Wow! Where are you coming from and going to that you have an 8 hour layover? How old are your kids?

You have already received some good advice here. Another suggestion if the kids are young and you still have a lot of traveling ahead of you... or you could be jetlagged and tired, is to just get a room at a hotel for the ';night';. Obviously it would%26#39;nt be overnight... or maybe it would - get some rest, let the kids play in the pool (look for indoor) and just chill. Lots of places just off the airport grounds. Look up Romulus Michigan for hotel info here on TA.

For instance, last time I went to Vegas - it was on business - and I booked a room for that last night -- when I had a red eye to take so I had someplace comfortable to relax before heading to the airport.

(I am not much of a gambler).

AddieBee%26#39;s suggestion of an airport hotel with an indoor pool is a great one, particularly if your kids are young. When my son was younger, we did this once in similar circumstances and the pool turned out to be a great stress-reliever for us and lots of fun for him. A nearby hotel also might be less expensive and time consuming than renting a car and paying admissions.

Thanks for your advice eveybody.

My daughter is 7 and we are tavelling fom Miami to London.It should have been a two hour layover but Northwest have put us on a real early Miami flight.

I feel like I should see downtown Detroit seing as I%26#39;m there. I think I will hire a car (i have found a rate of ￡24), have some lunch at a restaurant in Greektown - any favourites? - and then do the loop on the people mover that people sem to be saying is safe.

I don%26#39;t know what your timing is, but you could always take in a baseball game. Comerica Park is very child friendly with a food court and a little amusement area with rides and a mini ferris wheel.

And at her age - the Detroit Science Center - in the Cultural Center north of downtown Detroit is very good. (about 2 miles)

Did NW change your flight after your original booking? If so the computer may be responsible for the horrible layover time. They are always willing to work with you if you call and ask for a later flight or reroute - if it was THEIR change.

Not trying to discourage you from visiting Detroit, just 8 hours is a horrible layover, but not really a lot of time to do stuff.

Cats