Minneapolis to Fargo road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops

The best road trip stops on the Minneapolis to Fargo drive are St Cloud MN, Alexandria MN and Fergus Falls MN. The distance from Minneapolis to Fargo by car is 235 miles, with a 3h29m driving time.

Planning a Minneapolis to Fargo road trip itinerary

The Minneapolis to Fargo drive takes you from the biggest city in Minnesota to North Dakota.

Top attractions in the twin cities of Minneapolis-St Paul include the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, the Basilica of St Mary and Minnehaha Falls.

Minneapolis has a big craft brewing scene, and one of the best ways to explore is on a craft breweries tour. Alternatively, take a walking tour through the city’s vast Skyway network of enclosed bridges and food tours.

Other MSP experiences include St Paul’s historic gangster-era caves, Twin Cities ghost tours and St Paul walking tours.

The Minneapolis hotels with the best visitor reviews are the Element in the Warehouse District and the AC by Marriott in the West End.

Fargo ND is best known from the Coen Brothers film and subsequent TV series, but it is not quite as bleak as portrayed. The North Dakota State University is here, which gives Fargo a bit of life.

Top attractions include the Fargo Air Museum, which is spread over two plane-filled hangars, the Plains Art Museum and the Red River Zoo. The latter has a focus on cold climate species.

Top Fargo accommodation options include the Kelly Inn and Suites, plus the Radisson Blu.

Minneapolis to Fargo distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Minneapolis to Fargo is 235 miles. That makes for a driving time of around three hours and 29 minutes. The best stops to add to a Minneapolis to Fargo road trip itinerary are St Cloud MN, Alexandria MN and Fergus Falls MN.

Minneapolis to Fargo road trip attractions: St Cloud MN

For many, the Munsinger Clemens Gardens are the highlight of St Cloud MN. By the Mississippi River, these gardens embrace the colours of the seasons along the winding pathways. Other options in St Cloud include the Stearns History Museum, plus the Quarry Park and Nature Preserve, which has swimming quarries in the summer and cross-country skiing trails in the winter.

Munsinger Gardens, Stearns History Museum, Quarry Park and Nature Reserve

Best stops between Minneapolis and Fargo: Alexandria MN

The Legacy of the Lakes Museum in Alexandria MN looks at the Minnesotan people’s relationship with the hundreds of lakes across the state. In particular, there’s a gorgeous collection of wooden boats.

The Runestone Museum was built around the Kensington Runestone. This inscribed stone was supposedly left by 14^th century Scandinavian explorers, but it may well be an elaborate hoax. The museum has plenty of other Nordic-themed artifacts, however. These include the replica of a 40ft Viking trading ship.

Lake Brophy County Park offers the best views of the town, with picnic tables and hiking trails in summer, plus a sledding hill in winter.

Minneapolis to Fargo drive: Fergus Falls MN

The symbol of Fergus Falls MN is Otto the Otter, a 40ft-long sculpture of an otter in Adams Park. Count that as your photo stop, but if you’d like to know more about the local wildlife, then the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center should be your main port of call. Elsewhere, the Otter Cove Children’s Museum encourages children to learn through play.