Downtown Detroit Travel Guide

Tourist Guide

United States of America featuring a bay or harbor, landscape views and a city
United States of America featuring a bay or harbor, landscape views and a city
GM Renaissance Center featuring a sunset, a city and landscape views
Downtown Detroit featuring a park as well as a couple
Downtown Detroit featuring a city

Detroit is known for its architecture, industrialization and the arts. As creative entrepreneurs reclaim downtown, a new urban culture is rising next to the old.

While Detroit may have suffered a fall, when in 2013 its council filed for bankruptcy, the city is quick to be back on its feet. The revitalization of Downtown Detroit is where you can see the city rapidly transforming. Fashion and art are revived, historic buildings are being restored, and green spaces, restaurants, cafés and new urban areas are being created.

Detroit became one of the world’s wealthiest cities after the post-World War I auto industry boom. There is no better way to see this than in a walking, cycling or personalised guided tour of the city. See stunning art deco buildings including the Guardian Building, the Detroit Opera House and the Detroit Public Library. Admire the Fisher Building, a 441-foot (134-metre) tall building known as the Eiffel Tower of Detroit because of its stunning art deco architectural designs.

Art and history enthusiasts will find enough museums to fill several days’ worth of exploring. Admire old cars and model trains in the Detroit Historical Museum. At the Motown Museum, see where The Supremes and other famous Motown artists recorded their music. Visit the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History to see memorabilia, films and photographs celebrating the African-American legacy of freedom and justice. Watch an IMAX movie or learn about space at the Michigan Science Centre. Visit the Detroit Institute of Arts to see Vincent van Gogh’s important painting,Self Portrait, and Mexican artist Diego Rivera's most successful work,Detroit Industry, among others.

Dance the night away or see a live band in bars and nightclubs throughout the district. Have a cocktail and listen to some jazz at Cliff Bell’s, one of the oldest jazz clubs in Detroit.

Explore downtown’s river walks and gardens. See outdoor entertainment at Campus Martius Park or cross the MacArthur Bridge to enjoy natural parklands on Belle Island in the Detroit River.

While Detroit is best seen with a car, you can rent a bike or taxi or use the Detroit People Mover, an automated transit system. The Detroit Metro Airport is a 30-minute drive southwest of downtown.


Popular places to visit

Activities


Our pick of the best Downtown Detroit Hotel Deals

Hollywood Casino at Greektown

Hollywood Casino at Greektown

4 out of 5
1200 Saint Antoine St Detroit MI
The price is AU$276 per night from 25 Jan to 26 Jan
AU$276
25 Jan - 26 Jan
includes taxes & fees
Stay at this business-friendly hotel in Detroit. Enjoy free Wi-Fi, 5 restaurants and a casino. Our guests praise the helpful staff and the convenient parking ...
8.6/10 Excellent! (4,981 reviews)
Room was nice and the staff were all very friendly. The entire hotel and even our room on the 24th floor had a faint smell of smoke from the casino, for this reason I probably wouldn’t stay again but if you’re not sensitive to smells, this was a nice hotel m, especially for the price to others in ...

Reviewed on 18 Jan 2026

Hollywood Casino at Greektown
Atheneum Suite Hotel

Atheneum Suite Hotel

4 out of 5
1000 Brush Avenue Detroit MI
Stay at this boutique hotel in Detroit. Enjoy free Wi-Fi, breakfast (surcharge) and a free local area shuttle. Our guests praise the helpful staff and the clean ...
9.2/10 Wonderful! (2,057 reviews)
Everything was fine

Reviewed on 18 Jan 2026

Atheneum Suite Hotel
The Siren Hotel, an Ash Hotel

The Siren Hotel, an Ash Hotel

4 out of 5
1509 Broadway St. Detroit MI
Stay at this hotel in Detroit. Enjoy free Wi-Fi, 3 bars/lounges and breakfast (surcharge). Our guests praise the restaurant and the helpful staff in their reviews. ...
8.8/10 Excellent! (1,798 reviews)
Clean room, the most amazing staff I’ve ever met during any of my stays. Gorgeous hotel what very cool branding. Definitely coming back.

Reviewed on 16 Jan 2026

The Siren Hotel, an Ash Hotel
Cambria Hotel Detroit Downtown

Cambria Hotel Detroit Downtown

4 out of 5
600 WEST LAFAYETTE Detroit MI
The price is AU$248 per night from 1 Feb to 2 Feb
AU$248
1 Feb - 2 Feb
includes taxes & fees
Stay at this business-friendly hotel in Detroit. Enjoy free Wi-Fi, 2 restaurants and 2 bars/lounges. Our guests praise the helpful staff and the clean rooms ...
9.2/10 Wonderful! (1,006 reviews)
Great staff, Great hotel. Affordable, safe, close to venues, we found good food ad drinks nearby.

Reviewed on 17 Jan 2026

Cambria Hotel Detroit Downtown
Shinola Hotel

Shinola Hotel

4 out of 5
1400 Woodward Ave Detroit MI
The price is AU$568 per night from 25 Jan to 26 Jan
AU$568
25 Jan - 26 Jan
includes taxes & fees
Stay at this luxury hotel in Detroit. Enjoy free breakfast, free Wi-Fi and 4 restaurants. Our guests praise the helpful staff and the clean rooms in their reviews. ...
9.4/10 Exceptional! (1,211 reviews)
Spacious room. Soft bed. Got to check in early which was amazing!

Reviewed on 12 Jan 2026

Shinola Hotel
Fort Pontchartrain Detroit, a Wyndham Hotel

Fort Pontchartrain Detroit, a Wyndham Hotel

3.5 out of 5
2 Washington Blvd Detroit MI
The price is AU$234 per night from 1 Feb to 2 Feb
AU$234
1 Feb - 2 Feb
includes taxes & fees
Stay at this business-friendly hotel in Detroit. Enjoy free Wi-Fi, breakfast (surcharge) and a fitness centre. Our guests praise the helpful staff and the clean ...
8.4/10 Very Good! (2,376 reviews)
Staff were great and friendly jonnesha was the woman who helped me during my staff and she was polite, helpful and overall hospitality was phenomenal, everything was walking distance 1/2 minute distance, I saw parking had a fee but I didn’t rent a car, place was clean, had a room with a great view ...

Reviewed on 12 Jan 2026

Fort Pontchartrain Detroit, a Wyndham Hotel
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.

Other neighbourhoods around Downtown Detroit

Greektown Historic District

Greektown Historic District

Visitors to Greektown Historic District love its first-class casinos, and you can check out Hollywood Casino at Greektown and Underground Railroad Station Marker. If you want to see more in the area, you can get around town on the metro at Greektown Station.

Greektown Historic District
Nice place to bike! 🚴🏻‍♀️

Lafayette Park

When in Lafayette Park, you can plan a visit to Hollywood Casino at Greektown and Ford Field, some noteworthy sights in the nearby area.

Lafayette Park
Incredible VEGAN gyro at this great little place in downtown Detroit.  I’ve been hungry for it since I had it. Got it with chili cheese fries. Yum.  The menu is entirely vegan.  What a gem.  It is in an area that looks to be actively gentrifying, so a fair number of boarded up and vacant lots, but close to tons of venues.  #OnTheRoad

Brush Park

Brush Park might not have many top sights, but Little Caesars Arena and Comerica Park are two attractions nearby that you can check out.

Brush Park
The Canadian and U.S. Border crossing between Detroit and Windsor.

Corktown

Travellers enjoy Corktown for its live music and historical sites. Consider checking out Michigan Central while you're in the area.

Corktown
Eastern Market showing interior views, flowers and shopping

Eastern Market

The great live music and first-class casinos highlight some of the most notable features of Eastern Market. Make a stop by Historic Trinity Lutheran Church while you're exploring the area.

Eastern Market
Historic buildings in Downtown Detroit - Michigan, United States

Midtown

4.5/5(2 area reviews)

If you're spending time in Midtown, check out sights like The Majestic Theatre or Detroit Masonic Temple and hop on the metro to see more of the city at Canfield Street Station or Martin Luther King Boulevard/Mack Avenue Station.

Midtown


Downtown Detroit Travel Guide

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