Union Depot

Beautiful riverside station with classic architecture. Staff were incredibly helpful, and there are plenty of cafés and grab-and-go options. Caught the sunrise here-absolutely stunning. Clean, organized, and easy to navigate. Highly recommend!

I didn’t know the depot had a museum located on the 2nd floor. It was nice to see all the beautiful history in this building it was great to see what kind of growth in it and around the area. Many things for your convenience located inside the station a restaurant, store, free library and shoe shine. The weekend has the farmers market just a block away with a great selection. Very great staff helping my daughter on her first train ride. Train was on time. The staff said they work hard to make sure the flow goes well. They are great directing people to the section they need to go. I also was pleased to see how they also use the location for local community activities. This weekend they were having an art fair, many vendors filled the area. For the most part I think this looks a little like it is still frozen in time. The restoration that was done looks great. One sad thing…The parking was disappointing even on the weekend the parking below always says full and are not available because they have now rented out to people for monthly spots. There was a vendor for the fair that had to go two blocks with her inventory because the parking for the visitors of the depot is not available. She still had to pay the $4 even though she wasn’t there 5 minutes to be able to turn around. I have handicap tags he almost didn’t let me go in either. He would not even look at my disabled plates without me insisting to look. I have plates but because my daughter was traveling she had her tag with us. Then when he did let us in he gave me attitude and followed us to make sure we parked in the ADA approved spots. My vendor friend was not able to park there even thought we saw 20 + open spots. Those are not left available for people using the union depot, that is very disappointing. I would have given a 5 star except the parking issue and that staff working it had a poor attitude. Once we were in the building everyone was very helpful.

We caught the train to Chicago from Union Depot—and I wasn’t expecting such old-world grandeur! I absolutely loved everything about it. The station is full of charm and character, with: • fantastic photo opportunities • beautiful art installations • massive, comfy sofas • an atmosphere that transports you back to the early 20th century • a lovely bookstore • a very interesting coffee shop with good coffee • and a friendly police presence Even if you’re not taking a train, it’s worth dropping by just to soak in the ambiance.

What a beautiful place! The building is absolutely stunning. The shops inside are adorable, the restaurant was delicious. Clean and safe.

Beautiful preserved building! Enjoyed seeing the architecture. If you’re taking Amtrak, show up early for a bite to eat. There’s also a cute little bookstore and toy shop.

Train was very convenient to board. It took all of ten minutes from drop off to boarding. Casual, stress free travel. Train was great.

The bus let me in to the state with my bike aboard however coming out of the state was nearly impossible as none of the drivers would let me bring my bike back onto a bus. I spent two days and literally four buses just spinning my gears so to speak in an attempt to escape St Paul. The first night even though they checked my boarding pass at least every 45 minutes to hour they did let me sleep in the lobby which I thought was cool of them except that they must have been really worried about my safety because they staffed a security guard to sit there and watch me just me I'm the only one there just me which I thought was cool and I felt very safe. Also pretty sure that there are some rogue wireless networks in the area attempting to steal my identity that must be why there were so many security guards. Bathrooms were clean though The workers there seemed like they knew what they were talking about but they didn't really in reality In the end I just called a friend and had them come pick me up Good luck everyone Good luck.

This is a truly beautiful building that houses the area where they have the European Christmas market each winter. The building itself is stunning, definitely glamour of luxury train travel of days gone by. What a great Place for a photo shoot, just don’t know if you have to get permits.There are tons of little nooks and crannies and rooms that tell the history of the station.

Went to the Union Depot for the Boonion Depot Halloween event. Free event! 10am-2pm Activities: *Inside: trick or treating, coloring, drawing, face painting, balloon making, exploring the stores in the depot, DJ dance party/games, game area: connect 4, jenga, chess, checkers, pictures with princesses, spider man and other characters. *Outside: riding a small train, looking at construction equipment, playground across the street Concessions available- coffee, chips, pastries, hot dogs, drinks and more- plus they are affordable! Parking: $ ramps available, paid metered street parking Stores: book store, train store, 1881 restaurant is inside the Union Depot. It's so cute and a cool vibe!

Growing up with a father that spent 30 years working at Kansas City's majestic Union Station, I have always appreciated visiting other train depots on my travels. I had actually travelled by train through this terminal in 1984 on my way between Chicago and Seattle but only saw it from trackside, this week we wandered inside while visiting the area. Although not as large as KC, Chicago, NYC... it is still a very impressive early 20th century neo-classical design. The grand lobby is beautiful with its marble walls and natural light pouring in through the glass ceiling. It still serves as the Amtrak stop for the region and also a light rail hub for the metro.

My first time here and I loved it! The service was amazing and the food even better. I had a mocktail (1881) was yummy! Definitely going back for dinner.

What a beautiful train station. I love the architecture. If you are visiting there is parking underground roughly $15 per day. Lots of fun events happen here all the time like the 50+ food truck event in the parking lot or all the fun Xmas polar express trains during the holiday season. A couple of stores to shop at and a new restaurant is coming soon.

Stroller and long lines and not well planned out market. Epic failure. The entrance and the exit seem to be the same little narrow door and you have people who decide to just stop in the middle of the walkways to chat and eat food and well and slow down traffic. The food lines are insane especially the one to get the little boot drink looked so long that it was going down to Daytona Bluff. There were people with large strollers and double-wide strollers. This event is not stroller-friendly due to the narrow walkways and this made it very difficult to walk around. I mean there were strollers for kids, and strollers for pets it was crazy. While this is a huge family event the location roped off for the market was not planned out for a crowd this large. PROTIP: The best time to go if you really want to shop is early in the morning before you avoid the GLOW crowd as well as the evening crowd. For food in the evening avoid everything in lower town because of GLOW and other events the traffic is bad and most of these places are packed.

I love old train stations. I wish I lived in an alternative universe where train travel took off in America instead of cars. I think they are so convenient and easy and I love old train station architecture. I remember the first time I saw Grand Central in NYC when I started college and I've been smitten since. So when I get the chance to wander an old school train station, I do. We came here because it's the last stop on the Metro to St Paul from downtown Minneapolis and because I also love European Christmas markets. The St Paul European Christmas Market is here, just outside by the train tracks. I haven't been able to go to one in Europe, so I try to go to ones domestically when I can. To be perfectly honest, I was underwhelmed. I think I was expecting something grander and more fun. The squeeze is tight and there are many people who don't understand the concept of standing to the side when conversing with friends. I liked many of the vendors but it was hard to even see what was being sold so we just walked around once and left. What was more interesting? There was a bakery show something going on in the events center of the station. We actually bought a very delicious smore set from that.

This by far was one of the worst places I have ever came across. The employees were down right nasty and mean they made me leave my belongings along side the train as we pulled away. It was 2 hours of hell as they laughed at me and I was crying. They were making fun of me because I went to the mall of America before leaving and had a bunch of shopping bags to carry on and they would not let me. When I told the conductor on the train they said that they were completely wrong in what they did. I will ever travel with Amtrak again

The first time I've ever been here was for the "Doggie Depot" event just recently, it was a great event filled with various vendors (filled with dog items). The venue it's self is really nice. I loved seeing all the pups wandering around and it was great to buy from local businesses. Parking is tricky, as they have a lot - but for some reason it was closed off for this event so we had to park a few blocks away which was outside vs underground parking.

I cut through here when I was downtown. It's a nice looking historic building with a few displays of old train memorabilia, etc. The space is large and I'm not sure how much of it is used on a daily basis. Seems like a nice space for events or if you're waiting for a train but otherwise a quick walk through here would probably be enough to check it out.

If you've been to New York's Grand Central Terminal or Kansas City's Union Station, it feels like a younger, less differentiated version of that. I recommend visiting on a weekday if you can, the quiet is almost haunting and really highlights the ornate interior.

Cushion seats in the main Amtrak waiting area. Two phone-charging stations, both at 240 East Kellogg entrance. Free wifi works great. No password needed.

I did a self-tour of Union Depot soon after it was refinished. At the time, it was pretty empty and quiet but seems to have picked up since. It was very clean, very spacious, and even had a lounge area for different train lines. There's different pieces of art to be found along the walls, and at the time a Snoopy with railroad themed decor was by one of the tracks. It made me wish it was more convenient to travel by train!

Im Only doing 1 star because I can't not pick a star it makes you. However my husband was kicked off a train for asking a question. the woman LaDonna Wilkins on train 27 car 2714 lied and said my husband called her names and was disrespectful I was on the phone with him the whole time and all he did was ask why she was yelling at him when all he did was come out of the bathroom. She then proceeded to yell at other passengers. So now my husband is stuck in Minot waiting for a ride cause they wouldn't let him back on that train. But if he wanted to spend another 100 or so dollars he could get on the next train that's headed that way. The worst part of all of this is that it was a straight up hate crime as she was black and my husband is white he witnesses her being nice to other black passengers but the white passengers were treated like crap. He will no longer be taking the train which is sad cause he has been taking the train for years.

Been here twice in April for MN Blogger Bash and LowerTown Pop Event which is a bit small and underwhelming compared to the Minneapolis events. It's confusing the layout of the building and the parking lot. There are very minimal signage to direct you throughout the floors and hallways. Doesn't seem to have staff around so you have to figure your own directions. It's a bit out of the way for event spaces but it is nicely located right at downtown st paul so you can walk to the river, baseball stadium and farmers market easily.

We recently took Amtrak from here to Chicago. The Union Depot has been beautifully restored. It's very clean with ample seating. This is a great location for events and I see they actually have events here. The seats also had electric outlets for charging phones and devices. Parking is covered and very reasonable. There were plenty of parking spaces available. My only gripe is that there is no coffee cart or coffee shop here. I was actually quite surprised by this. I saw a coffee shop in Union Depot, but it was closed. We were here at 8:00am on a Friday, so I'm not sure if it's ever open.

Beautiful looking station, but the main waiting room is cordoned off for private events and transit customers are all squeezes against the wall. I'm told that this is apparently the default setup. it certainly didn't look like there was an event anytime soon.

Came with a friend who was checking out this venue for a future company event. It was so unreal to have the huge train space as event space. It was so classic and fun, and hope to be there for a future event!

A cavernous shell of a day long past never to return. One Amtrak arrival and departure a day. An intracity bus company along a hard to find corridor. The Green Line stops in front and some city buses pull into the new terminals. There has been massive remodeling but still the grand terminal in the center exists as I try to think of post WWII and soldiers coming home, people of all sorts traveling on the many train departures a day. One restaurant venue has already closed but the hall is open for weddings and other events. Two security guards were laughing and talking out near the street. I used a men's room deeper into the complex and a middle aged man was hanging out staring and bee lined to stand next to me. Not to get into a fight, but I felt like it, I bee lined out uttering a profanity.

Beautiful old and restored train station. My experience was great. I loved that the station has some historical fun facts and things around. There are some awesome pieces of artwork as well. I arrived fairly early in the morning, around 6:50 in the morning, for my 8 o'clock Amtrak to Chicago. I was welcomed and pointed in the right direction by David at the ticketing window after being dropped off by a Lyft in a convenient drop off area. The train arrived only 10 min behind due to the blizzard, but the boarding process even in freezing weather is quick and efficient.

I have not been here since the old Lee Ann Chins was here. It is a beautiful space. Lovely, spacious and so clean. There were a number of people cleaning the glass on the escalators the day we were there. It looks so nice with all the Christmas decorations. Parking was a little dicey and full, but if you're lucky to find some street parking not a biggie to walk to. Lots of different events happening here. Nice to see this place again.

This space is GORGEOUS! I cannot comment on how the area looked before, but it really is a gorgeous space. And as Mary B has said there certainly is a "grand feel" to the Union Depot -- almost like taking you briefly back in time, wondering of how the hustle & bustle was of times gone by. (That would have been so cool to see.) But the large waiting area holds passengers for the Amtrak & Jefferson Lines (bus service). Perhaps it may house a few temporary passengers for the Green Light-rail line as well; but for my experience it was for an Amtrak ride. Because I had purchased a sleeper car, I had access to Amtrak's private waiting area. There were only 3 of us in there - - plenty of room, a couple TV's, and some coffee brewing as well. (I didn't try.) The larger, open waiting area also housed a bunch of chairs -I think I heard a ping-pong table??, and some TV's. So seems to be an upgraded waiting area too. And I think there may have been some vending machines near the entrance too. This space would certainly be perfect for private event or corporate functions -- cool idea! Now I can see why there were a few concerts & art displays here when it re-opened.

Great events and lovely place to come check out. The cookie bake event was the best I've been to and had great local vendor to sample treats and pick up holiday gifts. Take a stroll outside after to the European market with speedy but very cool winter crafts. Parking is about $4 and half a block walk since the connected parking is usually full so bundle up for a brisk cold walk.

The new depot is beautiful and LEED certified. Way to work on sustainability Saint Paul! I've been here for the cookie sale, getting dropped off by the Megabus and just recently the European holiday market. The far south building is where parking and bus pick ups/drop offs are. They have a connecting skyway that goes into the depot itself which is the west end. It's a great space with a lot of cool locally commissioned art work and artifacts found. They also have some hanging installations throughout the buildings. The cookie sale takes place inside the main building while the European Holiday market was outside on the east building. There are plenty of directional signs and seating for folks to rest. If you have car2go or zip car they are parked off Kellogg on the ground floor of the parking lot for Union Depot. All around it's a great spot to explore and for events.

Riding the Choo Choo Knocking it off the bucket list. Very nice people. Very comfortable seating.sight seeing is great. Should have done this years ago!!

Stopped by the Union Depot to check out the event they hosted called "Doggie Depot" I had never been there before but the place was pretty nice! You can tell they keep it very clean and welcoming to visitors. The event itself was great and it was a good location for it, plenty of open space for the table to be set up and walking space for humans and K-9's alike! Seems like a great place to host those type of markets especially with 2 parking lots right there!

I never visited before the redesign so I can't compare but when I did go to a game night I could see why the waiting room could be a good venue for unique art displays and concerts. It was very spacious and clean. Free WiFi was a plus and my boyfriend and I tried the Greek restaurant within the depot. The food was decent but it was a little noisy since there was a MNDOT event the same night. My only complaint would be parking is kind of tight.

The renovation of Union Depot is wonderful. I appreciate that the building has been kept in a historic style. The waiting area has arms on the bench, a nice nod to the historic building. Train stations had benches with arms to prevent people from sleeping in them. The grand feel of the building reminds me of Union Station in Chicago. The Resturant in the main lobby feels natural in the space. The acoustics were good and I could hear my table conversation. I was surprised that the sound was that good. I have been in other spaces that are similar with horrible acoustics. Overall a well done space and I can't wait to be back. Having the Metro Green line and Amtrack train stop there it has become the transit hub it was built for.

I have never been here, born and raised in Saint Paul I should be ashamed, it was so beautiful inside! I would like to come more often for events that they are hosting. I was there to volunteer for the Bloody Mary festival this past weekend, it was awesome. Such a great turn out and an amazing space for an event.

This historical building is gorgeous! I bring the majority of my guests here to walk around and take in the architecture. The main waiting area is stunning. As far as transport, this is where you go to take an Amtrak train. There is a light rail stop right in front. There are lots of buses coming and going, too. In addition to being the transportation hub of St. Paul, they host many other events. Free yoga happens 3 times each week. This evening features the European Christmas Market, the Polar Express, and a showing of the movie Elf.

This is a huge space and it seems somewhat underused. The little plaques and alcoves of information is really cool. I spent a good half hour wandering around the place poking my head into different little areas. They have a holiday market every weekend till X'mas out in the parking lot. I won't say it compares to the European ones I've been to but it's a good starting point. some cute stuff to be found.

I'm at the depot a few times a year when I pick up relatives visiting the Cities. It's really a beautiful building and it has great space for events. One of my favorites is the Holiday Bake Sale. My only complaint is that personnel here tends to be sparse. I never feel completely safe when I'm waiting for the train to arrive. Especially towards later evening in the parking garage security is lax. It's a fine looking, clean facility--however, it would be nice if there were folks around you could get assistance from or just generally know they're actually there.

Taking the #7 at 11pm on a Saturday night. It was difficult to find the parking lot if you are not familiar with the station due to one way streets and lack of signage. Entered the parking lot and the machine keep saying the parking lot was full and the gate would not go up. No other available parking lots in the neighborhood. Had to double park in a 15 minute space. Checked in with the Amtrak agents only to be told that security checks those parking spaces on a regular basis. I had a quick goodbye versus a long and meaningful goodbye with my husband. Went upstairs in the grand hall/waiting area only to find a big wedding going on and the entire beautiful train lobby was un-accessible and curtained off. Loud dance music from the wedding made it very uncomfortable to wait. There was a nice modern waiting room for passengers separate from the big station waiting lobby but they wouldn't let us use it until the train pulled into the station. What is the point of having a waiting room if you can't use it??? All very strange and odd. Good thing I got here early to solve all the riddles. Hope the actual train ride gets off to a a better start!

Fun place to chill and read a book. Love the architecture and how it's still used as a transit hub. My only huge pet peeve is that restaurant right In the lobby. Does it really need to be there or take up that much space? No. No it does not. On top of that it's really noises and plays music way too loud. Get rid of it. Replace it with cute little food stands or turn the space into an art gallery. Love this place though.

This bar should be a hot spot but fails miserably. Unfortunately they are in a great spot with potential. The bartender didn't seem to be able to keep up with 8 customers because it has great seating but she has to run all around plus cover the bar. No one was eating so I can't comment on it. The city should had never got rid of Christo's but they need to find another attractive business to make a successful place you want to go to for the atmosphere but you need it to be fun and affordable

Amazing job with keeping the history at the union depot . I love the free yoga on Tuesdays and Saturdays, the union also hosts frequent free events salsa dancing etc.

I was stuck for 4 hours here from 7 am to 11 am after getting off my Amtrak train and then waiting for my bus. I put a pillow on my lap and tried to fall asleep with my feet on the ground, head in my lap, and was woken up to a security guard repeatedly kicking my chair until I woke up and telling me 'you can't sleep in here'. This is a major transfer hub, people are here for hours at a time. I get not wanting people to lay on the seats, but this is ridiculous. Honestly, everything here is designed around thwarting homeless people. The chairs are single seats with plastic armrests, they got rid of the comfy couches they used to have because of it. I honestly completely dread stopping here whenever I travel now because I know I'll be sleep deprived but literally forced to keep myself awake for hours lest some gung-ho security guard start kicking my chair because I'm dozing off.

While on the Green line from Minneapolis to St Paul a young white woman tried to shame me and berate me bc I questioned a kid who came onto the metro asking for money for his basketball team. Being from the east coast, I had no idea that middle schoolers (he was in 8th grade) were responsible for raising their own funds for transportation to games and for uniforms, esp in the middle of May which isn't basketball season at home and is basically the end of the school year. So I was asking the student about all of that, when the woman called me ignorant. I asked her why, but she gave a curt answer and when I pressed her for more information, she acted very higher-than-thou. I ended up giving the kid a five bc I was confused and feeling guilty

Union Depot is amazing. The building, the architecture, and the art work should not be missed. The fact that it is all there to serve trains that were introduced in the 50s running on track beds that were laid in the 20s adds an amazing charm. Do not go and do not use the train if patience is not a good friend. We came back from Chicago last night. Some other weary travelers thought they were a 5 minute walk from the Millennium Hotel in Minneapolis. The checked luggage took 30 minutes to make it about 100 feet from the train to baggage claim. Baggage claim area is quite small. All 50 people that were there wanted their luggage first. One woman in front of me took great offense about being pushed by someone else. I had to grab a grandma by he shoulders to keep Her from toppling over backwards. Complete chaos. Trip was good but would have been way better if, as was the plan, they had taken the money for high speed rail service between Chicago and St. Louis and used it for the high speed service between St. Paul and Chicago but the bone head governor of Wisconsin said there will be no trains on my watch. After all, if we could move people quickly and efficiently, I guess he presumes that it would be a communist plot. I say in class all of the time that only communists use the train. When the green line went into service, I stood outside with a sign that said "no republican can take the train". But, I digress and joke. Union Depot is great. Just wish they could fix crunch time over luggage and buy a train that hasn't been in use for 75 years.

It is always amazing to go to the Union Depot. They always are hosting free events like yoga and free movies and it's right in the downtown area, so it's always accessible and near a lot of St. Paul attractions.

Lovely station and building but apart from a Greek Restaurant there are no food counters to get sandwiches and snacks. Seriously, why would you have this massive commuter hub with no shops or kiosks for travellers?

The securities were very rude and inconsiderate of their actions. We got off of our 8 hour drive and just wanted to have a relaxing moment. The 2 securies came by and said we CANNOT SLEEP in the waiting room. What is the logic to that??! Not only so, one of the security kept coming back after 10 minutes of so to CHECK if any of us had fallen asleep. I personally felt very violated and atracked by his actions. One of my friend was so tired she fell asleep and he came by and CLAPPED VIOLENTLY in front of her face to wake her up. I was amazed at how rude he was. To be honest, the station was very nice and newly reinnovated. However the securities were so RUDE and their actions were amazingly uncivilized!!! What is the point of building such a nice station while securities as these go around and treat people like trash?!!

If you're coming into town via train from Union Depot and are looking to get around the cities sans car, here's you're first stop. If you;re coming from the other end of the Green Line like me to make a jaunt to our twin city (not of the identical variety, that's for sure) then this takes you right over to Lowertown with lovely Mears Park. It just feels like there should be more destinations here than there are currently, since it seems when I wandered a block away in any direction there wasn't much of anything else. And if I wanted to go to Barrio or The Bulldog we already have those in our downtown. Directly around the station Bedlam Theatre looks interesting and something will probably re-open at some point in the Station 4 spot (hope it's cool). There is the farmers market too though if you time it right.

This place has the slowest service. Our waitress took over half an hour just to get drinks out. Then another half an hour to take food orders which wasn't that good. Ill never go back.