Detroit from Windsor: The Gordie Howe Bridge, Museums and a Game

Can you visit Detroit for a day from Windsor?

Windsor and Detroit face each other across the Detroit River, and for generations the trip between them has been routine. What changed in 2026 is the crossing itself: the Gordie Howe International Bridge opened to traffic on 27 July 2026, so the choice is no longer simply the Ambassador Bridge or the tunnel.

This guide is written from the curb. It covers which crossing suits which destination, what to carry, where the main Detroit venues sit, how a game night really runs, and when a chauffeur is genuinely worth it. If you are starting from Toronto rather than Windsor, our Toronto to Detroit route covers that longer leg; if you are starting in Windsor, read on, and see our Windsor limo page for the Ontario side.

The three crossings in 2026

The Ambassador Bridge and the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel are the long-established routes. The tunnel lands you in downtown Detroit; the bridge sits further west.

The Gordie Howe International Bridge opened to vehicle traffic on 27 July 2026. Reporting at the time said it is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, takes cars, motorcycles, RVs and trucks, and has express lanes for NEXUS members. A multi-use path for walkers and cyclists, free of toll, opened shortly after, on 5 August, making it the first Windsor-Detroit crossing open to non-motorized traffic; Visit Detroit's own site also mentions the path. The bridge connects Highway 401 in the Windsor area with I-75 on the Detroit side. The bridge authority's official site carries current tolls, rates and trip planning, and we leave the numbers there rather than repeat a launch-week figure.

The practical question is which one is quickest today. Waits swing by the hour, and on the day we checked, 8 October 2026, the CBSA's Canada-bound table showed no delay at the tunnel or the Ambassador Bridge and about five minutes at the Gordie Howe bridge for travellers. That is a snapshot, not a pattern. Use the CBSA border wait times page before you leave and again before you head home.

Choosing a crossing for where you are going

There is no single right answer, which is why the chauffeur picks on the day from the live waits. As a starting point:

• Downtown, Greektown and the sports district: the tunnel puts you in the middle of it.
• Midtown and the Woodward corridor: the venues listed below run in a line up Woodward Avenue from downtown, so a downtown arrival works, and the Ambassador Bridge is also an option.
• Dearborn and the south-west side: the Gordie Howe bridge, which lands on the I-75 side of the city, can make sense, but check live waits.
• Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW): about 35 to 40 km and 25 to 35 minutes from Windsor in normal traffic, border extra. See our Detroit airport guide and the Windsor airport page.

Our Windsor to Detroit cross-border route page covers the crossings in more detail.

Documents: what to carry

According to the Government of Canada, Canadian citizens aged 16 and over entering the United States by land need a valid passport or a Trusted Traveler Program card such as NEXUS, valid for the entire stay. Citizens aged 15 and under need a passport, an original or copy of a birth certificate, or an original citizenship certificate. Canadians under 19 travelling with a school or other organized group need written parental consent.

The same advice warns that officers have wide discretion and that travellers should expect scrutiny at ports of entry, including of electronic devices. For a day trip, being direct about your purpose and length of stay is the whole of it. Read the current advice at travel.gc.ca on the day you travel. For our cross-border trips, every passenger needs valid travel documents, and border wait time is part of the trip.

Museums on Woodward and beyond

A museum day in Detroit is a strong choice, and the places below are the ones worth building a day around. Hours and seasons change, so confirm on each site.

Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Avenue. The museum's published hours at the time of writing were Tuesday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Mondays. Check dia.org for current galleries, because some second-floor spaces have been closed for improvements.

Motown Museum, 2648 West Grand Boulevard, in the building known as Hitsville U.S.A. Tours are booked through the museum's site, which is where to confirm hours and whether a reservation is needed.

The Henry Ford, 20900 Oakwood Boulevard, Dearborn. The Henry Ford site lists standard hours of daily 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Friday to Sunday 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for Greenfield Village (closed Monday to Thursday), Monday to Saturday for the Ford Rouge Factory Tour (closed Sunday) and Wednesday to Sunday for the Giant Screen Experience. Greenfield Village has seasonal schedules, so check its hours page before you plan around it.

Visit Detroit's neighbourhood guide also points to Midtown for culture and museums, Corktown as the city's oldest neighbourhood, Greektown for dining and nightlife, Southwest Detroit for food and murals, and Belle Isle, which it describes as Michigan's most visited state park. A day that combines one museum with one neighbourhood works better than three museums back to back.

Game night: Comerica Park, Ford Field and Little Caesars Arena

Detroit's major teams play within a short walk of each other downtown. Comerica Park, home of the Tigers, is at 2100 Woodward Avenue. Ford Field, home of the Lions, is at 2000 Brush Street. Little Caesars Arena, home of the Red Wings and the Pistons, is at 2645 Woodward Avenue. Baseball runs in the warm months, football from late summer into winter, and hockey and basketball from autumn into spring.

What a game night means in practice:

• Parking and drop-off. None of the venues' drop-off arrangements are something we will guess at. The chauffeur confirms the exact meeting point with you, and a pickup a block or two from the doors, on a side street, is usually faster after the final whistle than waiting at the main entrance.
• Bags and security. Every venue has its own bag policy, so check the team's site for the game you are attending before you pack.
• Timing. A 7 p.m. start finishes around 10 p.m. for hockey or basketball, and later for a long baseball or football game. Allow for the crossing home, which is the variable part.
• Overnight. If the game ends late, a Detroit hotel night followed by a morning crossing is a sensible plan, and it changes your customs position, as described below.

We cover event nights on Toronto and Ontario venues in our sports and concerts page, and the same planning applies in Detroit.

Get an instant fare

Sample plans

Museum day (Windsor start).

1. Leave Windsor about 8:45 a.m.; check live waits and cross by about 9:30 a.m.
2. Be at the Detroit Institute of Arts when it opens, and spend the morning there.
3. Lunch in Midtown or Corktown.
4. Motown Museum in the afternoon, booked ahead.
5. Cross back about 5 p.m. and be in Windsor for dinner.

Game night.

1. Leave Windsor mid-afternoon and cross with an hour in hand.
2. Dinner near the venue, arriving at the arena doors 30 to 45 minutes before the start.
3. Meet your chauffeur on a side street after the game and decide: home tonight, or a hotel and an easy crossing in the morning.

Dearborn day. The Henry Ford is a full day on its own, and Greenfield Village in particular needs several hours. Build the day around opening hours, because Greenfield Village closes at 3 p.m. on its standard schedule. For a related Ontario day out, see our guide to Point Pelee and the Lake Erie shore.

Coming home: what you can bring back

The CBSA's rules are simple and unforgiving. The personal exemptions page says personal exemptions do not apply to same-day cross-border shoppers. If you are out of Canada for less than 24 hours, there is no exemption, so declare everything you bring back. After more than 24 hours you may bring back goods up to CAN$200, excluding alcohol and tobacco. After more than 48 hours the limit is CAN$800, with alcohol and tobacco inside set limits, and the same CAN$800 applies after seven days. The minimum drinking age for the alcohol allowance is the age in the province where you enter, which is 19 in Ontario.

None of this is a reason not to go. It is a reason to know what you are buying and to keep receipts. Our Buffalo day guide covers the same rules for the other end of the province.

Groups, families and accessibility

A game group of four to six fits a Luxury SUV; bigger parties use an Executive Sprinter for 12 to 14. See the fleet page for vehicle classes. Stretch limousines and mini-coaches are hourly bookings, and availability and the exact vehicle are confirmed at booking. Child, toddler and booster seats are available when requested at booking. Wheelchair access at the museums and venues is for each venue to confirm, and most publish an accessibility page.

Alcohol rules follow Ontario and Michigan law and are confirmed at booking; we do not promise drinks on board. If a casino evening is part of the plan, see our casino limo page for the Ontario side.

Honest alternatives

Plainly: if you are a confident driver with a car and a NEXUS card, driving yourself is simpler and lower in cost for a museum day. A chauffeur earns its place when parking near an arena would eat an hour, when a group wants one pickup, or when you want the crossing handled on the way home after a late game.

How booking works

Enter your pickup address and destination in the booker and it shows an exact all-in fare before you confirm. Cancellation: more than 72 hours' notice, no charge; 72 hours or less, 10%; 48 hours or less, 50%; 24 hours or less or a no-show, 100%, measured from the scheduled pickup time. For other cross-border plans, see the cross-border limo page, the events guide, the attractions guide and the blog.

Get an instant fare